| Religious Education for Children | A Message to Parents |
Religious
Education for Children
Our
religious education program for children is coordinated by our Director of
Religious Education, Jan Hutslar, and our Religious Education Committee.
Children attend the first part of all worship services, which feature a special
children’s time. In their classes, children learn about our Unitarian
Universalist heritage and spirituality, about other world religions (including
Judaism, Christianity, Earth-centered and Asian religions), about social and
ethical issues, and about human relationships. We aim to provide a caring
atmosphere that respects the ideas and abilities of each child, and that
encourages each to think independently and apply religious values to everyday
life.
Religious education for all ages is a vital part of the mission and ministry of this church. At the heart of our Unitarian Universalist faith is the belief that religious knowledge is not something imparted once and for all at an early age. It is instead an ongoing process of dialogue with each other and with the world around us, a process that lasts as long as we do. Each of us is always learning. Each of us is always teaching, too, sometimes in the classroom or from the pulpit, but more often in the way we live our daily lives – in our attempts to model justice, integrity, and compassion, and in the respect and concern we show for our interconnected world and all its inhabitants.
As St. Exupery said,
“We live not by things, but by the meanings of things.” Sharing our values
with our children is therefore crucial to their futures and to that of our
liberal faith. In an atmosphere of
caring and acceptance, we help children to understand what it means to be a
Unitarian Universalist, to learn about other religious traditions, and to
realize how our actions can make a difference in the world.
Our religious education program for children offers them opportunities to
develop their own best selves and to become kind, fair, thoughtful, and
responsible persons. We invite you
to join us in making children welcome, in supporting parents and teachers, and
in building relationships across the generations for all of us.
Anne Marsh and Wade Wheelock, Co-Ministers 
Families are an important part of our religious community. We believe it is important for children to be welcome and comfortable in our sanctuary, and appreciate the sanctity of our spiritual gathering place. Children learn through experience and example. By experiencing a portion of the adult service, our children will gain an appreciation and understanding of what Unitarian Universalism is and why it is important to us. By including our children in part of our worship service, we also demonstrate their importance to us, and live the UU value of the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We also understand very well that most children aren’t enthusiastic about sitting still and quietly for very long. We offer some suggestions to help make our church a more welcoming and comfortable place for all.
Plan to arrive early to get settled with your kids.
We invite you to explore our Nursery and Religious Education (RE)
classrooms on the lower level.
Childcare is available for infants and toddlers throughout the service. RE classes for children from Preschool through 8th grade begin after the intergenerational story
Consider sitting near the front so the children can see what is happening and feel more involved.
Parents and young children (including nursing infants) are welcome to stay for the entire service, but may be more comfortable in the Social Room where they can listen to the service via the P.A. system
Show your children the Order of Service so they are able to follow the sequence.
Share the hymnal and Order of Service at your children’s eye level.
Line words with your finger for younger readers or whisper each line before it is sung.
During the intergenerational story, feel free to come forward with any young or unsure child.
Extend church and worship to conversations at home.
Look for opportunities to connect the sermon or story to events throughout the week.
Remind children to be respectful of the sanctuary and other
congregants by using appropriate pace and volume and asking permission before
handling equipment or instruments.
Unitarian
Universalist Principles
Simplified for Children
As Unitarian
Universalists we believe that:
Every person is important.
Every person should be treated fairly.
Our churches are places where everyone is accepted and where we keep on learning together.
Every person is free to search for what is true and right in life.
Every person should have a vote about the things that concern him or her.
We must work for a peaceful, fair, and free world.
We must work together to care for our planet Earth.
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