Religious Education for 2009-2010

The great end in religious instruction is not to stamp our minds upon the young,
but to stir up their own;
Not to make them see with our eyes,
but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own;
Not to give them a definite amount of knowledge,
but to inspire a fervent love of truth;
Not to form an outward regularity,
but to touch inward springs;
Not to bind them by ineradicable prejudices to our particular sect or peculiar notions,
but to prepare them for impartial, conscientious judging of whatever subjects may be offered to their decision;
Not to burden the memory,
but to quicken and strengthen the power of thought;
Not to impose religion upon them in the form of arbitrary rules,
but to awaken the conscience, the moral discernment.
In a word, the great end is to awaken the soul, to excite and cherish spiritual life.

-William Ellery Channing

Our purpose is to guide our children and youth in the study of UU principles and heritage, moral values, social responsibility, and diverse religious ideas in a safe and resourceful environment, enabling them to develop their faith understanding as Unitarian Universalists.

-RE Committee Mission Statement

The Nursery
Chalice Tots

Chalice Tots provides a warm and caring atmosphere for very young children while parents attend services, adult discussion, and coffee hour. The nursery program accommodates infants through age 3. We employ paid nursery staff to ensure continuity of care. Hours are 9:45 am to 12:00 noon. It is our policy that parents must sign their children in and out of the nursery.

Pre-Kindergarten
A Discovering Year

A Shelter Rock program, A Discovering Year seeks to nurture children's spiritual and religious growth through carefully sequenced connections to their ever-widening environment. It offers many opportunities for discovery and celebration as children explore themselves and others, their families and their church, the wonders of nature, and religious and cultural days.

K-1
Picture Book World Religions and
Picture Book Unitarian Universalism

To help our children connect the concepts from Children's Worship to their RE class, we will be using the two Picture Book curricula by Kate Tweedie Covey to study the sources of our faith, Picture Book UUism and Picture Book World Religions. Both of these curricula use beautiful picture books—many of which are "UU standards,"—to illustrate the ideas and origins of Unitarian Universalism.

Grades 2-3
Picture Book Unitarian Universalism

To help our children connect the concepts from Children's Worship to their RE class, we will be using Picture Book UUism by Kate Tweedie Covey to study the sources of our faith. We will also use a handful of lessons from Picture Book World Religions. Both of these curricula use beautiful picture books—many of which are "UU standards"—to illustrate the ideas and origins of Unitarian Universalism.

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

Grades 2 and 3 will be meeting for Our Whole Lives (OWL) from October 14 through December 16. Parents will be given more detailed information in the fall and at the mandatory Parent Orientations on September 23 and October 7.

Grades 4-5
A Cultural Tour of World Religions and
Holidays and Holy Days

To help our children connect the concepts from Children's Worship to their RE class, we will be using Cultural Tour of World Religions (which has a strong UU portion) and portions of the classic Holidays and Holy Days. Each youth will receive a personal "passport" and spend the year studying how the various religions of the world became sources of our own UU faith.

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

Grades 4 and 5 will be meeting for Our Whole Lives (OWL) from January 17, 2010 through February 28, 2010. Parents will be given detailed information in the winter and at the mandatory Parent Orientations on December 13, 2009 and December 20, 2009.

Grades 6-8
Popcorn Theology

Today's youth have grown up in a world of movies, YouTube, the internet and television. Each offers innumerable opportunities to learn through visual media. Popcorn Theology takes this interest and uses current films to examine the theological and ethical issues of our world. Each Sunday, the youth will explore various film clips and use leading questions to "pop" through a discussion on the issues the film presents.

Grades 9-12
Exploring Our Values Through Poetry—A Tapestry of Faith Program for Youth

Welcome to a different way of interacting with poetry! Regardless of what the experience with poetry has been until now, the intent of this program is to liberate us from preconceptions, help youth become more curious about poems and how they are made, and help them engage with poetry on our own and as a group. Poetry can be an accessible and profound tool in spiritual practice as youth journey toward becoming more conscious as human beings and as Unitarian Universalists. This program utilizes poems that are concerned with elements of the spiritual life: acute observation, conscious and continuous inquiry, the unveiling of reality, hope and hopelessness, the afterlife, and the tenderness of the human condition.

Middle & High School Youth Groups

JYG (Junior Youth Group) and YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) are the middle and high school youth groups at UUFHC. Both groups meet the second Sunday of the month during service, while the younger children attend Children's Worship. With advisors and youth officers, the groups plan social action projects, worship, overnights, and fun events. The JYG is open to the 6th-8th grade. Jackie Beresh and Laura Paligo are the JYG advisors (jyg@uufhc.net). YRUU is for youth 9th-12th grade. Dyrck and Gina Van Dusen and Marlene Lieb are the YRUU advisors (yruu@uufhc.net).

RE Calendar for 2009-2010