Faith Formation
for Children and Youth
Faith Formation Mission Statement
The great end in religious instruction…
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 Seven Principles in Language for Children
- Every person is important and valuable.
- All people should be treated fairly.
- Our churches are places where we should accept one another and learn together.
- Each person should be free to search for what is true and right.
- All people have the right to speak out and vote on things that matter to them.
- We should build a peaceful, fair, and free world.
- We need to take care of earth, the home we share with all living things.
Visit Jimmy McTophat!
Jimmy's Journey, the story written by our very own children and youth, has been installed in Rockfield Park!
You can stroll down the paved path and read the story on your way to enjoy some play (or watching your kids / grandkids do the play bit).
You can support the ministry of our young folks by snapping pics with our StoryWalk® project and sharing them online!
It was written up in The Aegis, which you can read about here.
You can also view the 13 posters of Jimmy's Journey in this slideshow.
Welcome to another Fellowship year of Sunday morning programming for children and youth at UUFHC!
We welcome families to another year of Sunday morning programming at UUFHC! Now that we’ve had our beautiful Ingathering service for all ages, we’re ready for a fall full of enriching curriculum for our young folks.
What is the structure of the curriculum for this year?
Like last year, Sunday morning programming will be choice based, rather than age based. This strengthens engagement by allowing young folks to participate in activities which most interest them. Also like last year, there will be one craft-based offering and one discussion-based offering each Sunday. Here’s what to expect from each:
-
Craft Class
This offering features a craft which is easily accessible for younger children while allowing older participants to take on the roles of helpers and leaders. The lesson plan is structured to offer opportunities for older participants to facilitate aspects of the lesson (like reading things to the class, demonstrating how to assemble the craft, being in charge of supplies, etc.). In this way, participants can build community and learn about the topic of the day from doing the craft and / or taking on leadership roles. -
Discussion Class
This offering is geared towards young folks who want to dig deep into a topic sharing what they already know and discussing new ideas. While this is often most appealing to our youth, there are topics younger participants enjoy delving into at length as well! While participants in this class have their discussion (led by a facilitator using a discussion guide), they will have the opportunity to work on a monthly Collaborative Art Display which will reflect what they’ve shared and learned throughout the month.
How is curriculum selected?
Last spring, the DFF had virtual conferences with families about their experience with the program and what topics they’d like the program to address. The DFF used this feedback to create suggested topics which align with this year’s monthly worship themes. These topics were presented to the children and youth in June, along with the worship themes, and they were invited to give their feedback about which they were most interested in and what other topics they’d like to learn about. Finally, all of the collected information was brought to the RE Committee to discuss. The committee then discussed which topics should be used for which month (it’s important to note the committee is not limited to only the topics selected by children / youth). Then, the DFF created lesson plans for those topics using a wealth of resources (including materials from Soul Matters, the UUA, and other UU-aligned sources).
Check out the Fall Curriculum Overview
Now that you know how the program is structured, learn when it's all happening!
Schedule a Conference with the DFF
Parents, caregivers, and those interested in our program for children and youth are welcome to schedule a conference with our Director of Faith Formation, Jenn Blosser at any time!
