Faith Formation
for Children and Youth

Training for Adult Volunteers & Leaders in the Program for Children and Youth

One of the Fellowship's primary commitments is to provide a meaningful, engaging program for children and youth. On Saturday, March 23, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, UUFHC members interested in working with our children and youth will have the opportunity to participate in a 3-hour workshop led by Rev. Ginger Luke, a UU religious professional with a long career in UU religious education and faith formation for children and youth. She served for many years as Director of Religious Education and then Minister of Congregational Life at River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, Maryland, where she is now Minister Emerita.

The workshop will be from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Saturday, March 23. For more information about the workshop, and to register, email Jenn Blosser, dff@uufhc.net. There is no fee for this workshop but registration is required.

Registration is OPEN for Summer Camp!

It is with much excitement that we announce registration is now open for our immersive, imaginative summer camp, but with a bit of a twist. This year, instead of attending the Univelarian University of Wizarding Arts (UUWA), our young folks will enter into the whimsical world of the Univelarian University of FANTASTICKAL Arts (UUFA). Why the change? To become even more radically welcoming and intentionally inclusive—now UUFA students can determine what sorts of magical beings they will be! Mermaids, monsters, cryptids, talking animals, fairies, fawns, gnomes, dryads, all fantasy beings are welcomed into covenanted community and celebrated for who they are.

• Summer Camp runs Monday July 15th - Friday July 19th from 9:00am - 4:00pm with a special worship service to follow on Sunday July 21st
• Registration is open for children / youth ages 5 - 13
• Youth ages 14+ can volunteer to earn service hours (and have far too much fun)
• Camp is free for all children / youth registered in UUFHC's program!
• Relatives of members receive a discounted rate!
• Scholarships are available—please inquire with Jenn Blosser (dff@uufhc.net)

To register your child / youth to attend or volunteer, click here! Yes, even if they are registered for our regular Sunday programming, they need to be officially registered for camp.

We are so looking forward to the summer so we can spend a week of wonder together! Please reach out to Jenn Blosser if you have any questions or would like any information on participating in camp this year: dff@uufhc.net.

Program Overview & Calendar

The plan consists of four pieces: Faith Formation Hall Sundays, Sanctuary Sundays, Second Hour Programming, and Summer Camp.

• Faith Formation Sundays^*

  On these Sundays, children/youth will participate in using available rooms in the Faith Formation Hall from 10:30 - 11:30am for self-directed exploration of UUism in various themed spaces.

• Sanctuary Sundays

  These are Sundays when the whole congregation will worship together.

• Second Hour Progamming

  Specialized curriculum (COA, OWL, etc.) will be offered from 12:30 - 1:30p following worship.

• Summer Camp

  This will be free for all UUFHC members and included as a part of the standard Faith Formation year. This is when we will tackle curriculum which teaches UU theology and values in an immersive environment.

^* Please note that on Faith Formation Sundays, children and youth do not start in the Sanctuary with their families. They will be checked into the Faith Formation wing before worship to give them a full hour in the room(s) of their choice.

What do Faith Formation Sundays look like?

Check out our Sunday Program video.

From September to June, children and youth will spend Sunday mornings either in the worship service with the whole congregation or in the Faith Formation Hall (see calendar below for dates). When they are in the Faith Formation Hall, they will be free to use any of five themed rooms for self directed exploration, socialization, and community building. The rooms are themed to connect with our summer camp program, the Univelarian University of Wizarding Arts, to link what they do during the year to what they will be learning in the summer.

Draithon Room

This room is designated to explore and connect with one's own FAITH. It will include altar kits, books on world religions, icons and statues, prayer rugs, ritual tools, and sooooo many chalices. It will also be where we stream the worship service on Zoom.

Truphin Room

In this room, children/youth practice speaking TRUTH in covenanted community. This room includes cozy seating for conversation, table and chairs for board and card games, and the ever evolving room covenant posted on the wall.

Chalice Room

This is the room children/youth can use to find PEACE. It will be a sensory room perfect for snuggling with blankets, reading, meditating, using sensory tools, etc. No fluorescent lights or loud noises allowed here, just gentle lamps and a white noise machine.

Loveasus Room

This room is used for children/youth to celebrate their LOVE for the interconnected web of life and our community. Creative opportunities abound with art and craft supplies, rotating art projects to display in the Sanctuary or other spaces around the Fellowship, plants (and fish!) to take care of, nature books to look at, and more!

Hopphix Room

Nothing speaks to HOPE like social justice work! This room is for learning about social justice issues and movements, discussing what matters most to children/youth, organizing, creating protest signs/art, writing letters to officials, etc.

What happens on Sanctuary Sundays?

Children/youth will attend the worship service with their families on Sanctuary Sundays much as they have been doing. There will always be sensory tools, coloring pages, and floor cushions available for everyone's use. There will also be more opportunities for children and youth to take ownership of the space and become involved with the worship service such as passing the offering baskets, serving as greeters, playing music or singing, serving as a worship associate, leading a reading, etc. The role of Sanctuary Sundays is to ensure our children and youth grow up connected to and feeling a meaningful part of the larger congregation.

What does Second Hour Programming look like?

The plan is to start any second hour programming at 12:30pm leaving time for lunch between Faith Formation/Worship and the program. Yes, this does mean a longer day, but it also means that nobody involved in the program will miss out on their regularly scheduled Sunday morning or feel hungry when the programming begins. And because these are short-term commitment programs, offered only for a set number of weeks each, families and volunteers don't face a full year of lengthy Sundays at the Fellowship and can instead commit to those things which are most important to them. We do not have plans to begin any second hour programming until the new year to allow our Faith Formation Hall to fully open and the program to settle before adding another layer.

Summer Camp is Faith Formation!

If you were in any way involved with this year's summer camp session, you know how deeply impactful it was for the kids and youth who participated. In just one week, participants got as much learning done as basically a full year of Sunday School classes—but through a short-term commitment which they were excited for instead of a year of spotty attendance and conflicting schedules.

The Faith Formation Committee has decided to make summer camp a part of the main curriculum instead of an addition to the Faith Formation calendar. And because through the year we are able to save money on many curricula and supply costs thought the year with our themed rooms, we'll be able to budget for UUFHC members to send their children/youth to camp for free and only charge families from the wider community to participate.

Summer camp has always been an incredible opportunity for outreach, which will continue to be the case. It's also a time when deep bonds of friendship are formed between the children and youth of UUFHC and those will carry over into the following year. And now that we will have rooms with themes which tie into camp as well, the culture built at camp can also carry through the year. If you’ve participated in camp, you know how exciting that is—UUWA is truly magical!

So Sustainable!

One of the major bonuses of this structure is that it's much more sustainable for the Director of Faith Formation as well as volunteers. Because there's no specific curriculum to prepare or specific class groups on Sunday mornings, we don't need a set team of volunteers to facilitate each room. Volunteers can serve as little as a single, solitary Sunday if they so desire! And when they love it and want more, they can switch up which rooms to spend time in and participate in different activities with different groups of kids.

Our rooms are also great places for volunteers to share their own special interests in social justice, art, and spirituality! And yeah, bringing in that obscure and super cool board game to play will absolutely be appreciated and a great way to practice covenant!

Faith Formation Calendar

Now that you know how the program is structured, learn when it's all happening!

Have questions or want more info? Contact our Director of Faith Formation, Jenn Blosser.