Children and Youth Religious Education
Our Mission
At the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence, the mission of our religious education program is to provide a safe, healthy learning environment that promotes a philosophical and spiritual foundation for our young people.
Volunteers are the soul of our program. The Religious Education Committee relies on them to staff the program. The contributions of their time and talents guarantee quality programming for children and youth and the continuation of our Unitarian Universalist legacy. Adults can help mentor the children of our community. Those with a concern for the future of liberal religion should contact Sherry Warren, Director of Religious Education, to discover how they can participate in this meaningful and rewarding effort.
Guidelines and Expectations
All children must be supervised either by the parent/guardian or by the Religious Education staff during the 9:15 and 10:45 services. Before, between, and after morning services, parents are asked to look after their children responsibly.
Children arriving for the 9:15 service should sit with
their families until called forward for story time, after which they are
excused to their classes, or will return to their parents for a multigenerational
service, approximately once a month. Parents/ guardians are expected to
meet their children at 1015 in the Social Hall for snacks and visiting.
During the 10:45 Program, children will sit with their parents until they
are excused to their classrooms.
After the Program, parents/guardians are asked to meet with their children
in the Social Hall downstairs. The classroom doors are locked at 12:00,
so please make sure to gather your child’s belongings before that
time.
An enrollment form must be completed for any child under 19 participating in the Religious Education program. Any health concerns, such as food allergies, can be brought to the attention of the Religious Education staff at this time. Parents are welcome to join their child(ren) for any of their class sessions.
The Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence aspires to be a welcoming, intergenerational community that respects individual differences and beliefs. Together, we share the joys and milestones of life as we foster intellectual inquiry and spiritual understanding. In the larger community, we promote social action and environmental responsibility.
Contact information:
Director of Religious Education:
Sherry Warren 785-842-3339 (o)
785-594-3993 (h)
ufldre@sunflower.com
Office Hours are Tuesdays from
8:30-Noon.
Religious Education Committee Chair:
Carol Eades-Delnevo
askeades@aol.com
Sunday Mornings Schedule
Nursery attendants are available for young children, toddlers, and infants from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Sunday School for children in 6th grade through pre-school runs from 9:15 a.m. (beginning in the Meeting Hall) and ends at 10:15. Children in 7th through 12th grades may join their families for the Spiritual Celebration (9:15 a.m.) service. We ask that parents/guardians be responsible for their children during the Social Time between services and after the 10:45 program. Approximately once a month, children of all ages will join the older members during the Spiritual Celebration for a multigenerational service. Our children’s monthly themes are built around these once-a- month services.
At 10:45, children are asked to join their families in the Fellowship Hall as we gather for announcements. Children are excused to the Religious Education wing for the following 50 minute classes: Age 4 to grade 6 in Mary Wollstonecraft Room, Grades 7 and 8 in Louisa May Alcott Room, and Grades 9-12 in Dorthea Dix Room. Classes with only one or two young people in attendance will be combined appropriately with other groups as necessary.
The Curriculum
We change themes monthly in order to reflect current interest in our rapidly changing culture as well as the obvious seasonal themes that occur. September is focused on Community and will be built around the common Unitarian Universalist children’s covenant: We are the church of the open mind; we are the church of the helping hands; we are the church of the loving heart. Our monthly multigenerational service at 9:15 will be September 9th and is a celebration of Grandparents Day.October’s theme centers around loss, and we will explore sadness and disappointment in a loving environment.
Our 9:15 multigenerational service on October 28 will explore creating our own custom of honoring our loved ones who have gone before us, similar to a Mexican Day of the Dead ceremony.In November, we will turn more of our attention to Hunger, one of our social action foci this year. Being hungry is a feeling that all children can understand, and working with the Just Food Program and LINK in Douglas County helps our children learn to make a difference in the lives of others. Our multigenerational program will be on November 18th, the morning following our 50th Anniversary dinner. In lieu of our traditional Harvest Festival dinner, we will enjoy light snacks after morning services, but will still receive our Unitarian Universalist Service Committee Guest at Your Table boxes which will be explained that morning. Celebration is the theme for December, and we will look at different ways people celebrate and why.
Multiculturalism abounds in our community and we have a responsibility to our world-neighbors to learn about the many traditions that co-exist on Earth. December 16thand 23rd are both special days in which children will be asked to stay for multigenerational celebrating. Please check the weekly newsletter for details. We take a break from Fellowship on December 30 and have no lessons or programming that Sunday.
Outside of Sunday mornings
We have the opportunity in out community to organize children to work with their families at LINK (Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen), Just Food (collecting for local food pantries), and Lawrence Coalition for Peace and Justice Saturday Peace Vigils at the Douglas County Courthouse. These events are advertised in the Pleasant valley Post, our weekly newsletter, and listed online at: http://www.uufl.net/newsletters.htm For those enrolling their children into our Sunday school, we have a registration form available to fill out in MS Word and return to Sherry Warren, Director of Religious Exploraton. Please return the form to ufldre@sunflower.com.
RE_Registration_Form (Word doc)
RE_Brochure (Word doc)