Children and Youth Religious Education
Religious Education Announces 2009-2010 Schedule
This will be an exciting church year for us all, and I am pleased to announce the format for Religious Education for Children and Youth.
Religious Education Director:
Sherry Warren
(785) 594-3993
ufldre@sunflower.com
RE Office Hours: By appointment.
Religious Education Committee Chair:
Aileen Dingus
Aileen@flyingdingii.com
Sunday Morning
9:00 a.m. to noon: Nursery attendants are available for infants, toddlers, and young children in the Beatrix Potter Room.
9:30 - Sunday School for children from preschool through 12th grade runs from 9:30 to 10:30. Children start the morning with their parents in the Spiritual Celebration. After story time, they leave with their teachers for class in the Religious Education wing. They join their parents again at about 10:15 for snacks in Founder’s Hall. Several times a year, children of all ages join the older members for the entire Spiritual Celebration for a multigenerational service created with our younger UUs in mind.
Youths (grades 7-12) spend time together on Sunday mornings with each other and caring adults in the Ralph Waldo Emerson Room. Most Sunday mornings, they discuss moral and ethical dilemmas as well as religious issues that are brought to their attention via America’s longest running cartoon family – The Simpson’s.
11:00- Adults and children join together for the beginning of the Program. After Joys and Concerns, children leave with their adult leaders for a multi-age activity, either in the Religious Education wing or outside. The activities are designed to promote our principles, teach cooperation, and create a sense of community among our children. They join their parents again at 12:00 for snacks or time on the playground.
*Parents are always welcome to join their child(ren) for any of their class sessions.
Curriculum:
Our 9:30 sessions are based on monthly themes that emphasize our Unitarian Universalist principles and how we can learn to live them. Some themes are Unitarian Universalist Identity, Religious Explorers, Ethical Eating, Our Gifts, and other relevant areas that can emphasize our commitment to our community and planet. Activities are designed to reinforce the theme of the session, and attempt to address multiple learning styles and childrens’ needs for active learning as well as quieter moments.
Classroom Organization:
All of our classrooms are named after notable Unitarians, Universalists, or Unitarian Universalists.
Beatrix Potter – Nursery
Paul Revere – Our Whole Lives
Ralph Waldo Emerson – Youth
Louisa May Alcott – Adults
Dorothea Dix and Mary Wollstonecraft
Sunday morning Children’s classes
Wednesday Evening
Families are invited to participate in Wednesday evening programming. A meal is served at 5:30 for a small contribution. Childcare is available from 6:30 to 8:30. Class offerings vary throughout the year and family-oriented classes are offered periodically.
Youth Group on Wednesday Evenings
Youth Group on Wednesday Evenings: Young people in grades 7-12 are invited to join our youth group which meets from 6:30 to 8:30 on Wednesday evening. Youth help prepare the meal on the second Wednesday of each month with supervision from youth advisors. Other activities may include watching socially relevant films, planning outings in our community, and participating in Sunday morning programs. The third Wednesday of the month, the youth plan the 20-minute Vespers service that they deliver on the 4th Wednesday of the month. Planning the Vespers service allows them the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas, understand their community’s need for quiet reflection as well as rousing hymns, and work as a group.
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.
Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Our Whole Lives is a UU sexuality curriculum that is age appropriate and designed for 6 different age levels. We offer sessions periodically. Learn more at http://www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/ourwhole/
Our proposed schedule for offering OWL classes for children and youth is as follows:
Spring 2010 Grades 4-5
Fall and Spring 2010/2011
Middle School Grades 7-9
Fall 2011 K-1
Spring 2012 Grades 4-5
Fall and Spring 2012/2013 Middle School Grades 7-9
Fall 2013 K-1
Spring 2014 Grades 4-5
All of the Our Whole Lives facilitators at Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence have had at least one year's experience teaching in our Religious Education Program, have attended an intensive training for OWL facilitators, and have passed a background check. They are all dedicated to the safety of our young people and their spiritual growth.
Guidelines and Expectations
We ask that all children attend either their classes or the 9:15 Service and/or 10:45 Program offerings with the adult community. Occasionally, we have Intergenerational Programs during these times that involve the children in an appropriate way - reading, singing, acting, lighting the chalice, and other activities as we create them. Our playground is accessible at all times and children need to be supervised by parents, staff, or volunteers when on the playground.
Children arriving for the 9:15 Service check in at the welcome table so we can take attendance and give name-tags to newcomers. We ask that they then sit with their families until called forward for story time, after which they leave with their teachers to go to their classrooms.
During the 10:45 Program, children will sit with their parents until they are excused to their classroom for an organized, multi-age activity. Before, between, and after activities, snacks and drinks are served in our social hall and people of all ages can mingle together.
An enrollment form must be completed for any child under 19 participating in the Religious Education program. Any dietary requirements 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. We recognize that parents are the principal spiritual guides for their children, and we are here to act as resources in this journey.
Outside of Sunday Mornings
We have the opportunity in our 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 (PDF)