Religious Education Program
Director of Religious Education, Thea Shapiro - dre@fculittle.org
Religious Education Program
Religious Education (RE) is offered for children in pre-Kindergarten through grade 8 as well as a Youth group. The Religious Education program at FCU is a co-operative model with the religious education program facilitated by volunteers from our church community. The quality of the programming offered to the youth of this church is directly dependent on the commitment and participation of the adult members of our church. Parents and non-parenting adults are asked to volunteer.
Coming to Visit
We welcome families to visit and learn more about us. Please arrive at church early (9:45) and ask the greeters to introduce you to the Director of Religious Education (DRE) and/or a member of the Religious Education (RE) Committee who will orient you. Nursery is available for children under 4 years old on an as-needed basis.
If you decide to have your children participate in our RE program, please fill out our registration form available from the DRE.
Worship in the Sanctuary
Children and youth experience being part of our whole church community by participating in congregational worship in the Sanctuary for the first part of the service most Sundays which begins at 10:00 a.m. Following "Time For All Ages" they and their teachers are "sung out" to join their religious education program.
Whole Church multi-generational services of varied themes are held once a month in which children remain in the Sanctuary for the entire service. Quiet activities can be found in the basket by the entrance. Children under 4 may stay with their parents in the sanctuary or be cared for in the Nursery during the worship service.
Our first Whole Church multi-generational worship will be an in-gathering and water communion worship on Sunday, September 8, 2024. Bring a small sample of meaningful water to share.
Whole Church Sunday Socials are held approximately once per month following worship and are sponsored by different FCU groups each month. We all gather to share food, conversation, and activities which vary each month. Bring a dish to share. Watch our weekly bulletin and the monthly RE Blog for more information
RE PROGRAM – 2024-25 Begins September 15, 2024
Our RE program is a “one-room schoolhouse” style format (often split into two age groups, so "two-room schoolhouse" really) with a monthly theme drawn from UU and other resources. Each Sunday begins with worship in the Sanctuary for everyone. During “Time For All Ages” a story will focus on the theme of the sermon so all can explore these themes together. Our goal is to promote community and model Unitarian Universalist values for our children and youth.
Children and youth will then gather downstairs most Sundays to enhance the theme with activities, discussion, social service projects, seasonal celebrations, and more. At least once each quarter everyone will join together for multigenerational worship.
Youth Group
Middle School and High School youth are provided with an opportunity to remain engaged in our faith community by exploring important life issues and socializing with their peers. The group meets each month to share, worship, discuss life issues, participate in social justice projects, and learn how to live and lead using our UU Principles and values.
Our Whole Lives (OWL)
In this UU human sexuality curriculum, middle school youth learn to make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual health and behavior. OWL equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas: human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, OWL not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, but also helps participants clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, develop positive attitudes, make healthy decisions and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality in the context of a safe and trust-building setting with a focus on UU values. The advisors for this program are trained by UUA. Commitment to regular attendance and parental permission are required. Parent meetings will be scheduled. This program is limited in space and priority is given to youth who attend FCU.
