RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Tom Grogan is our Director of Religious Education . To contact Tom, phone the church at 667-4393 or email him at tom@uuellsworth.org

Welcome to Religious Education at UUCE!

Religious Education for Children, Youth and Adults

Our religious education program offers a balance of experiences and opportunities that integrate education, ritual, philosophical discussion, and fun in a nurturing and caring environment. We offer Sunday morning classes for children and youth aged 4 to 18. Nursery care is available for children from birth through age 4.

While each of us chooses to be involved in a church for any number of reasons, we believe that religious education is and should be near the top of the list! Our Religious Education Program helps children, youth and adults develop a world view that will support and provide an ultimate context for their lives. It encourages a sense of awe and reverence and the development of the spiritual dimension of life. It helps them to develop positive values for living and offers them a grounding in Unitarian Universalism. Our approach is liberal and expansive – encouraging the deepening of the spirit and the growth of human understanding and healthy commitment.

The children and youth RE Program is an essential part of a family’s church experience. Many parents first come to our church primarily seeking an open and nurturing religious education for their children. Our mission is to build a brighter future for our church families. At UUCE we recognize that all of us, not just parents, are responsible for the religious education of our children and youth. The success of our program depends on the cooperative efforts of the entire congregation. All adults in the congregation, those who have children in the program as well as those who do not, are encouraged to volunteer. Families are encouraged to attend church regularly so that their children may attend RE classes regularly. Regular attendance builds community and a sense of belonging. At the same time, we welcome all children and youth no matter how often they come.

Our religious tradition draws from many sources: wisdom from the world’s religions, Jewish and Christian teachings, Humanist teachings, Earth-centered traditions, and the deeds and words of prophetic women and men from all cultures and all times. Our RE Program reflects these diverse sources. Children and youth learn to respect themselves and the diversity of other human beings, to consider the relevance of the teachings of many varying religious traditions, to reflect upon the wonders of the world in which we live, and to develop their own sense of spirituality.

As UU’s, most of us spend our entire lives formulating our religious beliefs – it’s a part of what we are all about! Since we have no creed, we don’t try to give our children religion. Instead, we help them develop their own, to question and to wonder. We teach them how to think about religion, not what to think about it.

Adult Religious Education

Our Adult Religious Education program offers both, programs developed and offered by UUCE members themselves and programs developed by the UUA. Our Adult RE committee meets during the church year to evaluate the programs being offered, to discuss the development of new programs and to plan the program schedule. Most Adult RE sessions take place after the Sunday service and run from 12 – 1:30PM.

Check out an on-line magazine for UU children – UU & ME!

The UUA has lots of resources for RE.