Children's Religious Education

Together We Can Do So Much More

An important part of the life of our church is the religious education of our children. Our program begins in the nursery and continues through grade twelve. Religious education is viewed as a life-long experience. We also offer a variety of adult religious education programs as well as a lively youth program.

Our children figure largely in the life of our church. From their presence and role in the church service, to their work on service projects, and points in between, what our youth do is important and signficantly enriches our congregation.

In Religious Education we endeavor to offer lively, yet thoughtful programming for the children. We call our program "The Building Blocks of our Faith Development".

Schedule

Toddlers and babies are invited into our Nursery at 9:15 if parents are attending Sunday-morning Forums.

Older children are welcome to attend the 10:30 AM worship service with their parents to hear the first part of the service. After a children's story, the children and youth gather in the Social Hall and walk over to the Religious Education Building to attend class. They return to the Social Hall after services.

Children's Programs

Our curricula embraces our Principles and Purposes and our Living Tradition that draw from many sources:

Preschool

Our Preschool class will be using the curriculum "We Are Many, We Are One." This curriculum offers young children the opportunity to learn about their religious community and tradition, as well as the freedom to discover and express their uniqueness.

Kindergarten

Our Kindergarten class will be using the curriculum "Treasure Hunting". The treasures discovered through the year include: the importance of each person, the power of feelings, the joy of friendship, the excitement of the search for truth, UU heritage, the interdependence of people, and the fragile harmony of nature.

Grades 1 through 6

Our First through Sixth Grades participate in six 4-week units: UU History/Identity, World Religions, Judeo-Christian Heritage, Peace and Justice, Life Issues, and the Interdependent Web of Life.

7th and 8th grade

Our Junior High class participates in the Coming of Age (COA) Program. COA is a full two-year program. This year our youth will learn more about Neighboring Faiths viewed through the lens of gender. Our Whole Lives (OWL) is being offered for seventh through ninth grades. OWL is a comprehensive sexuality curriculum.

Senior High

Our Ninth through Twelfth grades meet every Sunday for Church School and enjoy evening activities twice a month. Our youth have opportunities for conferences and programming activities at our church and on a District level. A favorite event is "Haunted Indiana." We have an active Habitat for Humanity group that will be fundraising throughout the year and will be taking a trip to Michigan in the summer months.

Summer Program

Principles

• We believe that every person is important.
• We believe that all people should be treated fairly.
• We respect different ways of being religious.
• We believe that people can act responsibly to decide for themselves what is true and right.
• We believe that all people have a right to say what they think and vote on the rules for the place where they live.
• We believe that we should work for a peaceful, fair, and free world.
• We believe that we should care for our planet.

Beliefs

• Our beliefs come from the sense of wonder we share.
• Our beliefs come from the women and men whose lives remind us to be fair and kind.
• Our beliefs come from the ethical and spiritual wisdom of the world's religions.
• Our beliefs come from the Christian and Jewish teachings which call us to love all others as we love ourselves.
• Our beliefs come from the use of reason and discoveries of science.
• Our beliefs come from the harmony of nature and the sacred circle of life.

Cooperative Church School Program

Our Church School has a full-time Religious Education Director. The Director is responsible for the program and its administration. The Director gets direction and support from the RE Board and also works with the minister, the RE Associates, the Sunday Services Committee, parents, teachers, and other volunteers. Our program is made possible by the volunteer parents and members of the congregation. The health of our Religious Education Program rests on how well the program is administered and how involved our congregation is in volunteering time to teach and to participate in Church School activities.