Welcome to this Unitarian Universalist congregation! In our Religious Education (RE) programs, we invite you and your children to join together in exploring a deeper connection to, and understanding of our Unitarian Universalist faith.
We inhabit a world that has turned its attention away from planetary health, peace, justice and sustainability. One of the greatest gifts of faith we can offer our children is a community where we turn toward those things, intentionally and with joy. That is the goal of our Religious Education programs for young people. Together, we create a place where life, its celebrations and its hardships are never faced alone. Together, we build a community where diversity is celebrated, the unexpected embraced and where we can bring our beliefs alive in the world. We create opportunities for children to wonder, to find their own questions, to explore, to seek wisdom and mystery, and to be together in community with others – alike and unlike.
We hold RE classes for children in preschool through 7th grade every Sunday during the congregation’s weekly worship service. At 10:30 am, the children begin by worshipping in the sanctuary with their families. After a hymn and “A Time for All Ages,” children then travel to their classes in our religious education wing, where classes run until 11:45am. These classes include:
Nursery and Toddler Room: Lots of love and fun abound in our nursery and toddler room for infants through preschool-age children, with each Sunday providing a craft or other activity related to the subject the other classes are working on.
Spirit Play 1: Children in kindergarten through second grade are welcome to this Spirit Play class that explores our UU principles (or promises, as SP calls them) through stories and activities presented and facilitated using the Montessori Method.
Spirit Play 2: Children in grades 3 and 4 are welcome to this Spirit Play class that makes good use of the curriculum’s extension materials to adjust the content to an older audience.
Neighboring Faiths: Children in grades 5 through 7 are welcome to Neighboring Faiths, where we spend a few months exploring Unitarian Universalism and then move on to study other world religions. This two-year curriculum will be in its second year, so we encourage the current NF kids to stay for the second year to get the full experience!
For more information about upcoming Children’s Programming, please email our Children’s Religious Education Coordinator, Brenna Mayer (brenna.mayer@winchesteruu.org); Director of Youth and Children’s Ministries, Sam Wilson (sam.wilson@winchesteruu.org); or RE Committee (REC@winchesteruu.org).