This Year in RE

2024-2025 Overview

Welcome to Religious Exploration (RE) and Faith Development at CUUC! Our theme in RE this year is Beliefs and Values, to honor the many beliefs we hold and affirm that those who seek a welcoming and caring community will find it here, and to lift up our core Unitarian Universalist values.

We celebrate the beautiful diversity of many religious traditions, races, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages and abilities. This is especially important as we live in a time when intolerance and hate are boldly visible. We respond by practicing interacting through our differences with compassion and kindness. We respond by working for justice. We respond by building beloved community that honors and celebrates the richness of our beliefs, identities, and experiences.

This is also an Our Whole Lives (OWL) year for our congregation. We will offer the curriculum to our K-2nd graders (Sunday mornings January-May 2025), 5th-7th graders (5 Friday nights in the spring), and 8th-10th graders (Sunday mornings September-May). In addition, we will offer Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators, for adults who are supporting youth. Adults may participate even if you do not have a youth participating.

We offer parents and caregivers resources to support you as your young person’s primary educator. And, we cultivate multigenerational community through learning, action, and social activities. Stay up to date by receiving the weekly RE newsletter (sign up for RE Newsletter here; read past RE Newsletter Issues here) and weekly CUUC e-Communitarian (sign up for e-Communitarian here; read past e-Communitarian issues here). Find the upcoming schedule of RE activities online here.

My husband and I joined CUUC after not practicing the faiths that we were raised with for many years. We so appreciate the ethical and spiritual grounding that the religious education program has given our children. Serving as volunteer teacher has also been rewarding and joyful.
– Christine H.

Read the weekly RE newsletter for information 
about classes and activities this week. 
And visit our online schedule to see what’s coming up.

Sunday mornings, we offer a mix of classes, youth group, chapel, whole congregation worship, and special programs such as PlaceKeeping, UU the Vote, and social justice learning and action.

Childcare, 9:45-11:45am every Sunday

Childcare for Meetings: Parents and caregivers may contact Diane directly to coordinate childcare when you will participate in Sunday meetings and need extended hours. Please contact her by Wednesday before the meeting. You may email Diane at dakmv@aol.com.

Classes, 10:00-11:15am

2-3 times each month

K/1st-2nd grade

The Rainbow Connection (fall 2024): A central concept of Unitarian Universalism are the values that all congregations affirm and promote. These values are considered to be strong moral guides that each of us may use to guide our lives. Although preschool children are too young to memorize the exact language of each value, we can begin to acquaint them with the ideas behind them. We can focus on the attributes inherent in each. The Rainbow Connection curriculum uses story books for preschoolers to discuss those values, helping preschoolers to explore the values that unite us as Unitarian Universalists.

Our Whole Lives (OWL)(spring 2025): The curriculum supports parents in educating children about birth, babies, bodies and families with stories, songs and activities and a weekly HomeLink, a homework project for parents and children to do together that encourages conversation at home. The OWL curriculum for children offers accurate and age-appropriate information, in a safe environment, grounded in the values of self-worth, health, responsibility and justice. Parent/caregiver orientation is mandatory. Join us for orientation Sunday, January 12, 11:15am-12:45pm at CUUC. 

3rd-4th Grade

5th-7th Grade

Crossing Path (full year): Children and leaders will explore global spiritual traditions and neighboring faiths through discussion, guest speakers, and visits to houses of worship and sacred sites. Participants build an appreciation for the diversity of followers within every faith, as they continue on the path of their own faith development. The Crossing Paths curriculum is rooted in religious pluralism. Instead of claiming that one religion is better than others or that all religions are really different ways to the same end, religious pluralism treats religions as separate systems of belief that address distinct human challenges. Rather than seeing all religions as different paths leading to the same mountaintop, this view sees each religion as its own uniquely beautiful mountain.

Our Whole Lives (OWL) (5 Friday evenings, spring 2025): The period from age nine to twelve is an exciting and potentially overwhelming time for preadolescents. Physically, it marks the onset of puberty for many. Central to the experience of most young people of these ages are the emergence and development of a concept of self and the related issues of self-esteem, competence, and independence. Our Whole Lives provides crucial affirmation for young people at all stages, as well as all sexual orientations and gender identities. Affirmation and supportive community can be life saving for young people. Classes explore the following topics in age-appropriate ways: images in popular culture; body image; changes of puberty; gender; feelings and attraction; sexuality and values; reproduction and staying healthy; decisions and actions; consent and peer pressure; and healthy relationships. Parent/caregiver orientation is mandatory. Join us for orientation Sunday, January 12, 11:15am-12:45pm at CUUC. 

8th-10th Grade

Our Whole Lives (OWL) (full year): OWL explores sexuality and our faith with an approach grounded in caring, compassion, respect and justice, and affirming the dignity of every individual and the importance of personal responsibility. OWL offers the opportunity to deepen skills for building healthy relationships and communication, while learning about human anatomy, sexuality, social pressures, gender identity and related topics. OWL dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, and improves decision making. Parent/caregiver orientation is mandatory for youth participation. Join us for orientation Sunday, September 15, 11:15am-1:15pm at CUUC. 

11th-12th Grade

We are working on building interfaith connections with youth from neighboring congregations. Youth will engage in service and social activities.

            Visit our online schedule to see what’s coming up.

Social Events for all ages

Each month, we have fun community building activities for all ages. Join us for game nights, sing-a-longs, dance parties, picnics and more! Consult our calendar for dates.