Our Mission
Our Religious Education (RE) program provides a place where children and youth can discover their own religious beliefs, feel a part of something larger than themselves, learn about neighboring faiths, feel a responsibility to care for the interconnected web of existence of which we are a part, and to feel empowered to live the UU values of love, justice, and compassion. We strive to create opportunities to develop deeper questioning and foster a community that promotes exploration, joy, wonder, and a life-long search for truth and meaning.
First Time Visitors?: Welcome! If this is your first time visiting us, please let our greeters know. They will ask you to fill out a guest form and a temporary name tag and will introduce you to Jesse Daniel, the Director of Lifespan Religious Education (DLRE). Please know you are welcome as your authentic self. We want families to feel they can show up as Real and not Ideal! We’re continually creating our Program with you in mind.
Sunday Morning Schedule: All children begin in the Sanctuary with their grownups and church community. Families are invited to sit wherever they are comfortable, plus, we have an area designed for young families with pillows, books, and a variety of manipulatives up front by the glass doors, where little ones can see what’s going on during the service.
PS-5th Grade (and homeschool/unschool equivalent): Following the Story for All Ages and the Lighting of the Children’s Lantern portions of the service, the congregation sings the children out to their Religious Education class. A family’s grownups are always welcome to attend class with their children! RE Group meets in the Red Room. Classes begin with a chalice lighting, sharing time, introduction of the theme for the day, a story/discussion, an activity, closing words, and extinguishing the chalice.
Nursery: The nursery for infants and toddlers up to 23 months old is staffed and available every Sunday morning starting at 10:30am in the Blue Room (located near the side entrance) and is designed to welcome families of our littlest UU’s. A speaker in the room provides the sound from the worship service and contains two rocking chairs as well as a carpeted floor. Families are, of course, welcome to keep their little ones with them in the Service if that’s what they are most comfortable with.
Youth: 6th through 12th graders (and homeschool/unschool equivalent) are invited to attend the service on Sunday mornings.
Religious Education Registration: All registered families receive updates on our RE Programming, information regarding Special Events, and receive Soulful Home, a monthly Soul Matters subscription for our families to enjoy. Soulful Home is organized around eight distinct family “spaces” with ideas and resources to fill those spaces with UU-theme based exploration.
Forms & Information: You will find information on programming in the Unigram and the Friday eBlast. Please click on the links below for other RE-related documents:
The Children & Youth RE Committee meets monthly and works directly with the DLRE to ensure a comprehensive faith development program for preschool through senior high.
Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education Program (OWL)
OWL is a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate sexuality education program developed by the UUA. OWL promotes informed and responsible decision-making, and sexual and emotional health in our communities. It fosters meaningful dialogue and parent-child communication. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, it also helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. For more information about our OWL programs, please click here.
Coming of Age
This special program is offered once every three years to our 6th-8th grade youth, designed to mark the transition from childhood to youth. What is a youth? A youth is someone who is not yet an adult, but is not a child either. A youth is someone in middle school or high school. By participating in Coming of Age, we hope that our youth will:
• Assume responsibility for their own physical, mental, and spiritual well-being;
• Gain self-confidence and realize that their feelings are valid and that their opinions matter;
• Expand their vision of the world by allowing them to encounter differing views, cultures, and life experiences;
• Understand they have an important role in their family, their church, and the larger community;
• Deepening their personal value system; and
• Realize they are non-judgmentally accepted in our church community, and that it is a safe place for them to be themselves.
For more information about our Coming of Age program, please click here.
Boston Bound Heritage Trip
Our 6th-9th grade Boston Bound Heritage Trip is held every three years. We travel by plane to Boston the 2nd or 3rd weekend in June, departing on a Thursday morning and returning on Sunday evening. The youth participate in fundraising and community building, and learn about our UU history and what they will see in Boston. There are some must do’s in Boston such as visiting the historic churches as well as attending a Sunday service, visiting Walden Pond, and visiting the UUA headquarters. Additionally, we explore the city – ride the famous Duck Tour, see Faneuil Hall, and more!
Our next anticipated Heritage Trip will be in June 2024.
For more information about our Religious Education Program, please contact our Director of Lifespan Religious Education, Jesse Daniel, at jesse@uuchurchmuncie.org.