WELCOME TO OUR CHILDREN’S FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM!
Our Faith Formation Program is designed to encourage young people to be religious seekers grounded within our Unitarian Universalist tradition, and contained within the framework of a loving and supportive church community.
Our goal is to nurture the spiritual lives of children and youth toward a deep faith that will help them find meaning, community, and purpose throughout their lifetime.
While we offer faith formation classes and programs for young people from birth through high school, we also believe that parents are the primary religious educators of their children, and as such, we encourage parents to actively use the resources offered here at church at home. Talk about what you hear in church on Sunday morning. Read sacred stories together. Say grace before meals. Teach Faith Formation classes. Deepen your own spiritual life and share it with your children. Come to church as often as you can, and bring your children with you!
Worship
Children are doing important faith formation work as they learn to be worship and participate in the life of our congregation. Babies, children and youth are all warmly welcome in worship at all times.
Most Sundays, children in Pre-K through sixth grade will join in worship with the whole congregation for the first fifteen minutes of the service before going to their classes. On many Sundays throughout the year, we do not have Faith Formation classes and instead have opportunities for whole-congregation worship in our sanctuary.
Teachers
Faith Formation teachers at UUAC are volunteers from our UUAC community. We believe that teaching is a ministry to our faith community, as we grow and shape young Unitarian Universalists and ourselves in the process. All classes are team-taught, and many teachers say that they learn a lot about Unitarian Universalism through teaching our children’s Faith Formation classes!
Classes & Curriculum
Faith Formation classes for young people in Pre-K through 6th grade run from 10:45-11:45 most Sundays. To see when our Faith Formation classes are happening, check our Faith Formation Calendar.
Our curricula have been selected from materials created by the Unitarian Universalist Association or by Unitarian Universalists who have published independently. Contact our Minister of Faith Formation, Rev. Joanna Lubkin with any questions.
NURSERY: (BABIES-AGE 3)
A loving church community cares well for its youngest members. Our Nursery is available for children who are younger than three. There is a nursery coordinator and a second youth or adult to care for this group.
SPIRIT PLAY: PRESCHOOL-GRADE 1
This Montessori-based curriculum teaches children the stories of our faith tradition and stories from other faith traditions. We provide a thoughtful space and a choice of activities to encourage children’s emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth.
OUR WHOLE LIVES: KINDERGARTEN-GRADE 1
K-1 Our Whole Lives helps young children identify their attitudes, values, and feelings about themselves, their sexuality, and others’ sexuality. It addresses age-appropriate topics, including Our Wonderful Bodies; Healthy Bodies, Safe Bodies; Families; Families and Feelings; Babies and Families; Birth of a Baby; and Celebrations! In addition to a parent meeting and a parent‐child orientation, parents are welcome to attend any or all of the workshops with their children. Homelinks keep parent‐child communication open.
Free to believe: GRADES 2-3
Free to Believe asks “What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist?” This curriculum explores UU principles through hands-on activities, stories, games, songs, and discussions, and explores answers offered by UU sources to big questions about life and death, spirit and God, and the beginnings of world and life.
UU SUPERHEROES: GRADES 2-3
UU Superheroes is a values-based Unitarian Universalist identity curriculum that introduces children to stories of Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists who have acted with courage and wisdom in their attempts to live their lives fully and make the world a better place for others. This curriculum uses “theology as biography” in helping children learn the traditions and history of our faith and give them tools to use their own positive “super powers” as they grow spiritually and ethically.
BIBLEODEON: GRADES 4-5
Bibleodeon introduces biblical scriptures by presenting the best-known Hebrew and Christian stories with fun and interactive games, such as investigating the Cain and Abel crime scene and solving the “Mystery of the Day.” Participants also act in playlets, illustrate a timeline, give awards to outstanding biblical women, and more. They explore connections between biblical events and UU principles, between biblical ideas and their own lives.
JUSTICE SEEKERS: GRADES 4-5
Justice Seekers focuses on how peace-building and justice-making is core to our Unitarian Universalist values and principles. This curriculum has a focus on immigration and racial justice and empowering young people to be agents of change and voices for justice within their communities and the world.
NEIGHBORING FAITHS: GRADE 6
In this world religions curriculum, students visit neighboring houses of worship to learn about being good interfaith neighbors. 32 flexible sessions explore history and development of different faith traditions. Participants plan their own program by choosing which religious groups to learn about, visit and relate to their own growing faith. Includes historical resources and tips for hosting guests, visiting other faiths, creating worship experiences and more.
For information about our 7th-12th grade faith formation programs, see here.