Our Religious Education (R.E.) program is grounded in the UU Seven Principles, which are used to promote a sense of social justice and responsibility, tolerance, identity, and spiritual growth. Our purpose is to involve children in a religious community in which they develop a spiritual sense of themselves, their connection to others, and their connection to the world as a whole.
|
On This Page: |
Related Pages: |
Introduction
We have approximately 75 youth participating in our Sunday morning program, with an average attendance of 35 each Sunday. We also have 25 adults teaching in our classrooms, with about 12 others serving as classroom aides and Service Sunday helpers.
We ask that parents register their children for Religious Education classes by completing our online registration form.
Besides our Sunday School classes, we have several other offerings for our church families and friends:
- We offer monthly activities and events. Some of which are intergenerational, for the entire church, and some are just for youth and their families.
- Our Jr. Youth Group (6th-8th grades) meets the second Friday of each month for a variety of fun activities and and service projects. It is a great opportunity to build friendships within our community
- Our YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists) high school program meets Sunday after service to have discussions, host workshops and guest speakers, participate in service projects, and enjoy fun outings together.
Our Religious Education Philosophy
In the Religious Education Program at UUCC, we strive to create an environment where children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can build the foundation of their lifelong spiritual journey, cultivating our core Unitarian Universalist values as well as the skills to discover their own truths from many sources along their path.
We believe that an experience is religious when it awakens the child to wondering, questioning, searching and discovering. Our approach centers hands-on exploration, question asking, and engagement in real-world problem solving, the development of relationship-building skills, and opportunities for ritual and reverence that nurture our spirits.
Our focus is on the development of a deep connection of love and care for our community and our world. We foster a belief that these values must be put into action, and we strive to help our young people realize their unique and important role in the creation of a more just and compassionate world.
We invite you to join us any Sunday!
Our Sunday School Classes
We offer chlidren’s religious education classes at 10:30 a.m. on most Sundays. The children will join their parents in the Sanctuary for the first 10-15 minutes of the worship service and then be led to their classes in the Lower Level by their teachers.
Once a month we have all-ages worship services. On those Sundays, the children are invited to be with their parents/guardians in the Sanctuary the entire time. Also, there is a Service Sunday once a month when all or most of the R.E. children participate in a service project instead of having regular classes.
On all Sundays we will offer free nursery care for infants to 3-year-olds from 8:45 to 11:45 a.m.
R.E. classes will end at 11:45 a.m. Children must be picked up from their classrooms by their parents.
Classes offered
Potter Class (PreK): We will return to our beloved Chalice Children curriculum, where children learn about our church and its community, as well as encouraging their sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. You can read more about Chalice Children here.
Barton Class (K-2nd grade): We will be learning about Unitarian Universalism’s core values and the underlying belief in a beloved community…while playing with Legos. We will be using the “Legos ValUUes Children’s Curriculum” which you can read more about here.
Latimer Class (3rd-4th grade): We will be learning about famous UUs and how their lives were influenced by their UU values using an adaptation of the “Spirit of Adventure” curriculum.
Adams Family Class (5-6th grade): In our UU tradition of looking at the limitless sources of sacred texts, we will be episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and discussing the deep themes we find within them.
Young UUs Class (7-8th grade): This year, the Young UUs will be joining the Adams Family Class in watching and discussing episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the 2025-2028 year, they will resume having a separate class where they will learn about and visit other faith communities here in Columbia.
YRUU (High School): Our high school youth group will meet from noon to 2 p.m. with a curriculum of their own design that will include discussions, workshops, service projects and plenty of fun activities. Read more.
In addition to our regular Sunday School curriculum, our program provides opportunities for our children and youth to become better acquainted with our community as well. Our youth participate in Service Sunday on a monthly basis, performing service projects of various sorts.
Nursery
Our nursery is available for use at no charge during worship services. Our nursery serves children from 4 months through pre-potty-trained 3-year-olds. Our nursery aides are contracted to have full responsibility for no more than three children each. Two aides work each Sunday. Parents and others are strongly encouraged to assist with care when there are more than six children in the nursery.
RE Staff and Team
Our Director of Religious Education (DRE) is Jamila Batchelder.
The RE Team supports the DRE in planning, problem-solving, and decision-making and continuing to build our program. The members of our RE team are Iyesatu Kamara Bush, Tracey Milarsky, Sarah Oldfather, and Becky Scott. The team meets approximately once monthly, at a date determined by the team.