Sunday RE
What to Expect Sunday Morning
Welcome! Please sign in at the Welcome Table in the lobby before service. Children are invited to begin service (11am) in the Sanctuary.
Every Sunday Begins with Time for All Ages
Time For All Ages (TFAA) is a special time when our whole community – children, teens, parents, young adults to elders, RE teachers…everyone! – is together for the beginning of worship in the Sanctuary for an opening, song, and story. We encourage parents to begin bringing children to TFAA at a young age! Children are learning the rhythms, patterns, sights, and sounds of our hymns, traditions, and rituals. Families may enjoy the seating area right up front: large floor pillows create a comfortable space where kids and their parents can really see what’s happening.
After TFAA, children and teachers are sung out to their classes. Kids, look for your peer group and grade sign to walk to class together.
Parents, stay and visit following the service! Classes go until half past the hour so the adults can connect too. Please pick up your child (under 11 years old) from class by 10:30/12:30 or plan a meeting spot for older kids.
Childcare is available for very young children (0-5 years old) during the entire worship service, including TFAA. Please sign them in with the child care staff downstairs in the nursery or Pre-K room either before the worship service or following TFAA.
All children are welcome to attend worship anytime, with their families. Audio from worship is broadcast in Sandburg Hall, across the foyer from the Sanctuary, for anyone more comfortable there.
Several Sundays each year, we have Multigenerational Worship in the Sanctuary with NO RE CLASSES except nursery and preK. Check the RE Calendar for specific dates.
Religious Education Calendar
Volunteer In RE
Register for RE Classes
RE Class Descriptions
Childcare 5 yrs. and under
Child Care is available on most Sunday mornings for children 5 and under. Availability depends on volunteer support.
PreK-Kindergarten: Chalice Children
Chalice Children delves deep into our Unitarian Universalist faith. It strives not just to teach about our faith, but also to provide experiences around the strength of community, the wonder and awe that transcend everyday understanding, and life issues we all share.
Religious Education Classes for K-12th Grade (11:15-12:30)
RE classes for children k-12th grade occur after Time for All Ages in the Sanctuary. Classes are grouped by grade and use curricula noted below.
1st-3rd Grades: Love Will Guide Us
In this program, participants learn to seek guidance in life through the lens of our Unitarian Universalist Sources, with an emphasis on love. Together we ask questions such as, “Where did we come from?” “What is our relationship to the Earth and other creatures?” “How can we respond with love, even in bad situations?” “What happens when you die?” Sessions apply wisdom from our Sources to help participants answer these questions.
4th-5th Grades: Sing to the Power
Sing to the Power affirms our Unitarian Universalist heritage of confronting “powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.” Participants experience their own power and understand how it can help them to be leaders.
6th-8th Grades: Crossing Paths
In Crossing Paths, we will explore various religious traditions through different lenses, which we also call “binoculars” in keeping with our mountaineering metaphor. One of those lenses is how each faith defines “the problem in the world” and “the solution” to that problem. For instance, Buddhism sees the problem in the world as suffering and the solution is Nirvana or enlightenment. Christians see the problem in the world as sin and the solution as salvation. We UUs have our own unique perspective. Put simply, we have tended to see “separation” as the problem and “connection” as the solution. What grabs our attention and breaks our hearts as UUs is seeing how the world separates or disconnects people from their deepest selves, each other, and life’s gifts. (This group involves field trips)
9th-12th Grades YRUU
Young Religious Unitarian Universalist youth group! Youth lead the way with the help of trusted advisors. Youth will work on service projects, field trips, and their very own worship service.
9th graders can choose to participate in either YRUU or Crossing Paths on Sunday mornings. All children and youth are always welcome to join their families in the sanctuary for the worship service if they prefer that.
Summer Sundays
Our Summer Sundays (start June 7, 2020) include children from Nursery-5th grades who meet from 10-11:15 AM. Children from kindergarten-5th meet as one large group in the RE Commons space. This includes:
- Welcoming time with rituals, silence, and introduction of the topic
- A guest presenter and activities
- Free play on the playground
Youth in 6th grade and above can volunteer to help with the younger children or attend services with their parents/guardians. If not volunteering in the religious education program, they must be supervised by their parents.
NOTE: This will be updated when the summer programming is decided upon each year.