Sunday Morning Classes
Preschool Class – The Rainbow Connection
The Rainbow Connection Classroom uses storybooks for preschoolers as their curriculum. Our Preschool Classroom teachers use the Soul Matters Monthly Themes as a guide to which storybooks and related activities they will choose each month. The idea is to focus on the same theme as their parents/caregivers are experiencing in worship. After having the story read to them they participate in a theme related activity as a hands on learning opportunity to reinforce the message from that day’s story. Storybooks are often repeated throughout the month.
Kindergarten thru 2nd Grade Children – Spirit Play Classroom
A Unitarian Universalist religious education method and ministry based on Montessori philosophy and Jerome Berryman’s Godly Play using story boxes as curriculum. Currently being used in Unitarian Universalist and other liberal churches across the continent, it incorporates multiple styles of learning, hands-on materials, and an atmosphere of the classroom as a sacred space. The children especially like the experiential and art activities provided in this classroom. Our Spirit Play teachers bring the monthly Soul Matters Themes into the classroom whenever possible. We have used Spirit Play for this age group for several years and find that the children respond well to this educational approach.
3rd – 7th Grade Youth – Windows & Mirrors
In spirit, we embrace the contribution of diversity to our collective ability to pursue truth, fairness, justice and love. In practice, however, we often fail to embrace all the experiences and viewpoints in our communities as respectfully or as wholly as we might. Sometimes, we fail to even see differences among us. We seem most prone to gloss over differences when to acknowledge them requires acute self-examination and may lead to pain, shame, discomfort or guilt.
Windows and Mirrors nurtures children’s ability to identify their own experiences and perspectives and to seek out, care about, and respect those of others. The sessions unpack topics that lend themselves to diverse experiences and perspectives—for example, faith heritage, public service, anti-racism and prayer. The program teaches that there are always multiple viewpoints and everyone’s viewpoint matters.
Soul Matters Gatherings
Soul Matters Monthly Potlucks
On the first Friday of each month Soul Matters Conversations with adults/youth follow a potluck meal for all ages. Soul Matters Conversations provide the opportunity to delve more deeply into our own spiritual journeys and reflect upon how we live these themes in our lives. In a truly vital way, our groups become connected to each other and to the life of our congregation. Childcare/children’s activities will be provided during the conversations.
Youth Programming
Coming of Age Program
As youth prepare to leave childhood, they are maturing physically, cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually. This maturation opens the door for greater understanding of their faith, and Coming of Age programs address changes in youth’s spiritual and faith development. Beginning in the January we will be offering our Coming of Age Program to the youth of our congregation.
OWL
We offer the Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education Program every two years to our 7th – 10th grade youth. This inclusive and comprehensive sexuality education program was developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ with the goal of helping youth not only become educated about all aspects of sexuality but also to help them become sexually healthy people who feel good about themselves and their bodies, remain healthy, and build positive, equitable loving relationships. A mandatory Parent Orientation will be presented several weeks before the program begins.
Youth Cons
In mid-December and again in late March our youth are encouraged to attend Youth Conferences, or Youth Cons at The Mountain Retreat in Highlands, NC. These cons are lots of fun and are a great way of getting to know other UU’s in the area. We go as a group and send at least one adult to supervise our youth. Registration fills up fast so when they are announced we need to act fast! As always scholarships are available for youth who want to attend but need some help to do so.
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