First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate, Massachusetts
Religious Education Program 2016-2017
330 First Parish Road Scituate, MA 02066 781-545-3324 Our Mission Statement
The mission of the Religious Education (RE) Program at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church of Scituate is to promote a welcoming and inclusive community that values children and youth. Guided by the seven UU Principles, we strive to nurture the spiritual development of our children and families and to empower them to act on their beliefs and meet the challenges of a changing world.
2 From the Religious Education Committee
Dear Families, We welcome your family to the 2016-2017 church year! Our Religious Education program connects children and youth to Unitarian Universalism, introduces them to the wisdom of world religions and spiritual traditions, and cultivates the desire and capacity for action in our parish and in our world. We value each child’s quest for truth and cultivate acceptance of one another’s evolving beliefs. We encourage thinking, questioning, listening, and sharing. In our groups and classes, we uphold the democratic process and emphasize fair treatment. With this approach we help children:
Find their place in the universe and experience feelings of wonder for and connection to all of life; Build a true sense of themselves as lovable and capable human beings responsible for determining the quality and direction of their lives; Develop appreciation for the worth and rights of others; Explore spiritual paths in order to clarify and articulate their personal beliefs and values; Understand and act on their ability to work for positive change in the world; and Gain an appreciation of the natural world and an understanding of their responsibilities to it.
(cont.)
3 We aim to educate your children with exciting curricula and unique experiences that can only be found in a faith community like ours. We teach a 3-year rotation that covers, in turn, world religions, the Judeo-Christian tradition, and UU identity. This year’s focus is UU Identity. Through story and creative play, your children will explore ethics, faith, spirit, and UU identity. Church activities connecting all ages will continue this year. Watch for announcements, but ongoing programs include: Spirit Sunday projects every 4th Sunday at 9 a.m. that will combine social justice and art projects, and movie nights one Friday each month. 8th graders will participate in the “Coming of Age” mentor program. First Parish continues to grow as a faith community, with more families and different activities. We look forward to spending time with your children. Join us in as many ways as you can.
In Faith and love, The RE Committee
4 The Seven UU Principles The Child-friendly Principles are in bold and explain the “grown-up” versions below them.
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: Each and every person is important; The inherent worth and dignity of every person; All people should be treated fairly and kindly; Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; We should accept one another and keep on learning together; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; Each person should free to search for what is true and right in life; A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; All persons should have a vote about the things that concern them; The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; Working for a peaceful, fair and free world; The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Caring for our planet earth, the home we share with all living things. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Child and Youth Program Descriptions 5 Childcare for children ages 18 mos. – pre K: Loving childcare with storytelling and creative play is provided for toddlers. Parents sign their children in before service, or bring their children upstairs when children and teachers leave for RE classes. Parents sign their children out at the end of the worship service (11:30) before attending Coffee Hour. ______UU Identity 2016-2017 World Religions 2017-2018 Judeo-Christian Tradition 2018-2019 ______Grades K – 2 ~ Grades 3 – 5 Age-appropriate curricula for these groups are made up of fun, engaging activities that introduce our faith to young children through spiritual stories, art, and sharing circles. Provides children with spiritual and ethical tools to make choices and take actions that reflect their Unitarian Universalist beliefs and values. ______Grades 6-8, Civil (Dis)obedience 6-8 grade teachers will be encouraging the Jr. Youth in becoming free-thinking individuals. Discussion, examples, and action. They will embark on a spiritual journey to begin to sort out their feelings about themselves and their world as they do the difficult work of starting to create their adult selves, to discover what they believe about life’s big questions–the nature of humanity and the divine, beliefs about death and faith, and to acquire a strong background in Unitarian Universalist history.
6 Grade 8, “Coming of Age” This rite of passage course matches our eighth grade students with adult mentors from our congregation. Together they will work on a check-list of subjects, exploring worship, social justice, religious history and tradition, First Parish as an organization, and their own spiritual autobiography. This class culminates in a worship service and celebration during which students’ personal credos are shared. ______Grade 8-9, “Our Whole Lives (OWL)” [2017-2018] “Our Whole Lives (OWL)” sexuality education is offered every other year in conjunction with two other local UU churches (First Parish in Cohasset and Channing Church in Rockland). OWL will be offered next in the 2017-2018 church year. ______Grades 9-12, Sr. High Youth Group (aka SciCohRock) The free and responsible search for truth and meaning continues with our high school students. This program explores values, ethics, and character in real life, and how beliefs and actions translate into making a difference in our community and our society. Students also continue their personal identity development. Our goal is to help high school students to transition to post-high school as a UU and to affirm UUism as a lifelong, sustaining faith. Currently, this dynamic group meets with youth from three area UU churches. Youth Group activities have included the Walk for Hunger, social justice projects, and intergenerational fundraising activities. In addition, they are invited to participate in overnight UU Youth Conferences (known as “Cons”). Our advisors and youth leaders take great pride in the strong communities and leadership skills our youth develop. Cons encourage spiritual and emotional growth for all youth. Our teams, based out of the host churches or collaboratives, work together to organize and run each conference. It is the youth who lead activities, prepare meals, coordinate worship, and much more. Some of the things you might find at a con include a coffeehouse, workshops, a hike, or a people pyramid!
7 When We Meet Children (through 8 th grade) meet on Sunday mornings: 10:30 Families gather in the Sanctuary. 10:45 Youth participate in the beginning of the service and are then guided to class by their teachers/advisors. 11:30 Toddler/Preschool children are picked up by parents (immediately following the service). 11:40 All children are dismissed to parents from their classrooms. Junior Youth Group (6th–8th grade) may meet evenings: Junior Youth Group may take part in field trips and other scheduled activities in addition to meeting on Sunday mornings. Senior Youth Group (9th–12th grade) meets evenings: Senior Youth Group meets on Sunday evenings and may participate in overnight programs (“Cons”). “ Multi-gens”: Multi-generational services offer children and adults a time to participate in worship together. Parents, you are important! Parents are essential to their children’s spiritual growth and connection to our congregational life. Enrolling your child in our RE program means ensuring regular attendance on Sundays. We welcome all children no matter how often they come, of course, but regular engagement in meaningful discussion and activities is what makes the curricula we choose successful. The success of our program also depends on the cooperative efforts of the entire congregation. Each parent is expected to volunteer in some capacity throughout the year (e.g., lead a group, help with special events, or read a story). Adults in the congregation who do not have children in the program are also encouraged to volunteer.
8 Community Service Events Community service opportunities abound for the younger children. Some that we have participated in recently include: volunteering at Cradles to Crayons in Boston, sorting goods at the Scituate Food Pantry, collecting for “Guest at the Table” and Heifer International, and making cards and decorating Meals on Wheels bags for those who are sick or homebound. Annual Family Events Halloween Bash – Come dressed in costume, share a potluck dinner, light our jack-o-lanterns and share in a sing-a-long and storytelling. Soup Sunday – A November soup luncheon is provided by the Youth Group. SnowFlake Fair – First Parish’s holiday fair for the community—fun for the whole family! Pageant Sunday – In December children prepare and present a holiday pageant to the congregation. Audience participation sometimes requested! Easter Egg Hunt – After church on Easter Sunday, candy-filled eggs and Food Pantry donations hidden on the grounds of the church for our children to find. Youth Sunday - A service designed and led by the Youth Group. They share some of the wisdom they’ve gathered during their spiritual journeys together with the congregation. RE Sunday - In the spring of each year we honor our graduating seniors, children, and youth, celebrate rites of passage, and thank our RE teachers and helpers for their service to our youth. Flower Communion – This UU tradition is a communion at which members of the congregation bring flowers from home and leave with a different flower and represents the sharing that takes place within our congregation all year long.
9 Contacts
Church Office: 781-545-3324 Web site: www.firstparishscituate.org
Minister Reverend Pamela Barz [email protected]
Religious Education Committee Brian Sutton, Co-Chair [email protected] Patty Sutton, Co-Chair [email protected] Sheri Nidositko [email protected] Laura Smith [email protected] Carol Sullivan-Hanley [email protected] Tracey Timmons [email protected]
For event info, please see: The Sloop’s Log newsletter Our Facebook page: “Friends of First Parish” www.firstparishscituate.org
10 11 Children And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children." And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
—Khalil Gibran