Religious Education

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Introduction to PUUC RE Program

 

In the religious education program at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church, children, youth, and teens grow and learn all the time through: dynamic curricula on Sunday mornings; worship experiences; celebratory, intergenerational events; opportunities for service within the faith community and the larger community; and through opportunities for social action.

 The goals of our program are to provide a place where children, youth and teens can:

  • feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging
  • explore religious ideas in an open-minded community
  • become familiar and at ease with the language of values and goodness
  • ask questions
  • define and redefine their beliefs about the “big” questions
  • develop an awareness of spiritual life
  • partner with nature
  • share their sense of wonder.

We hope to create an environment that respects and celebrates diversity and offers those in our program, opportunities to translate their ideals into actions. We aspire to provide our children and youth a faith development program that can be drawn upon as they grow into adults.

          

There are two wings that help our program fly. One wing is the seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism. These Principles were adopted at the UUA General Assembly in 1984 and 1985 and they offer us clear and positive objectives. The other wing is you. Our program is a cooperative volunteer program that needs the involvement of parents and other congregants. The various ways of involvement are noted below. We encourage you to find an intentional way to share your time and talents with the program and your children. Show an interest in their programs and engage them in conversations about what they are learning. Share what you know about the subject and what you are curious about. Please help your child attend classes regularly and punctually. You will find the benefits of your intentional involvement to be many.

 A brief description of the religious growth and learning program follows: our Church School Facility, our Curricula, Worship, Social Life and Special Events, and Social Action. You can also find the list of people who serve on the Religious Education Committee and meet our Director of Religious Education.

 

 Our Church School Facility

Our church school facility is a safe, nurturing space that includes a nursery and three classrooms that can accommodate 8-10 children each. Rooms have appropriately-sized tables and chairs for our young children. The bathroom is sized to be child-friendly.  The nursery and classrooms are configured around a large meeting room where the children gather for Children’s Chapel and play. The Religious Education Children’s Library is located in this main space. All classrooms have bulletin boards and shelving that is accessible to children.

Our church school facility is equipped with abundant storage space for supplies, a copier and a child-friendly double-sink.  An additional room, the Johnson Room, located on the second floor of the Carll House, is used for our youth and teens.  The church school facility has one entrance and an emergency exit through the nursery. Two classrooms share a sliding door and all rooms have windows facing out to the main room. Windows abound that let in natural light.  For a tour of the church school facility, call the church office.

 

Intergenerational Special Events

The Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church aspires “to nurture a loving, inclusive, spiritual community where all ages celebrate together.”  There are a number of events that are planned throughout the year that encourage a spirit of intergenerational connection, such as The Winter Solstice Pageant, Winter Picnic, Harvest Dinner, Easter Egg Roll.

An important aspect of our religious growth and learning is applying what we do in our faith community to our every day lives. We strive to be a religion that is in service to the nurturance of compassion for others and ourselves. Believing in our own basic goodness directs us to believe in the basic goodness of others.  If one person suffers from discrimination, oppression, poverty, hunger, loneliness, confusion, and injustice, on a deep level, we all suffer.

       

 In our program, we encourage individual and collective random acts of kindness, just, economic partnerships, directed fundraisers and regular outreach activity. If you have the vision and the enthusiasm to direct an effort, you will find a welcoming and supportive community for your social action plan.

The Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church serves a free spaghetti supper every Wednesday evening to anyone in the community. Individuals and families can help to prepare the dinner, serve and clean-up. We encourage our families to experience together the work of service through helping in this social action venue.

An interest in planning a service-learning trip to New Orleans to assist in projects is being explored. If this is of interest to you, contact the Director of Religious Education.

 

Cooperative Teaching Program

 You have multiple opportunities to be involved with the religious growth and learning experiences available at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church: Classroom Teaching, Classroom Assistant, Coordinator of Special Events, Special Events Assistant, organizing the Religious Education Library, Bulletin Board Creator, Youth Leader, Trip Chaperones, Social Action Coordinator, Publicity and Religious Education Committee Member. 

Volunteers are encouraged to view their involvement as an opportunity for spiritual development. It is often the experience of our teachers that their own personal understanding of Unitarian Universalism and their expression of spirituality deepen in the context of teaching and service in the religious education program. Rev. Barry Andrews writes, "To be effective teachers we need to awaken and excite our slumbering souls, to rediscover a sense of wonder." In preparing to teach our children and youth, we revisit our own beliefs discover the opportunity to put those beliefs in language that is accessible for our youth.

 

Adult Religious Education

Non Violent Communication Classes

Adult classes have begun around the topic of non-violent communication.  Non Violent Communication or Compassionate Communication is a method created by Marshall Rosenberg that helps to create deeper connections with others and to live and express ourselves from compassion rather than judgement, blame and criticism.  We have three groups already practicing here at PUUC who can attest to the affectiveness of this study/practice. Got questions? Please contact Sarah or go to www.nonviolentcommunication.com .

 

Religious Education Curricula 2010-2011

 

Childcare is provided for infants and preschool-aged children.Spirit Play will be the curricula for ages 3-5. This is a Montessori approach to helping children in questioning and exploring existential questions such as: Where did we come from? What are we doing here? How do we choose to live our lives? The “Storyteller” tells a story of the day and the “Door Keeper” helps facilitate the art project in response to a story previously heard, all followed by feast (snack).

 

The Lower and Upper Primary School Classes: This year we will be focusing on connecting to our UU church family through interactive projects, field trips, and presentations led by our church congregation. Each unit of 2 weeks will focus on a different UU principle through the passions and interests of our leaders. We hope for a more active and interactive Sunday morning for our children that is not so much like school but fun, engaging and spiritually affirming.  We also believe that this will strengthen our church community with intergenerational interaction and sharing.

 

Our Whole Lives Program: OWL, is a comprehensive, life span, age appropriate, sexuality education program that we offer every other year to our junior high kids from the church and from the community. OWL provides information about sexual development, but also helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual emotional and social aspects of sexuality.  Underpinning the OWL program is the belief that sexuality is an integral part of being human. The goal of OWL is to provide a positive, holistic approach to sexuality education taught in a safe environment where participants are helped to understand and make informed and responsible decisions regarding the challenges facing them as sexual beings.

 

TheSenior Youth Groupmeets every other Sunday evening. Goals are to deepen understanding and appreciation for the seven principles, provide a meaningful vehicle for social action, help build relationships, provide a connection to the congregation and to have fun. They will create their own agenda for the year.  Possibilities may include discussion, community service, social action projects, planning trips and overnights, and designing worship services.

 

Since religious education is a life-long process, there will be opportunities forAdult Education Programs throughout the year.  Possibilities include weekly meditation groups, Deep Ecology seminars from the Northwest Earth Institute, and workshops on Compassionate Communication and other adult peacemaking curricula.  

 

 

 

Statement of Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes

(The Child-friendly Principles and Purposes are in bold.)

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

 

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

Each and every person is important;

 

Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;

All people are to be treated fairly and kindly;

 

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

We are to accept one another and keep on learning together;

 

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

Each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life;

 

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

All persons are to have a vote about the things that concern them;

 

The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

Working for a peaceful, fair and free world;

                                           

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part;

Caring for our planet earth, the home we share with all living things.

 

From “We Believe”