Children's Religious Exploration from A to Z
Attendance: Please commit to regular attendance! Consistent attendance and involvement in community activities helps children build positive relationships with their peers, teachers, and the congregation. To help us accurately record attendance, please sign in children when you arrive at the welcome table in the Fellowship Hall.
Calendar: A calendar of upcoming Sundays and other events is available here.
Curriculum: We are a small but growing program. We are currently using a multi-age curriculum, but as the program grows we will expand our offerings for multiple age groups. More information about the curriculum we are currently using is available here.
Dedications: Infant and child dedication ceremonies welcome young children into the community and acknowledge their sacredness. Contact the Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) if you are interested in a ceremony for your child.
Moving?: If your address, phone number, or e-mail address changes during the church year, please notify the Director of Religious Exploration (DRE). This helps ensure that you will continue to receive news and updates about the program and about the larger congregation.
Registration: All children participating in the RE program must be registered. Information and the registration form are available here.
Sunday At-A-Glance: Here is what to expect on a typical Sunday.
- 10:25 a.m. Arrive at the Fellowship Hall and sign-in your child
- 10:30 a.m. Sunday Service begins
- 10:45 a.m. Children leave for their classes in the adjacent building, accompanied by their teachers
- 11:45 a.m. Children return to the Fellowship Hall for closing circle, coffee/tea, and snacks
- 12:00 p.m. Lunch
Vision: On March 14, 2010 members of the BFUU community gathered for a Religious Exploration Visioning Workshop, led by Jeanelyse Doran Adams of the Pacific Central District. Click here for the report, which includes the outcomes, vision, and photos from the event.
Visitors: Visitors are welcome to participate in RE classes. Please seek out the Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) when you arrive, who will introduce you and your child to the teachers. We ask that you fill out a visitor information form so that we will know the needs of your child, and can provide you with information about the program. This form is available at the welcome table in the Fellowship Hall.
Volunteers: The quality of the RE program depends largely on volunteers. Please consider lending your time and talent! Let the Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) know if you have something to offer.
Worship: Time for reflection and celebration is an important part of children's experiences in our congregation. There are several ways that children are a part of worship at BFUU:
- Children participate in the first 15 minutes of every Sunday service, which includes words, songs, and a story for all ages.
- Intergenerational Sunday services are held several times per year. Children attend the entire service, and often take a leadership role in it.
- Every RE class begins by "lighting" a chalice (using LED battery-operated candles, for safety). Lighting the chalice, the symbol of our Unitarian Universalist faith, "reminds us to treat all people kindly because they are our brothers and sisters; to take good care of the earth because it is our home; and to live lives full of goodness and love, because that is how we will become the best people we can be." These are the words we speak to open our time together.
For questions or more information, contact dre @ bfuu.org.
BFUU Religious Exploration Links:
Religious Exploration Home Page
