Greetings from the Religious Education Ministry!
Jess Pond, Director of Religious Education
Links to Class Descriptions, and More Ways to Connect with Us!
Current Announcements:
Hello UUCB!
Religious Education classes will be on holiday break December 24 and December 31.
Register for Religious Education here: https://forms.gle/4pCR9yikK9fAJgrA9
Check out the Lifespan Religious Education Calendar here: https://shorturl.at/fKRST
We can always use more volunteers in RE, especially for the Youth Group. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email me at jpond@buffalouu.org.
We have lots of festivities coming up this month!
| Sundays, December 3 & December 10 | Newcomer Class, Library, 12:00-1:30 Are you new to Unitarian Universalism or UUCB and want to learn a bit about both, or are you interested in becoming a member? Come to the Newcomer Class! Contact Jess at jpond@buffalouu.org to register or with any questions. |
| Sunday, December 10 | SuUper Sunday, Parish Hall, after service Second Sundays are SuUper Sundays! If your children or youth would like to volunteer to setup, serve soup, or cleanup, please let Jess know at jpond@buffalouu.org. |
| Saturday, December 16 | Holiday Potluck, Parish Hall, 5:00-8:00 Bring your favorite recipe from your holiday tradition! Share good food, games, and music with the RE community. |
| Tuesday, December 19 | Pub Theology, location TBD, 6:30-8:00 Grab a drink at a local spot and dive into topics of faith, meaning, identity, culture, and more! Please RSVP to Jess by December 17 for reservation purposes. |
| Friday, December 22 | Winter Solstice Service, Sanctuary, 7:00-8:00 Advent is a time of searching for light in the dark. The Pagan tradition of Yule is a celebration of the return of the sun. We will be guided by music, readings, and ritual inspired by the Earth-centered traditions that celebrate this time of year. |
| Sunday, December 24 | Christmas Eve Family Service, Sanctuary, 10:30am |
| Saturday, January 3 | Bulletin Board Decorating Party, Parish Hall, 1:00-3:00 The RE community has been invited to decorate the monthly worship theme bulletin board in the Parish Hall for the month of January! The theme for January is “Liberating Love”. Come help decorate the bulletin board and show what “Liberating Love” means to you! |
Bright blessings,
Jess
It’s never too late to register for Religious Education! Please complete this form if you would like to register your child for Religious Education classes: https://forms.gle/4LzWAX73L8vwNQWV6 Check out the RE Calendar here: https://rb.gy/hxvmju
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VOLUNTEER IN THE NURSERY: In addition to our childcare supervisor, I will be building a list of volunteers to act as the second adult in the nursery for best safety practices. Listen to the streamed worship service while serving the young families in our community! If you would like to volunteer to help in the nursery or for childcare for special events, please email me at jpond@buffalouu.org.
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Also, check out our Adult Faith Development Offerings
Our Classes
Pre-K & Kindergarten: Consistent with Unitarian Universalist Principles, in Pre-K we will learn about loving and respecting ourselves, our families, our church, our community, the earth, and the world around us. We will celebrate ourselves, all kinds of holidays, the seasons, diversity, and anything else we can think of. Our curriculum is flexible and ever-developing, responding to the interests of our students.
Grades 1-3, Spirit Play: Spirit Play is a Unitarian Universalist program of religious education that evolved from a long line of Montessori-based religious education programming. This curriculum seeks to engage children in the existential questions about life within the context of the Unitarian Universalist faith. Stories are presented dealing with these questions accessing our broad base of sources. They are presented using an active storytelling method followed by a “wondering” time that opens up the child’s response to the story, then the child is free to work directly with that story or another, or to respond to the story or to their feelings with art materials.
Grades 4-6, In the Middle: This curriculum aligns with the monthly themes in our Worship Services, encouraging the students to reflect on the topic of the month through age-appropriate stories, open discussion, and fun activities.
Grades 7 & 8, Heeding the Call: As Unitarian Universalists, we are called not to admire justice from a distance but to live right in it, under its roof. This series of workshops offers a unique opportunity to engage youth in the critical work of developing skills as Unitarian Universalists committed to social justice. The workshops encourage youth to reflect on their own lives while also making connections to the lives lived by others. This both/and approach increases youth’s self-awareness while also developing leadership skills. The stories offer real-life examples of people facing the complexities of living lives of justice. It is under this roof that the youth become Justice Makers. Justice does not come into being automatically. Individuals must work together, learn together, listen together, laugh together, and heed the call together.
Grades 9-12, Youth Group: High school students are encouraged to explore living into Unitarian Universalist beliefs with each other, engaging in their own searches for what they believe is right and true in life. Youth develop leadership skills through participation in a youth-led, covenant-based environment.
More Ways to Connect with Us
– Join our Facebook page for updated news and events!
Facebook Group “UUCB Religious Education“
– If you are interested in any of the classes, projects, or other groups that we are starting, please contact DRE Jess, at jpond@buffalouu.org