Statement of Purpose

Paper Cranes from Peace Day Service

The purpose of our religious education program is to encourage and nurture the development of a faith foundation which is personally sustaining and communally harmonious. The nature of the faith foundation we seek to develop is spiritual, dynamic, questioning, rational, socially concerned, informed, and aware of the ambiguities of life.

Specifically, our objectives are to:

1. Assist individuals who are growing in their awareness of the spiritual dimension of life, including providing opportunities to explore fundamental questions (such as, What is the meaning of my life? What happens when I die? How does that affect how I live? Do I believe in a god or other power that transcends the material world?), and assist in the process of building a vocabulary and other tools to aid in this exploration.
2. Encourage commitment to our religious framework, Unitarian Universalism, within which individual and collective faith can grow and find expression.
3. Expand an awareness of the limitless nature of religious exploration through knowledge of the diversity of human religious experience throughout human culture and history.
4. Foster the development of a set of values to guide individuals and groups through the moral quandaries of life in a way that is consistent with one's faith foundation.
5. Encourage commitment to the human community through the development of compassion, tolerance, sensitivity, and social responsibility.

Statement of strategy

A. Structured classes designed to achieve the above objectives will be provided on Sunday mornings in a safe, loving, and comfortable environment.

1. The content of the classes will address:

• Jewish and Christian heritage and principles, including history of Judaism and Christianity, and knowledge of the Bible, including the Hebrew Bible (a.k.a. the Old Testament) and the life and teachings of Jesus;.
• Unitarian Universalist history and principles;
• World religions and mythology;
• Ethics and moral decision-making; and
• Units designed to enhance understanding of others, individually and culturally, and to develop social compassion and social responsibility.

2. A progressive, cyclical, and age-appropriate curricular approach will ensure the completeness of the content of the child's educational program. A 3-year cycle will be followed. The themes for each of the cycles are as follows:

• Looking around: Unitarian Universalist heritage, principles, and practice.
• Looking back: Jewish and Christian heritage and principles.
• Looking out: World religions and cultures.

An appropriate curriculum that focuses on the theme for the year will be chosen for each class. After the four themes have been completed (over a span of four years), they will be repeated again. Thus, over the course of 12 years, a student will have studied each of the three areas four times, at a level appropriate to his/her development at the time.

B. Opportunities for multigenerational interaction will be provided throughout the year in order to foster a sense of community in a church that values and accepts all its family members.

C. Meaningful rituals will be observed to recognize and celebrate the significant events in a young person's life, including:

1. Entering 1st grade (joining the world community)
2. Entering 6th grade (the beginning of adolescence)
3. Completion of a coming-of-age/membership training program
4. Graduation from high school

D. Opportunities will be provided for children and youth to engage in service for others.

E. In addition to the structured Sunday morning classes, informal groups will be provided for youth. These groups will offer opportunities for fellowship, exploration of contemporary issues of relevance to teenagers' lives, service to others, leadership development, and interaction with UU youth in other congregations.

F. Opportunities will be provided for children and youth to learn ways of exploring and expressing the spiritual dimension of life through the arts and rituals of common worship.

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