Children's Religious Education
Nursery Care
Religious Education Classes
Our Ministry with Youth
UUFS seeks to create a caring environment for people at all ages and stages of life. Our ministry with families includes a regular parenting support group as well as regular worship, service, and fun times. We have a monthly "Family Friendly Dinner" at a local restaurant where we join for a meal and conversation between generations. Throughout the year a variety of social times are a chance for families to bond over conversation and activities of interest. Our minister is available for pastoral visits with parents, kids, and families.
Why send kids to Sunday school? It’s a good question — one that some children ask their parents almost every week. At UUFS, we think kids need a place where the focus is not on who is the most athletic, who gets the best grades, or who has the coolest electronics. Our Sunday school provides a community where the focus is on listening, learning, and caring.
Analysts of education say that in any teaching situation, there is an explicit and an implicit curriculum. The explicit curriculum is the official topic. In our Sunday school, this might be UU history and values, Christian and Jewish heritage, or world religions. The implicit curriculum is what we teach by how we act — the way we group students and set up classrooms, the activities we choose, the way we transmit information, the way we treat each other. At UUFS, we believe the implicit curriculum is as important as the explicit curriculum. Our goal is to create a space where children and adults "speak gently, listen carefully, and care for one another."
A warm and loving environment is provided for our very youngest children each Sunday by our caregiver, Sheli, and a volunteer from the congregation. Parents are encouraged to attend the first part of the service with their infants and toddlers and to bring them to the nursery when the other children go to classes.
Our “Chalice Children” program welcomes preschool children, ages 4 & 5, in an environment of affection and affirmation. Each session includes a gathering activity, a sharing circle, an engaging activity, and a story or two in our special loft. The program centers around our fellowship as a special place, where we celebrate holidays, make friends, and explore the wonder and mystery of life.
"Around the Church, Around the Year," aimed at grades K–2 and taught by Patty Petrie, UUFS Director of Religious Education, helps children feel that they are part of our UU community and understand the faith and practices of Unitarian Universalism. The program focuses on the children’s own experiences with the basic life issues that we all deal with — life and death, human relationships, and personal identity. Activities include songs, games, dramatizations, crafts, and art projects.
Our "Traditions With a Wink" program, aimed at grades 3–6 and taught by our experienced volunteer lead teachers Anita Herrmann and Kirstin Solorzano, is designed to explain and affirm Unitarian Universalist values. It teaches an understanding of UU faith that can replace the vague " we can believe anything we want to" statement with: "We come from a long tradition of questioning and searching, loving kindness and good works." The lessons use diverse sources such as the Internet, the UU hymnbook Singing the Living Tradition , the Bible, UU history, and UU rituals including the Flower Communion. Traditions taught in this curriculum include the different ways UUs create community, the place of science and reason in our religion, our Purposes and Principles, and our tradition of good works.
Children’s religious education isn’t limited to Sunday school. Students in grades 5–8 are invited to participate in our middle school youth group, which offers monthly movie nights, field trips, and other opportunities for fun and service. Students in grades 7+ are also welcome to help in classes for younger children, attend worship, or participate in leading worship. Other opportunities for volunteering in the congregation, 1:1 mentoring, and other special projects may also be arranged in consultation with the minister and Director of Religious Education.
In recent years, we have offered the UUA’s sexuality education program "Our Whole Lives" (OWL) for grades 7–8. We also join with neighboring congregations for a "Coming of Age" program for students in grades 8–10. Visit the UUA Pacific Central District (PCD) website for schedules, registration materials and information for the Coming of Age and other PCD programs.