This year, our Religious Education programs have been full of care, curiosity, and meaningful connection. This was the first year for us to try out a one room schoolhouse model for Children’s and Youth RE. Our young people explored Unitarian Universalist values through stories, big questions, holidays, activities, and shared experiences — including our spring Egg Puzzle Hunt!

Adult RE was also full of thoughtful offerings led by passionate and knowledgeable congregants, with sessions on democracy, communication, LGBTQ activism, personal faith journeys, social justice, and more. These classes helped deepen both our spiritual lives and our connection to justice work. We are so grateful for the teachers and volunteers who helped make this year possible and enjoyed celebrating them recently at our Teacher Appreciation service. We are so thrilled to have such amazing 23 teachers this year!

As we look ahead to summer, Children’s and Youth RE will begin the Can Do Summer program on May 31. This playful, hands-on curriculum will include books, fairy houses, obstacle courses, creative projects, and plenty of summer fun. In the fall we will offer Soul Matters one room schoolhouse program for our children and youth, with a variety of physical activities and resources to explore different spiritual themes.

Adult RE will also begin summer programming on May 31 with our Common Read, Social Change Now by Deepa Iyer, led by Sandy Farlow and Sarah Reiling. Later in the summer, we’ll have opportunities focused on environmental care, sustainability, and reducing our footprint.

Our Religious Education Board is working on a process for registering children and youth so we can better understand who is attending and build programming that fits the needs of our families and young people. In addition, we will continue to offer and support events like Earth Fest that allow our congregation to reach more members in the community.

If you know families looking for meaningful Sunday programming this summer, we hope you’ll invite them to join us. And if you’re interested in helping with Children’s, Youth, or Adult RE, we would love to connect with you.

Cassidy Younghans