|
||||||||||
About Us
|  |
OAK RIDGE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
YOUTH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION INFORMATION
MISSION STATEMENT FROM THE YOUTH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COMMITTEE:
The Children and Youth RE Committee works with the DRE to create a safe place in which children, youth, and families have opportunities to learn, grow spiritually, carry out social and environmental service, and celebrate, in order to internalize the Unitarian Universalist principles and build a nurturing community which spans the generations in our congregation. SUNDAY MORNING PROGRAM
NURSERY and PRESCHOOL: Parents take children directly to their rooms. Our Nursery Caregiver is present by 9:15 AM. Please sign children in when leaving them and pick them up no later than 12:15 PM. KINDERGARTENERS—FIFTH GRADE: Families begin together in the church service with their families. Children are sung out for "Spirit Play". Parents join the group for Closing Circle at 11:00 (1st service) and 12:15 (2nd service). NOTE: A bell rings 5 minutes prior to Closing Circle times to signal parents that it is time to collect babies and toddlers and join the Closing Circle. MIDDLE SCHOOL AND SENIOR HIGH: Both groups begin in their rooms at 10 AM and dismiss in time to attend the 11 AM service with their families. Please download our Registration Form and RE Prospectus. The church newsletter is the best way to stay current regarding plans for upcoming Sundays. PARENT-CHILD ROOM
This space is available for parents and little ones of any age who are practicing attachment parenting or are otherwise not yet ready to separate, and who need a safe space to move around and play together. Those who are Parent-Child Room Veterans have the responsibility of welcoming newcomers to the room. FAMILY INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT
Only a fraction of religious growth and learning happens in religious education sessions at church. Given the brief amount of time spent in church religious education groups, what does happen there best takes root and flourishes when the family is involved at church and aware of what is happening in their children's religious education. Religious Education is not a product to be consumed; it is a process in which to become involved. Religious education cannot be provided for families; it can only be created with them. Most religious education occurs within the family setting, whether explicit or implicit. The church is here to support parents and guardians in their role as their children's primary religious educators. Children and youth who come to church most weeks make friends that they look forward to seeing on Sundays. They feel part of their group and develop valuable relationships with their peers and teachers. They know what happened last week and look forward to what’s coming next week. They are at home in the church space. They naturally memorize sayings and songs. They feel a part of the cycle of the events and rituals of the church year. They develop a sense of stewardship toward the church. They belong to an extended church family, a community where people know and care about each other. They identify with Unitarian Universalism and ORUUC. When children and youth come only once or twice, a month, they do not have the same quality of experience. We hope you will make church attendance a priority and an expectation in your family. "Church is what our family does on Sunday mornings," is a simple and helpful family motto. A vital religious education program costs money. The philosophy of our church is that the religious education of our young people is the responsibility of the entire congregation. Thus, we do not charge families fees. Please provide strong financial support to the church through a fair-share annual contribution. When children make comments about their church experiences that you think would be constructive and helpful for the RE Committee and the DRE, please share them! We welcome all ideas and suggestions-- along with how you can be active in making them happen. We hope every family member will deepen their participation in church life. We offer our faith community for this most important lifework of raising children. Parents and guardians, you are indeed your children’s primary religious educators, but you have partners in the endeavor. You are not alone. REGISTRATION
Registration/Family Involvement Forms are available from the church office or the Director of Religious Education. First and second time visitors are always welcome and need only to comlete a brief visitors' form. Once a child attends two Sundays, we ask that the family register. Every family needs to register on an annual basis. Registration is critical to planning for and meeting the needs of each group and each individual child. It is also the basis of home-church communication. CHILDREN’S STATEMENT OF BELIEF
We believe that all religions have something good to teach, But no one church knows all there is to know. That’s why, in our church, We always try to learn more about all the different people in the world. We sing and laugh and make friends here in our church. We believe that every person has something good to offer. The first version of the Children’s Statement was written in the early 1980’s in response to a perceived need of the parents for something their children could say, which was affirming and unique to Unitarians, rather than just saying what they didn’t believe, or that they believed everything everyone else believed. WORSHIP
Our Sundays begin with worship: a quiet time for centering our thoughts, joining in the special ritual of lighting our chalice, and celebrating through stories, music and singing. May we as parents and as a church community guide our children as they learn to quiet and center themselves for worship. A brochure “Children in the Service: A Guide for Adults Who Worship With Children,” is available in the Hearth Room and Sanctuary. During the church year, we offer special worship services for all ages, including: Ingathering-August 19 Day of the Dead-October 28 Thanksgiving-November 18 Nativity Pageant-December 23 Martin Luther King-January 20 Easter-March 23 Each group also incorporates ritual elements of worship into their weekly gatherings, for example, opening words, chalice lightings, and/or special closings. Through a variety of worship experiences, our young people can experience a sense of the sacred and consider and celebrate that which is of ultimate worth. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION COVENANT
In religious community, the promises we make to each other about how we will treat each other and what we will do to create safe and sacred space comprise our covenant. At the start of each church year, all participants review and discuss the Religious Education Covenant to make certain it is clear and that we know what is expected of us when we are together. Our RE Covenant is organized according to the seven UU principles, so keeping the covenant affirms and promotes living according to these principles. All children, youth, teachers and leaders are asked to agree to the covenant, and every family receives a copy of the covenant to take home. Being human, we all make mistakes sometimes or fail to live up to the promises we have made. At those times, we will lovingly remind each other of our covenant and our better selves, get help from someone we trust, and listen to one another. It may be helpful to apologize and make amends for what we have done. We each have a responsibility to speak up when we see our covenant not being honored. We want our church to be a safe place for all and a place where we hold each other accountable. If anyone has difficulty keeping the covenant during Religious Education, the following steps will be taken, one at a time, until the person is back to honoring the covenant. 1. Offer a quiet reminder to honor the covenant. 2. Have a private conversation with the person who is not following the covenant. 3. Request involvement of the "Covenant Team" (CT) which is comprised of two adults and two youth, selected by the RE Committee. 4. CT meets with all parties involved and notifies both the Director of Religious Education and the parent/guardian(s), if children or youth are involved. 5. The persons having difficulties, and their parent/guardian(s) if they are children or youth, contact the CT and meet with them to make an agreement about keeping the covenant. 6. In case of repeated difficulties, the RCT may ask a parent to stay with the child in his/her group. 7. In the case of serious repeated difficulties involving a breach of trust, the RCT may decide to suspend a child or youth from classes for a specified period of time. All adults in our community serve as guides for our children, but parents/guardians are ultimately responsible for their children's well-being and behavior. Parents are expected to remain at church on Sunday mornings. CHURCH STEWARDSHIP
Children and youth are encouraged to make their own annual fair-share contributions to the church and bring their own money for the weekly offering. Since the offering is not received during the time that the young children are present in the service, other family members need to place their children's donations in the offering plate. Half of the plate collection each Sunday goes to the chosen charity of the month; the other half goes to the church's operating budget. Families have an opportunity to talk at home about a different charity each month and about the work of our church in the wider community. Parents, please talk at home about the power of generosity and the importance of giving. Tell your children about your own financial stewardship and encourage your children to be good financial stewards as well. Teach your children about the three uses of money: "Spend, Save, Give." Help them decide on a giving plan of their own and then check regularly to help them follow through. Financial stewardship is just aspect of generosity. Just as families support the church with their money, so, too, they can undertake activities together that support the church. Help rake the church grounds as a family. Prepare a meal together and take it to a member of the congregation who is in need. Sort toys together at the church Rummage Sale. Stay on the lookout for ways to be supportive of the church while spending time as a family. OUR PLAYGROUND
We want to assure that our playground is a fun, safe place for all children. To that end, the Religious Education Committee has established playground rules and procedures. Please go over these with your children and see that they are followed on the playground. PLAYGROUND RULES
PLAYGROUND PROCEDURES
Parents are responsible for making sure their children are supervised on the playground. There must be at least two adults on the playground while groups of children are present. At least one of the adults must have been active in the church for a minimum of one year.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| Copyright © 2010 Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. |
Send any questions or comments to webmaster@oruuc.org |