Religious Education

When I first discovered Unitarian Universalism in 2000, my kids were ages 2 and 4. On Sundays my wife and I would take turns: one would accompany the kids downstairs to the nursery, where the sound from the service was piped in live; the other would stay in the sanctuary. As they grew, my kids benefitted from religious education classes taught by adult volunteers from the congregation. Twice I taught these classes myself, including the Our Whole Lives sexuality curriculum. Later as teenagers, they were very active in regional youth activities, especially weekend “cons” where dozens of teenagers and their sponsors took over a UU church building from Friday night to Sunday morning.

My kids got tremendous benefit from their UU religious education. They were in small groups with youngsters and adults who share the same values and world view. In that space, they had the chance to learn and explore ideas related to world religions, environmentalism, and more. Through a UU curriculum taught within a UU cohort, they strengthened their sense of UU identity.

We have the same goals in our UUFCM religious education program. The first (and non-negotiable) goal is to keep the children physically and emotionally safe. This alone is a profound good: our children experience being loved and cared for by someone outside of their family. Whether this is our RE staff or volunteers from the congregation, we are living into the truth that it takes a village to raise a child. Charlotte Ford, our RE Assistant, has done a great job for the last six months as the only RE employee. Each week we have paired an adult volunteer with her, because our safety policy requires two adults with the kids at all times. After a six-month job search, we found Madison Wolters to be our Lead Teacher and she started last week. With the RE program fully staffed, we are now able to do more with our curriculum, and we are hopeful of growing the program to include more families. We have something of great value to share with the community: a program of religious education that reinforces values of love, generosity, equity and compassion. May this program continue to be strong; and may those who are seeking such a program for their children find their way to us.

PRAYER:

Spirit of Life and Love, may every child be well cared for at home; and may they have safe and enriching educational experiences.

May our UU congregations be centers of loving religious education, helping children grow with progressive values.

Bless this congregation’s religious education staff who keep our children safe and loved; bless the volunteers who guide and shape the program; and bless all the children and youth in our care.

Amen.

Rev. Drew Frantz

November 10, 2026