Fall Classes
At 9:30:
Course: Timeless Themes
Stories from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles
Authors: Nannene Gowdy, Mary Ann Moore, and Mariorie Skwire
This class introduces children to religious literature that is central to North American culture and to Unitarian Universalist heritage. Children become familiar with their cultural heritage, and to the human issues that inspired these scriptures--the timeless themes of transcendent power, human responsibility, love of freedom, speaking out against injustice, respect for the beliefs of others, love of one's neighbor, and forgiveness. The Bible stories are taught from a UU value structure. God is referred to as "God," not "he." The stories, drawn from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, are gender-inclusive. Violence is not avoided, but recognized and used to guide participants toward an understanding of non-violent ways to resolve conflicts.
Goals for Participants
•To become familiar with some of the best known stories in biblical literature
•To feel connected with the writers of the Bibles by exploring such universal human themes as jealousy, forgiveness, and healing
•To develop UU values by discussing biblical issues that support or challenge them.
Unitarian Universalist Values- Each session invites children to think about issues that either support or challenge Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes.
At 11:00:
Course: Spirit Play by Nita Penfold for 3-6 year olds
We see the purpose of religious education as helping children in living into their own answers to the existential questions: Where did we come from? What are we doing here? How do we choose to live our lives? What happens when we die?
We use the Montessori approach and Berryman's morning as worship approach for the structure of the morning. As in Montessori, the key elements are the classroom environment and the teachers. These elements free the children to work at their own pace on their own issues after an initial lesson.
The Door Keeper helps the children get ready to enter the classroom as parents drop them off.
The Storyteller leads the circle in the story of the day, followed by the wondering.
Children choose an art response or to work with a story previously heard, helped by the Door Keeper. Children clean up, followed by a feast (snack) with the Storyteller.
Leave-taking is a formal process of saying good-bye to the Storyteller when parents arrive and children are ready.
Stories have been developed in the following categories:
Unitarian Universalist Focal Shelves
Promises (Principles)
Sources
Stories of the Mystery
Beginnings and Endings
Sacred Places
Church Corner
Religion Boxes and Ways to Pray
Heroes and Heroines
Course: Toolbox of Faith for 2nd-5th grade students
Goals: Reflecting on the qualities (tools) of our faith, children and leaders gain insight into what makes our faith important in their lives, and how they can grow in our faith.
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children by Kate Tweedie Covey
What tools does Unitarian Universalism offer for the challenges of life? Children discover what aspects of UU faith are helpful to them, developing a toolbox of faith
Toolbox of Faith invites participants to reflect on the qualities of our Unitarian Universalist faith, such as integrity, courage, and love, as tools they can use in living their lives and building their own faith. Each of the sessions uses a tool as a metaphor for an important quality of our faith such as reflection (symbolized by a mirror), flexibility (duct tape), and justice (a flashlight)
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•Session 1: Faith (Toolbox and Ruler) •Session 2: Questioning (Magnifying Glass) •Session 3: Integrity (Compass) •Session 4: Flexibility (Duct Tape) •Session 5: Reflection (Mirror) •Session 6: Expression (Paintbrush) •Session 7: Democratic Process (Chalk) •Session 8: Power (Hammer) |
•Session 9: Spirit Of Life (Canteen) •Session 10: Courage And Conviction (Saddlebags) •Session 11: Listening (Stethoscope) •Session 12: Humor (Sandpaper) •Session 13: Love (Gloves) •Session 14: Justice (Flashlight) •Session 15: Atonement (Level) •Session 16: Resiliency (Hard Hat) |
Course: Middle School- Compass Points by Gaia Brown and Michelle Richards
Compass Points is a curriculum which guides adolescents on a yearlong spiritual journey in which they have opportunities to explore their identities, their beliefs, their Unitarian Universalist faith, their relationships with others and their connections to the world.
Compass Points will lead its adolescent participants on a year-long spiritual journey during which they will have the opportunity:
To help participants sort out their feelings about themselves and their world as they do the difficult work of starting to create their adult selves
To help them discover what they believe about life's big questions -- the nature of humanity and the divine, beliefs about life, death and faith
To help youth think independently, assume responsibility, make decisions, explore values and adopt the practice of radical hospitality
To guide participants in acquiring enough background in Unitarian Universalist history, polity and theology that they can know and express what it means to be a Unitarian Universalists
To help them understand that religious liberty is a hard-won legacy that continues to need protection
Course: High School- Truth and Meaning
Questions about the Western Religious Heritage of Unitarian Universalism
by Jeff Liebmann
Truth and Meaning is a 25-Session curriculum designed for Unitarian Universalist high school religious education classes (9th to 12th grades).
Goals
Truth and Meaning acts upon the Unitarian Universalist principles calling for a covenant to affirm and promote encouragement to spiritual growth and a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Each Session works toward this purpose by:
posing questions about the major Western religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) commonly asked by our youth in a manner that will help them find meaningful answers;
relating these truths about these religions to our own Unitarian Universalist history and modern practice; and
helping youth apply this knowledge and relevance to their own beliefs and, thereby, continue to grow spiritually.
Contents
Truth and Meaning Session topics are arranged into the following major units: Introduction to Major Western Religions and Their Primary Resource Documents (the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an); Religious Practices and Underlying Theological Concepts (the soul, sin and evil, and the sacraments of baptism, prayer, communion, and confession); Religious "Extremes" (cults, the "Religious Right," paganism, and creationism); Life and Afterlife (Hell, salvation, and the millennium); The Roots of Religious Prejudice (holy war and prejudice based on sexual preference, gender, and race); and Dogma and Creeds (creedal beliefs, the Vatican, the purpose of a church).
UNIT ONE -- Introduction to Major Western Religions and Their Primary Resource Documents
UNIT TWO -- Religious Practices and Underlying Theological Concepts
UNIT THREE -- Life and Afterlife
UNIT FOUR -- Religious "Extremes"
UNIT FIVE -- The Roots of Religious Prejudice
UNIT SIX -- Dogma and Creeds
UNIT ONE -- Introduction to Major Western Religions and Their Primary Resource Documents
Session 1 --Why should I ask about other religions?
Session 2 -- How much of the Bible and the Qur’an is actually true?
Session 3 -- Are my friends right in calling me an atheist?
UNIT TWO -- Religious Practices and Underlying Theological Concepts
Session 4 -- Why is getting baptized such a big deal?
Session 5 -- Do I have a Soul?
Session 6 -- If God is all-knowing and omnipresent, why do people pray?
Session 7 -- Is it wrong for me to take Communion if I don’t believe in Jesus?
Session 8 -- Does confession mean that Catholics can do anything and get away with it?
Session 9 -- Do people really think there is a Devil in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork?
UNIT THREE -- Life and Afterlife
Session 10 -- Am I going to Hell like my friends say I am?
Session 11 -- Why don’t people just let me believe what I want and quit trying to convert me?
Session 12 -- Is the world really going to end soon?
UNIT FOUR -- Religious "Extremes"
Session 13 -- Who is the "Religious Right" and why are they a threat to us?
Session 14 -- What is a cult and how are they different from religions?
Session 15 -- So why DO bad things happen to good people?
Session 16 -- How can I explain our acceptance of pagans and witches?
Session 17 -- How can people not believe in evolution when the evidence is overwhelming?
UNIT FIVE -- The Roots of Religious Prejudice
Session 18 -- Why don’t some other religions welcome gays, lesbians, and transsexuals?
Session 19 -- Why are women treated like second class citizens in many religions?
Session 20 -- Why do some other churches refuse to allow women to be leaders?
Session 21 -- Why do whites and blacks have separate churches within the same religion?
Session 22 -- Why do Jews, Christians, and Muslims hate and kill each other?
UNIT SIX -- Dogma and Creeds
Session 23 -- Why do people allow a dogma to define what they believe for themselves?
Session 24 -- Why do millions of people believe that the Pope has some magical connection to God?
Session 25 -- If we don’t believe in the Western God, then why do we go to church like other religions?