…a welcoming spiritual community

Religious Education For Life

"In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, we covenant to take responsibility for the spiritual growth of ourselves and our children."

Program Purpose

    Our purpose is to promote the development of a sustaining faith, a “yes” to life, marked by both personal faith in the ultimate goodness of the universe and by active commitment to making the world a better place, shaped by the heritage of wisdom found in our living Unitarian Universalist religious tradition, and strengthened by connection to an ongoing covenanting faith community.

    We are currently taking registrations for the 2009-2010 school year for both participants in the program and for those who would like to volunteer as teachers. Click here for a brochure which describes our religious education curriculum. Click here for Religious Education Registration forms.

Welcome!

Whether you are a visitor to this site or already connected to the parish, Welcome!

    We are pleased to invite you and your children and youth to be part of our welcoming faith community, which values each young person and every family! Through small groups, personal reflection, and social justice work, we are all engaged in growing our spirits that we might bring more love into the world.

Sunday Morning Program, 9 and 11 a.m.

Nursery-aged children (through age three)

    Our youngest ones are cared for in our nursery, which is staffed by an adult professional and teens hired by the parish. Nursery staff are happy to greet you and your child a few minutes before the adult service begins in the sanctuary.

Pre-K to Grade Five

    Children usually begin each Sunday morning in the sanctuary with their parents for the first part of worship service before heading to their classrooms for religious education. One exception is on the first Sunday of the month when they join together in the chapel for �children�s worship� before going to their classrooms.

    Religious education classes are led by volunteer parents and church members. Children participate in small group discussions and activities designed to help them discover connections with their own lives, families and experiences. Lessons draw on wisdom from the world�s religions, humanist, Jewish and Christian teachings, and earth-centered traditions.

    About once a month, young children also join together in one multi-age group to participate in �Special Sunday� activities. These �Special Sundays� usually fall on holiday or school vacation weekends, and the programming is often centered around a particular seasonal theme.

Grades six, seven, eight

    Youth will begin in the sanctuary with families, then move to small groups, where they will have time to explore moral, ethical, spiritual, and identity issues important to their development.

Youth Programs

    Believing that our bodies are sacred, we offer a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum for eighth graders. The program, using a curriculum informed by Unitarian Universalist values, is offered on Sunday afternoons in the winter/spring.

    This yearlong mentored program is offered to ninth graders to help them prepare to assume responsibility for their own faith journeys. Each youth participant has the chance to explore who s/he is as a religious individual, who s/he is as part of a faith community, and who s/he is as a religious person in the wider world. The program culminates in an honoring ceremony where each youth presents a statement about his/her values, beliefs, and experiences.

    With the guidance of volunteer advisors, our youth groups strengthen each young person�s commitment to our parish and religion and provide opportunities for peer support and friendships. Meetings two Sundays a month include chances to participate in field trips, worship, social action projects and plenty of fun!

    The Bridging Program, held for high school seniors on two Sunday evenings in April, leads to a ceremony for those who are ready to assume the challenges of young adulthood. The congregation holds out its hand to the bridging youth, welcoming them as new adults in the faith community.

Adults

    North Parish offers many adult spirituality learning and growth opportunities through our Center for Spiritual Renewal. For details, see our Adult Spirituality page.