Welcome, from Rev. Stevie!
Dear parents, guardians, friends, and young people… welcome!
Welcome to this community where we encourage young people (and everyone!) to have an “open mind”, a “loving heart”, and “helping hands.”
Welcome to this community where we meet people where they are, and help them find the next step.
Welcome to this community that centers the voices and experiences of young people as part of our multigenerational community of values.
If this is your first time in a Unitarian Universalist community, you’ll appreciate that our religious education looks different than what you might be familiar with. Guided by our Unitarian Universalist values, we seek to foster:
- empowerment and support for young people to be themselves
- kindness and respect for one another in our sameness and difference
- wonder for the beauty and mystery in all existence
- commitment to making the world a better place
- respect for the many different religious & spiritual paths
We do this in many ways: including children in the rituals and worship life of the congregation, emphasizing play and fun to build community, leaving space for exploration and questioning, and supporting young people in their different needs.
Curious to join us on a Sunday? When you arrive with your family, find the welcome table to get a name-tag and get oriented to the building. Someone volunteering in religious education may greet you too, and you can introduce yourself to me (Stevie, the minister of religious education). Babies & toddlers in the nursery (up to age three) can be dropped off right at 10am, while children aged three and up join us in the Sanctuary for the first part of worship. After the “Time for All Ages” (around 10:20am), children will head to their program—either divided up by grade or “all together”. You are welcome to come help make the transition with your child to their classroom, and free to return to worship whenever you feel comfortable.
In classes, children usually light a chalice (a symbol of our special time together), introduce/check-in with one another, eat a light snack together (Goldfish or a baked treat), hear a story, and engage in an interactive or creative activity that helps us explore.
Please take a moment to register your children, preferably before your second time joining us. This will help us better meet the medical, socioemotional, and accessibility needs of your young one.
Continue to explore these pages for further information, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me (Stevie, mre@firstparish.info) should you like to connect personally!
Warmly,
Stevie Carmody