Ministry with Children and Youth: Frequently Asked Questions
We'd like to visit with our children. Should we sign up?
We'd love to have you visit. If you're able to call or email (kerri@unityunitarian.org) ahead, we can take time to help you prepare your kids for their Sunday experience and can also prepare a warm welcome. Or, fill out the Planning a Visit form.
If you're not able to call ahead, we'd still love for your family to join us. Your family can attend worship together on the first Sunday that you visit. We have quiet activities for children to enjoy in the Sanctuary. Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers. Ask a member of our Religious Education staff or a Welcome Team at the Welcome Table in the Parish Hall to provide you with some informational materials and a tour of our classroom spaces.
Do you teach children about God?
At every age level, our curricula employ reverent language about God. When we use the word 'God' with children, it gives us a common currency for our own individual understandings of the Source of life and love in all its Mystery. Words about 'God' are not attached to anthropomorphic concepts or gender pronouns unless we're drawing wisdom directly from a sacred story from another religious tradition. Children in our programs develop a level of fluency and comfort with theist language; we consider this spiritually and developmentally appropriate as children cannot usually master the abstract concepts of non-belief until adolescence.
Will our children learn about world religions?
Unitarian Universalism draws wisdom from many sources, including Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and earth-centered traditions. In our lessons, we employ stories from all of these, but with a focus on their themes and not the 'other tradition'. Our goal is to help children grow into a sense of their own religious identity rather than provide a checklist of 'everything that we are not'. We avoid the appropriation of other traditions' rituals, though we celebrate and share in rituals that have common elements across human experience. We do not study religions comparatively until junior high school, when youth can choose from a number of short, in-depth explorations of the major faiths, including our own.
Is it necessary to register our child for nursery care?
No, nursery care is available free of charge on a drop-in basis for children (ages 6 months to 2 years, 11 months) at all Unity worship services. If our nursery numbers exceed limits set in our Safe Church policies, we may ask parents to stay and offer care to their children and others' children. Nursery care is also available at most church-sponsored events free of charge; contact Christy Randall (christy@unityunitarian.org) one week in advance to arrange for this care or fill out the request for child care form.
Will our child have opportunities to worship with us as a family?
Regardless of which service your family attends, there are several Story Sundays and Family Sundays throughout the church year. On Story Sundays, we start the service together and enjoy a story for all ages and then children go to their R.E. classes. Family Sundays include Merging of the Waters, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Flower Communion; these beloved services are for all ages.
If your family wants to spend some time together in worship every Sunday, you can attend the 11:00 a.m. service when children attend the first part of worship and then go to their R.E. classes. Children enjoy the hymns and special music and participate in the prayers and embracing meditations; parents have an opportunity to model the importance of worship in their lives.
Our child is 5 and in Kindergarten. Which program should we sign her up for?
We have a 6 year old boy who hasn't started Kindergarten yet. Is he supposed to be in Spirit Play or Workshop Rotation?
If your child is 3, 4 or 5, he or she should be in a Spirit Play classroom. If your child is 6, he or she is now too old for Spirit Play and can be enrolled in Workshop Rotation. Some families have a child that is 5 in September but will turn 6 during the first few months of the church year. Parents can make a decision based on their knowledge of their child's interest and temperament. Families might decide to start the year in Spirit Play and then move up to Workshop Rotation in January. It's also possible to start Workshop Rotation at age 5 if the child's sixth birthday will be in fall or early winter. Children should feel comfortable with the idea that they will be in different rooms each Sunday and that one of their teachers will be a different person each week, while their Journey Guide will remain with them for much of the year.
What are all these different options for middle schoolers and junior high kids? How do we know what to pick?
Our 6th, 7th and 8th graders have expressed an interest in and a capacity for making choices about their R.E. experience. At the 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. services, they can pick between two different classes each 'semester'. For example, in the fall, the two choices might be Heresy Apparent (UU history and identity) or Connecting With the Earth (spirituality and nature, earth-centered traditions. In winter, two new classes will start, one might be Jesus and the New Testament and another about Asian religions.
Can we enroll our 9th grader in Unity's Coming of Age program if we don't attend Unity Church?
The Coming of Age program is intended to help youth from Unity's families deepen their connection to this congregation and to our liberal faith. As much as we wish we had the resources to provide this outstanding program to the general public, we must limit participation to families that have attended Unity Church for at least two years or who have made a commitment to attending and supporting the church as their family's religious home. Please contact Kerri by email at kerri@unityunitarian.org if you are a new Unity family interested in these rite-of-passage programs.
Why is there a materials fee? Is there assistance for families who aren't able to pay?
While most of the Religious Education program is supported by the generosity of pledging members, the cost of consumable materials (art supplies, snacks, copies, etc.) is defrayed by the materials fee that each family pays. The $35 fee for pledging families ends up amounting to $1 per child, per Sunday. The fees for non-pledging families are significantly higher, reflecting the importance of and need for shared financial support for the ministry to children and youth. This said, the congregation is clear on the issue of supporting families who are not able to pay materials fees: scholarships are available thanks to additional generous support from Unity R.E. families. Visiting families who are exploring Unity as a possible church home should note that the materials fees are waived for the first four months so that parents and children can have a period of discernment around the 'fit' for church and family without worrying about a financial loss.
We'd love to have you visit. If you're able to call or email (kerri@unityunitarian.org) ahead, we can take time to help you prepare your kids for their Sunday experience and can also prepare a warm welcome. Or, fill out the Planning a Visit form.
If you're not able to call ahead, we'd still love for your family to join us. Your family can attend worship together on the first Sunday that you visit. We have quiet activities for children to enjoy in the Sanctuary. Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers. Ask a member of our Religious Education staff or a Welcome Team at the Welcome Table in the Parish Hall to provide you with some informational materials and a tour of our classroom spaces.
Do you teach children about God?
At every age level, our curricula employ reverent language about God. When we use the word 'God' with children, it gives us a common currency for our own individual understandings of the Source of life and love in all its Mystery. Words about 'God' are not attached to anthropomorphic concepts or gender pronouns unless we're drawing wisdom directly from a sacred story from another religious tradition. Children in our programs develop a level of fluency and comfort with theist language; we consider this spiritually and developmentally appropriate as children cannot usually master the abstract concepts of non-belief until adolescence.
Will our children learn about world religions?
Unitarian Universalism draws wisdom from many sources, including Judeo-Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and earth-centered traditions. In our lessons, we employ stories from all of these, but with a focus on their themes and not the 'other tradition'. Our goal is to help children grow into a sense of their own religious identity rather than provide a checklist of 'everything that we are not'. We avoid the appropriation of other traditions' rituals, though we celebrate and share in rituals that have common elements across human experience. We do not study religions comparatively until junior high school, when youth can choose from a number of short, in-depth explorations of the major faiths, including our own.
Is it necessary to register our child for nursery care?
No, nursery care is available free of charge on a drop-in basis for children (ages 6 months to 2 years, 11 months) at all Unity worship services. If our nursery numbers exceed limits set in our Safe Church policies, we may ask parents to stay and offer care to their children and others' children. Nursery care is also available at most church-sponsored events free of charge; contact Christy Randall (christy@unityunitarian.org) one week in advance to arrange for this care or fill out the request for child care form.
Will our child have opportunities to worship with us as a family?
Regardless of which service your family attends, there are several Story Sundays and Family Sundays throughout the church year. On Story Sundays, we start the service together and enjoy a story for all ages and then children go to their R.E. classes. Family Sundays include Merging of the Waters, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Flower Communion; these beloved services are for all ages.
If your family wants to spend some time together in worship every Sunday, you can attend the 11:00 a.m. service when children attend the first part of worship and then go to their R.E. classes. Children enjoy the hymns and special music and participate in the prayers and embracing meditations; parents have an opportunity to model the importance of worship in their lives.
Our child is 5 and in Kindergarten. Which program should we sign her up for?
We have a 6 year old boy who hasn't started Kindergarten yet. Is he supposed to be in Spirit Play or Workshop Rotation?
If your child is 3, 4 or 5, he or she should be in a Spirit Play classroom. If your child is 6, he or she is now too old for Spirit Play and can be enrolled in Workshop Rotation. Some families have a child that is 5 in September but will turn 6 during the first few months of the church year. Parents can make a decision based on their knowledge of their child's interest and temperament. Families might decide to start the year in Spirit Play and then move up to Workshop Rotation in January. It's also possible to start Workshop Rotation at age 5 if the child's sixth birthday will be in fall or early winter. Children should feel comfortable with the idea that they will be in different rooms each Sunday and that one of their teachers will be a different person each week, while their Journey Guide will remain with them for much of the year.
What are all these different options for middle schoolers and junior high kids? How do we know what to pick?
Our 6th, 7th and 8th graders have expressed an interest in and a capacity for making choices about their R.E. experience. At the 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. services, they can pick between two different classes each 'semester'. For example, in the fall, the two choices might be Heresy Apparent (UU history and identity) or Connecting With the Earth (spirituality and nature, earth-centered traditions. In winter, two new classes will start, one might be Jesus and the New Testament and another about Asian religions.
Can we enroll our 9th grader in Unity's Coming of Age program if we don't attend Unity Church?
The Coming of Age program is intended to help youth from Unity's families deepen their connection to this congregation and to our liberal faith. As much as we wish we had the resources to provide this outstanding program to the general public, we must limit participation to families that have attended Unity Church for at least two years or who have made a commitment to attending and supporting the church as their family's religious home. Please contact Kerri by email at kerri@unityunitarian.org if you are a new Unity family interested in these rite-of-passage programs.
Why is there a materials fee? Is there assistance for families who aren't able to pay?
While most of the Religious Education program is supported by the generosity of pledging members, the cost of consumable materials (art supplies, snacks, copies, etc.) is defrayed by the materials fee that each family pays. The $35 fee for pledging families ends up amounting to $1 per child, per Sunday. The fees for non-pledging families are significantly higher, reflecting the importance of and need for shared financial support for the ministry to children and youth. This said, the congregation is clear on the issue of supporting families who are not able to pay materials fees: scholarships are available thanks to additional generous support from Unity R.E. families. Visiting families who are exploring Unity as a possible church home should note that the materials fees are waived for the first four months so that parents and children can have a period of discernment around the 'fit' for church and family without worrying about a financial loss.
