What's New: Religious Education and Faith Development
See the new Family pages in the Summer 2012 UU World for stories and activities to share in RE and at home about Unitarian Universalists' call to immigration justice.
Need a workshop for youth struggling with addiction? A new, one-hour workshop, based on an animated video by Rev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings, introduces addiction topics and strategies for congregations to support youth.
Engage children in Justice GA 2012, at your congregation! Close your RE year with the four-session immigration curriculum With Justice and Compassion, developed for the UUA by religious educator Mandy Neff as part of the UUA's GA 2012 online resource, Cooking Together: Recipes for Immigration Justice Work.
UU Renaissance learning is "going the distance!" A new Renaissance module, on Unitarian Universalist theology, will be offered as a distance learning opportunity for religious educators. If you have expertise in both UU theology and technology-based instructional design, please read the Call for Authors, and apply. Deadline for applications is June 15, 2012.
The Doctrine of Discovery gave Europeans a legal justification for colonizing the Americas and subordinating aboriginal people. At GA 2012, UUs will consider its repudiation. Explore the Doctrine of Discovery using the Doctrine of Discovery Discussion Guide and video provided by the UUA.
New Tapestry of Faith program for high school! Virtue Ethics offers 12 workshops for youth to explore how our actions shape our character in a Unitarian Universalist, deed-over-creed context. Consider field testing Virtue Ethics in your congregation or youth program!
Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures is a new Tapestry of Faith program designed for a multigenerational group. Eight workshops based on biblical stories of David, Moses, Sarah and Hagar, Abraham and Isaac, Joshua, Isaiah, and Creation. Apply to field test! Contact Alicia LeBlanc at (617) 948-4371 or fieldtest@uua.org.
Acts of Faith by Dr. Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, is the UUA Common Read for 2011-12. This Beacon Press book shares Patel's faith journey as a young American Muslim and calls for interfaith cooperation based on values of service that are common across faiths. The UUA's Acts of Faith Discussion Guide (PDF), is suitable for youth, young adult, campus, adult, and cross-generational Common Read groups.
Let's talk about classism. The 2011 Skinner House book, Elite: Uncovering Classism in Unitarian Universalist History by Mark Harris explores how our congregations have come to serve primarily upper-middle class, well educated, professional people. The Discussion Guide for Elite (PDF) invites UU to talk about classism in our movement: Who are we? What do we believe? Who is welcome to belong with us? Design a program of one, two, or three 60-minute (expandable to 90-minute) sessions.
Spotlight: Trainings, Events, and Features
Is your congregation curious about Building the World We Dream About? This transformative Tapestry of Faith program nurtures UUs to create antiracist, multicultural, beloved community in our congregations and beyond. Download a double-sided handout (PDF) which addresses common questions.
The new Tapestry of Faith resource From the High Hill: Odyssey Writing for Elders invites participants to explore the stories of their own lives as they craft a reflective presentation for a peer High Hill group, loved ones, and co-congregants. Rev. Anne Odin Heller has structured the program as two weekend retreats, with time in between for participants to remember, sort, reflect, and write their Odysseys. From the High Hill can be a significant tool for enriching your congregation’s ministry to elders.
Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children (PDF) is a resource you can download to explore an alternative to traditional Sunday RE classes for children and junior youth. Originally developed for the North Parish of Andover (Massachusetts) by Gail Forsyth-Vail, this resource uses insights from the small group ministry model many congregations offer for adult, young adult, and youth groups. Find guidance for envisioning and implementing an Religious Education (RE) program that addresses the faith development needs of children and their families and the goals, needs, and capabilities of the wider congregation. Eight sample sessions for worship are followed by structured, small group reflection and activities for grades 1 and 2; 3, 4, and 5; and 6, 7, and 8. Drawn from the UUA's Tapestry of Faith programs, the sample sessions demonstrate how congregations can craft additional sessions using Tapestry of Faith materials.
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Last updated on Tuesday, May 22, 2012.
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