What's New: Religious Education and Faith Development

UUs of Color are invited to join monthly, online gatherings beginning in May, 2013. Jessica York, UUA Director of Youth Programs, convenes this group for adult, young adult, and youth of Color looking to create community within Unitarian Universalism. Learn more on the Living Mosaic UUA blog or email jyork@uua.org.

New, revised theology curriculum online now! The 10-workshop program by Rev. Dr. Thandeka, What Moves Us, has been revised to streamline facilitator preparation. This Tapestry of Faith program engages participants in theological reflection as they study historic and contemporary UU theologians.

Angus H. MacLean Award nominations for 2013 are now open! Anyone may nominate a UU who has demonstrated excellence in religious education for this award, given by the Unitarian Universalist Association. Read the award criteria and follow instructions to submit a nomination by April 24. Elizabeth (Liz) Motander Jones, Director of Religious Education and Family Ministry at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, accepted the 2012 Angus H. MacLean Award at the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) conference in Williamsburg, VA last fall.

The UU World Family pages for Spring 2013 celebrate the restful, generative beauty of darkness. Find out which animals sleep the most. Learn ways a child or adult can address their fear of nighttime darkness or unease with the unknown.

Seed grants up to $1,000 are available for congregations or groups to study the Doctrine of Discovery and work to eliminate its traces from our movement and our lives as Unitarian Universalists. Europeans used this 15th-century doctrine to justify their conquest of the Americas, and delegates voted at GA 2012 to repudiate it. Learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery. Read the requirements for seed grant proposals. Then, submit a letter of application by April 5, 2013. Grant recipients will be notified by May 1, 2013. For more information, contact Gail Forsyth-Vail, adultprograms@uua.org.

The UUA Multicultural Leadership School for UU youth and young adults of color ages 15-30 will be held in Boston, August 2-6, 2013. Read about this empowering program led by Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings, now in its fourth year, and register and request a scholarship by May 15.

After the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) posted a collection of UU resources to help children, families, and communities process trauma, disaster, and violence.

UUs talk about Tapestry of Faith. The Resource Development Office spoke with many attendees at GA 2012 in Phoenix, AZ. Hear Corinne Ho (Emerson Unitarian Universalist, Canoga Park, CA) on teaching children's religious education as a new Unitarian Universalist.

A bridge to Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adulthood is now even easier to build for UU youth, their families, and their congregations. A new book from Tapestry of Faith, Bridging: Handbook for Congregations, guides a year-long program and a ceremony marking the transition from youth to young adulthood. Youth preparing to bridge can sign up for The Bridge Connections Program online, to keep connected to UU communities, including campus groups, when they move on for college, new jobs, or new living situations, near to or far from home. See more Bridging resources.

Ethics for Adults. Field test a new, 10-workshop Tapestry of Faith program, What We Choose, by Rev. Amber Beland and Manish Mishra-Marzettia. Contact Alicia LeBlanc, fieldtest@uua.org (Subject Line: What to Choose), to apply to give feedback on this program in 2012-13.

New Religious Education (RE) programs for K/1 and Grades 4/5. Apply to field test a new Tapestry of Faith children's program in 2012-13. World of Wonder (Grades K/1), by Alice Anacheka-Nasemann, Pat Kahn, and Julie Simon, instills respect for the interdependent web and deep appreciation of its beauty, excitement, and mystery. Sing to the Power (PDF) (Grades 4/5), by Lynn Ungar, explores our human capacity and moral obligation to change the world, using a metaphor of the elements of earth, air, fire, and water to investigate using different forms of personal power for good.

Building the World We Dream About, an antiracism, anti-oppression program for building multicultural competency and beloved community, now exists in two versions: one for adult groups, and one geared toward young adults (eight sessions) which includes voices of Unitarian Universalists who identify as part of historically marginalized groups. Explore today, and consider bringing to your congregation. You can download a double-sided handout (PDF) which addresses common questions or contact the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Multicultural Growth and Witness staff group for more information.

Racial/ethnic group caucusing is the subject of the newest identity-based workshop for youth created by Rev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings, Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color, Director. The one-hour workshop includes an animated video and guidance for leading caucus group and whole-group discussion.

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 (PDF) 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.

Spotlight: Trainings, Events, and Features

Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) preschool curricula from the 1990s are being assessed, as the Resource Development Office considers revisions and updates. If you were involved in your congregation's preschool programs as a religious professional, an RE teacher, a parent, or a lay leader, please use this survey to give us your feedback. Or, contact Pat Kahn (childrenfamilies@uua.org, Subject: Preschool), Children and Families Program Director, to discuss in more depth.

Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children (PDF) is a resource you can download to explore an alternative model for a religious education program that addresses the faith development needs of children and their families and the goals, needs, and capabilities of the wider congregation. Sample sessions include structured group reflection and activities for grades 1 and 2; grades 3, 4, and 5; and grades 6, 7, and 8.

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