Religious education activity is a mindful focus to the mystery of life, a promotion of relationship and empowerment. In bringing together two aspects of life-religion and education. Religious education includes all the intellectual, moral, and spiritual understandings that nurture the practice of a religious way of life. It is central to all that we do in our religious communities. By examining its meaning and understanding its real value, we can provide a clear direction to our religious education programming.

Background
In the spring of 1998, a coordinating committee composed of Rev. Makanah E. Morriss, Rev. Patricia Hoertdoerfer, Rev. Dr. Susan Harlow, and Rev. Frances Manly began to organize a convocation of UU religious leaders to bring together the threads of the past and present in order to provide a vision for the future of Unitarian Universalist religious education. The group formulated the following mission statement for this newgathering of religious educators: "To imagine and articulate the core of Unitarian Universalist religious education by key leaders from various perspectives at the dawn of the twenty-first century. "

The Process
Participants were invited to one of the two conversations; the first was held in Apri11 999 and the second in April 2000. Participants were asked to submit papers in response to three questions: As we enter the twenty-first century, what is the core of our evolving Unitarian Universalist faith? What is your vision of the goals for our lifespan religious education? What are the vital components for Unitarian Universalist curricula?

Hopes and Expectations
The religious education of children, youth, and adults has been a concern of our liberal religious movement from its beginnings in America. Today we know that a unified view of religious education is essential to our Unitarian Universalist faith. We must energize religious education. We must imagine and articulate a religious education that supports our shared Unitarian Universalist values and reflects the diversity of our community. The Essex Conversations, and the many conversations they are inspiring, come at a good time for our Association as the Religious Education Department prepares to develop a new comprehensive lifespan curriculum for the twenty-first century. These conversations are just one way that we welcome broad participation in the curriculum- visioning process.

Ways to use this Book
The Essex Conversations are a tool to help you and your congregation clarify your understanding of Unitarian Universalist religious education and set goals for your religious education programming. For example; create adult education opportunities in order to facilitate reflection on any or all of the essays or the issues they raise. Initiate focus groups to consider specific themes and their relationships to the participants in that group (for example, youth, young adults, parents, parish ministers, and so on).

The Essex Conversations have already inspired those who participated, but the true value of the process comes from the conversations that continue at the congregational level. Our hope is that you will use this book to help stimulate a conversation and a vision for religious education in your spiritual community.

Rev. Lena Breen
Past Director of Religious Education
Unitarian Universalist Association