Unitarian Universalist Family Values
by Emily Manvel Leite, Follen Church Society, Lexington, MAWritten with appreciation for the inspiration and encouragement provided by members of the Valuing Families working group: Ruth Boyd, Mary Fischer, Carrie Kotonias-Payne, and Lynne Weygint
An Introduction to UU Family Values
Theme
In the last decades of the twentieth century, members of the conservative religious Right claimed they, in implied contrast to “liberals,” were the keepers of “family values.” Unitarian Universalists, being among those “liberals,” were certainly thought by members of the religious Right to be undermining “family values” by affirming many different kinds of families and by choosing not to teach the Bible as absolutely true. But we cannot allow the religious right to dictate what “family values” are. In fact, Unitarian Universalists hold religious family values, too. You can find them written clearly in our Principles.
We value each member of a family as a person of inherent worth and dignity, and believe that family members should therefore act with,
- kindness,
- honesty and integrity,
- respectful listening,
- gratitude, and
- love.
We further believe in the interdependence of all things, and believe that families should promote
- a sense of belonging,
- reverence for the world around us, and
- an appreciation of the interconnectedness of the members of our families.
This curriculum is designed to encourage and support these values among the families in our congregation.
Goals
The primary goals of our spring sessions are the continued deepening of a UU identity, the enjoyment of time spent as part of our church community, and the development of inter-age friendships and mentorships.
In this curriculum, we also hope to clarify what UU family values are and support their use among families in our congregation.
Session Format
This curriculum is designed for use with kindergarten through seventh graders in interest-based, mixed-age groups. Most of the “idea” for each session will be presented in an opening worship service. The exploration of the idea will take place in individual classes using the children’s chosen activities. The usual morning schedule is as follows:
- Shared Opening Worship
- Game
- Introductions and Check-In
- Main Project/ Activity and Discussion
- In-class Closing Circle
- Snack
- Family Handout
Last updated on Monday, March 5, 2007.
