UUFCO’s growing Religious Exploration program offers children and youth a foundation based on the principles of Unitarian Universalism and a supportive community in which spiritual awareness, tolerance, acceptance, and personal growth are nurtured.  We challenge our children to think about their world, their beliefs, and how to live harmoniously with all living things and the earth.

RE Happenings

Our RE programs for children and youth run from September through May. We currently have themed Sunday classes available for one-year-olds through 6th grades. Youth in grades 7-12 connect weekly after services at CoffeeHour, and at local interfaith events throughout the year.  

New families are invited to sign in at the welcome desk for their first visit. Families who continue to attend are asked to register their families. We need volunteers each Sunday in our RE classes. Sign up here to help!

For more information, email amy@uufco.org.

2022 Fall Letter to Families

Dear Families,

We are excited to begin this program year with you! Unitarian Universalism leaves no shortage of things to explore in new and exciting ways each week. Our Religious Exploration (RE) program year typically runs from the middle of September through the end of May. We break for holidays and occasionally hold worship services that are designed for all ages to explore together.

On Sundays, children of all ages attend the first part of the worship service with their families. After a time for all ages, children are invited to depart for RE classes. On a typical Sunday, RE classes include a combination of structured activities and intentional free play opportunities to encourage young people to grow in faith and community together. Because Unitarian Universalism is a plural faith, our lessons contain general concepts related to spirituality, relational values, and social/emotional skills. Families are invited to explore deeper concepts of spirituality in a way that fits with their own personal practice at home. 

Each year, our classes shift and change to accommodate the needs of our families. This year, we have weekly exploration classes in these groups:

• Nursery care for ages 3 and under
• Class for PreK-3 grade
• Class for grades 4-6
• Youth group for 7-12 grades

Youth are also encouraged to engage in service activities and invited to attend local interfaith events together. Children of all ages are always invited to stay with their families in the worship service and grownups are always invited to attend RE classes with their young people. Because our programs are supported by community members, we ask that parents and caregivers always be available to settle and support their children in our classes. All classes and activities meet safer congregations recommendations which include volunteer background checks and supervision by two unrelated adults at all times. 

Science is important to Unitarian Universalists. Because of this, RE lessons and activities are designed to meet children’s spiritual needs in a way that aligns with their developmental abilities and individual learning needs. UU RE programs typically follow the theory that young children hear stories, older children understand stories, and teens begin to adopt some of those stories as their own. In addition to spiritual development theory, our multi-age classes also use the educational practices of differentiated instruction and leveled questioning to support personal exploration. 

We look forward to welcoming you and your young people into our RE community. Please feel free to reach out at any time if there are ways that we can support you and your family. 

With Care,

Amy Brock, Director of Religious Exploration

Program Protocols

In addition to our three-quarter time Director of Religious Exploration, we have many committed volunteers to support our programs. We follow safety guidance in alignment with our organization’s “safe congregations protocols”. This includes background checks, vaccination requirements, multiple adults in supervisory roles, and a required annual registration forms for all participating families. We want all of our young people to have a positive experience in our spaces. Because of this, one on one supervisory support from parents and guardians may be required for program participation. 

Click here to access our RE Handbook

“In this place, I am kind.
In this place, I am loving.
In this place, I am a friend to the earth and all animals and people.
In this place, I am loved.”
— The Children's Covenant