UUCJ Religious Exploration -- the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville

Children and Youth Religious Exploration News

The theme for 1st grade and above is Justice.

To register for the 2010 Children & Youth program, please print out, fill out,

and sign the RE Registration Form and return it to the church office.

The programs we provide are carefully chosen to give our children and youth a broad understanding of Unitarian Universalism by becoming familiar with its purposes and principles, its traditions and historical figures so they learn to embrace a liberal religious identity. We are committed to providing opportunities for our youth to reach out in engagement with the world with understanding and compassion.

Year round we offer a vibrant, active Religious Exploration program for children, and middle and high schoolers. Our classes use contemporary educational methods and up-to-date spiritual and ethical materials. We foster questioning minds, loving hearts, and helping hands. We provide a progressive and evolving spiral of material concerning development in four areas: ethical development, spiritual development, faith development and Unitarian Universalist identity development. Our program promotes an anti-bias approach with a strong social justice component.

Roughly following the public school year, our program meets each Sunday from 10:45am until 12:15pm. Parents are asked to sign their child(ren) in classes PreK-5th grade IN and OUT of class. Each class arrives in the Chapel as a group to then participate in the Children's Focus before departing to their classrooms as the congregation sings them a farewell refrain.

No matter the age of your child, there is something happening at UUCJ on Sunday mornings that will catch their attention: an attentive Nursery, age-appropriate ideas, and stimulating activities are here for each age level. Children and youth are welcome at all church social events, educational opportunities, and community service projects.

Nursery care is provided year round for infants and toddlers through age 3. Our professional childcare associate is in the Nursery from 10:45 am to 1:30 PM, every Sunday. As a faith community welcoming families of all manner of makeup, we are committed to offering childcare whenever parents would like to attend church functions. Childcare may be arranged by calling the church office at 725-8133, 48 hours in advance of the need.

Children may be dropped off and signed into class as early as 10:45am. Grades PreK-5th must be signed in by a parent or another adult responsible for that child while on church grounds. Children will come to the Chapel as a class for Words to The Children and leave as a class afterward. Please note: Classes will end at 12:15pm regardless of whether the Chapel has let out. However, unless Chapel HAS NOT let out, please reconnect with your child(ren) promptly at 12:15pm to give our RE teachers an opportunity to enjoy Social Hour as well.

For other info regarding our programs, curricula, or special events, contact Kelly Harris Kurth, our Director of Religious Education, at 725-8133 or email her at [email protected].