Children's Religious Exploration 2023-2024
In our Rainbow room (ages 2-6), we will be using the aptly named program "Rainbows". Through this program, children will explore who they are and the world around them. In our Chalice room (ages 6-12), we will be exploring through Spirit Stories. Every week, children will consider thoughtful, open questions after experiencing a story that reflects our UU principles, values and sources. |
|
Our Vision: We at First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa strive to be
a welcoming and diverse multi-generational Unitarian Universalist community
that fosters the spiritual development of all ages.
Our Mission: Guided by the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources,
the RE program provides a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment
to learn, grow, and explore individual spirituality.
a welcoming and diverse multi-generational Unitarian Universalist community
that fosters the spiritual development of all ages.
Our Mission: Guided by the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources,
the RE program provides a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment
to learn, grow, and explore individual spirituality.
Goals of Religious Exploration
In our ministry with children and youth, we strive to:
1. BUILD COMMUNITY: create an atmosphere where children and youth feel safe, welcome, connected, able to talk about
important things in their lives; be a place where they like to come and where they can serve,
2. KINDLE THE FLAME: encourage children and youth to learn more about themselves and to be continuous seekers
with a sense of wonder,
3. SHARE KNOWLEDGE: teach children and youth about their congregation and their religion, Unitarian Universalism,
4. CULTIVATE OPEN MINDS: develop an appreciation for the diversity of people and religious beliefs in the world, and
5. RAISE AWARENESS: help children and youth become aware of the needs of others, our connection to the Earth,
and of their power to create change.
In our ministry with children and youth, we strive to:
1. BUILD COMMUNITY: create an atmosphere where children and youth feel safe, welcome, connected, able to talk about
important things in their lives; be a place where they like to come and where they can serve,
2. KINDLE THE FLAME: encourage children and youth to learn more about themselves and to be continuous seekers
with a sense of wonder,
3. SHARE KNOWLEDGE: teach children and youth about their congregation and their religion, Unitarian Universalism,
4. CULTIVATE OPEN MINDS: develop an appreciation for the diversity of people and religious beliefs in the world, and
5. RAISE AWARENESS: help children and youth become aware of the needs of others, our connection to the Earth,
and of their power to create change.
What to Expect on a Sunday Morning - Non-Pandemic Version
Each Sunday we gather together to share some time learning, reflecting, asking questions, playing and getting to know each other in our religious community. We seek to provide a nurturing atmosphere safe and caring spaces where the spirit of each child and youth will blossom and grow.
Service begins at 10:30. Most Sundays, everyone gathers together in Worship Hall - check the eUU to find out whether this Sunday is an exception. After welcoming and some opening words, the children are asked to gather at the front for a story. Afterwards they are sung out by the congregation and proceed downstairs to their room. Parents remain in the service, or are welcome to accompany their children downstairs. When service has ended, parents collect their children by 11:45.
We offer the following spaces to support families:
Worship Hall
Each Sunday a variety of quite play activities will be setup at the front of the hall. Children can play while guardians are nearby and parents can enjoy the various UU teachings.
Lounge
The lounge is setup each Sunday with a variety of toys and offers a live CC-TV so parents can listen to the sermon while watching children who are restless to stay in Worship Hall. For mothers who desire more privacy while breastfeeding this space could possibly work (Parent-supervised)
Each Sunday we gather together to share some time learning, reflecting, asking questions, playing and getting to know each other in our religious community. We seek to provide a nurturing atmosphere safe and caring spaces where the spirit of each child and youth will blossom and grow.
Service begins at 10:30. Most Sundays, everyone gathers together in Worship Hall - check the eUU to find out whether this Sunday is an exception. After welcoming and some opening words, the children are asked to gather at the front for a story. Afterwards they are sung out by the congregation and proceed downstairs to their room. Parents remain in the service, or are welcome to accompany their children downstairs. When service has ended, parents collect their children by 11:45.
We offer the following spaces to support families:
Worship Hall
Each Sunday a variety of quite play activities will be setup at the front of the hall. Children can play while guardians are nearby and parents can enjoy the various UU teachings.
Lounge
The lounge is setup each Sunday with a variety of toys and offers a live CC-TV so parents can listen to the sermon while watching children who are restless to stay in Worship Hall. For mothers who desire more privacy while breastfeeding this space could possibly work (Parent-supervised)
What Am I
-by Muriel Maxfield I KNOW: Everything I say, everything I do is important. What my friends say and do is important, too often though I don’t always agree with them. Everyone has different ideas and I respect them. I BELIEVE: All religions have something good to teach, but no one church knows all there is to know. That’s why, in our church, we always try to learn more by reading and talking and making things, and by thinking about everything that has happened since the world began. I BELIEVE: My religion is not just going to church and saying prayers, my religion is the way I live, the good I can do, and the things I can learn. WHAT AM I? I’M A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST. THAT’S WHAT I AM! |
BIBLEODEON - CHILDREN’S FAITH DEVELOPMENT
The Bible is perhaps the most influential book in Western civilization. Bibleodeon explores some of the Bible's most important stories in a fun and interactive way. Designed for children 9-12, we use plays and games to
discover the story and the meaning behind these great lessons. Children will learn the best-known Hebrew and Christian stories from the Bible and explore connections between biblical events and UU principles, between biblical ideas and their own lives. |