We at TUS believe that Unitarian Universalism affirms all families, of origin and of choice. Parents and caregivers find support to embrace their role as children’s primary religious educators in helping their children as well as themselves engage in faith formation—to open authentic conversations with children about difficult topics—to grow in faith together through religious practices, truth-seeking, justice work, service projects, and more. While UU family ministry comes in many shapes and sizes, at its core, UU family faith development is a journey of relationships. Family members connect with one another, the faith community, and the universe to discover and rediscover a dynamic, sustaining faith. Religious Education classes, also known as Spirit Lab, are offered most Sundays between mid-September and early June. These classes are led by background-checked volunteer teachers and alternate between structured lessons and student-led cooperative play.

Children and youth begin their Sunday in the worship service with their families so that they can gain a sense of ritual and belonging with the whole community, then transition to class after about fifteen minutes. During the time when children and youth are in the sanctuary, they are welcome to sit with their parents or guardians, or they can sit at the Very Intentional Persons (VIP) space, where there are coloring pages, craft activities, and quiet fidget toys.

In 2024 – 2025, we will explore using the Toolbox of Faith curriculum. This is a hands-on curriculum that uses concrete tools (ruler, magnifying glass, duct tape) to demonstrate some of the principles of our community. For example, the magnifying glass is used to demonstrate that UUs investigate the world and ourselves in order to make positive contributions to the lives of others, humanity in general and our delicate planet. If you have interest in learning more, please contact our RE committee chair, Pat Connelly at piconn@verizon.net. Check out the calendar to find out what’s in the toolbox this week: Spirit Lab Calendar 2024-2025.