Welcome: A Message From The Director

Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte's Religious Education Program for Children and Youth!

 

Becoming responsible adults is no longer a matter of whether children hang up their pajamas or put dirty towels in the hamper, but whether they care about themselves and others -- and whether they see everyday chores as related to how we treat this planet.

I agree with educator and writer, Eda Leshan, who made this statement; I think children need to be confident and empathetic. But I also believe they need more - more in the areas of ethical, moral, and spiritual development. And I see Unitarian Universalism - through our religious education efforts - offering the tools necessary for this to happen. 

No, not the hammers and saws like our teens use on their annual mission trip or the shovels and rakes our younger kids use for their Earth Day projects. 

Rather, we’re talking about the tools our religious tradition gives each generation of children to help them experience the spiritual aspects of everyday life... and the tools that help them make sensible ethical judgments. Because we don't know what the future holds, we believe that the best we can do is give our children the skills and knowledge so that they will be able to adapt and grow in whatever circumstances they face.

So what do I mean when I talk about experiencing “the spiritual aspects of everyday life?” I’m referring to what I see as I look around at the adult members of this congregation. I see people who experience the divine thru parenting, working, befriending, partnering, neighboring.

I see adults of all ages joining each other for a monthly outdoor adventure who experience the divine through arduous climbs and breathtaking descents.

I see women sitting in a circle of candlelight under a full moon, chanting, sharing, singing, and laughing with each other as they celebrate the mystic feminine.

I see volunteers with Room in the Inn sitting down for dinner and conversation with some of our homeless neighbors.

I see male mentors sitting around a campfire in the woods with a group of teenage boys, sharing advice on the responsibilities of manhood.

I’ve never heard any of these people call these experiences divine, but that’s what I believe we’re all seeking for our children: the experience of feeling alive and being grateful for it … the spiritual aspects of everyday life.

How do we help our children experience such divinity?  We begin in the classroom. It’s where we lay the foundation and start providing those critical tools. Our 2010-11 program offers a wealth of opportunity for personal and spiritual growth. Details on this year's curricula can be found under "Sunday Mornings." 

But we cannot accomplish our goals just in the classrooms. 

One thing UUs do very well is acknowledge that religious experience can happen anywhere, any time... that it doesn't have to arrive in sanitized standardized packages.   For this reason, we strongly encourage families to join us in activities outside the classroom: retreats, special programming, community building events like holiday parties and picnics on the playground, service projects out in the larger community, youth cons at the Mountain, intergenerational worship services. 

Because you just never know when something magical might happen! 

We strongly encourage regular attendance, for the comfort of the children as much as anything else. It is critical that children feel connections both to the other children and to the class routines. If those connections are there, they will most likely WANT to come.

Having said this, IF your child simply does not enjoy his or her experience for whatever reason, please talk to me or the teachers. We can usually work things out. We are here because we love and respect children and we want their experiences here to be positive.

To a great year for you and your children at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Charlotte!
- Kathleen