Religious Education for Children & Youth at Live Oak UU Fellowship

The mission of our Children's Religious Education/Exploration (RE) program is to nourish a sense of community, help our young people value themselves and others, develop an appreciation for the beliefs of other religions and an understanding of Unitarian Universalism. We strive to foster in the children a sense of personal and social responsibility to our world and its inhabitants, while encouraging an experience of wonder. We also hope each young person will fully experience the joy of being an integral member of a loving UU church.

Children's Religious Education Team

Our Children's Religious Education is led by Carol Thomas Cissel, Live Oak's professional teacher. Carol, who started with our fellowship on Sunday, October 2, prepares lessons and teaches our elementary school-aged children on Sundays. A second year Master of Divinity student at PSR (Pacific School of Religion ) in Berkeley, CA – she is focused on becoming a UU parish minister when she completes her graduate degree in 2013.

We are blessed that Carol is working with us and our children. She is an experienced CRE educator, having taught children at the UU Church of Silver Spring, MD. She is also a certified Our Whole Lives (OWL) facilitator. Carol brings strong pastoral care skills, familiarity with UU congregational life, and excellent communication skills to the Live Oak community.

Proclaiming “her enthusiasm for the open, ecumenical loving tradition of Unitarian Universalism,” Carol looks forward to helping Live Oak develop a strong program for our children and youth. Utilizing the UU curriculum, Toolbox of Faith , as a starting place -- Carol and the CRE Committee hope to help our young people develop an appreciation for the beliefs of other religions and an understanding of Unitarian Universalism. But more than that, we hope each young person will fully experience the joy of learning and playing together – and in being an integral member of a loving UU church community.

The CRE Team also includes Elena Duke who will care for the younger children and CRE Committee members, Lisa Fry and Kate Hand. In addition, a number of Live Oak adult volunteers will serve as the Assistant Teacher on different Sundays. If you have any questions about Live Oak's CRE program or team, please email Lisa Fry at lisasfry@gmail.com.

Program for Fall-2011 through Spring-2012

Live Oak is committed to developing a religious community that actively involves children. Our children and youth participate in our worship service for the first 15 minutes each Sunday. We then sing them out to their classes. Visitors (children and parents alike!) are always welcome to attend RE classes.

We offer safe and nurturing childcare for infants and toddlers (though children of all ages are always welcome to stay in the service with a parent).

For all others (5 years and up), we offer religious exploration through lessons, crafts, and age-appropriate activities. We also provide time for the kids to socialize and play together.

This year (2011-2012), we will utilize (and adapt) the UU curriculum, Toolbox of Faith. This program invites the children to reflect on the qualities of our UU faith, such as integrity, courage, and love, as tools they can use in living their lives and building their own faith. Each of the sessions uses a tool as a metaphor for an important quality of our faith such as reflection (symbolized by a mirror), flexibility (duct tape), and justice (a flashlight).

This year Carol will also focus on the 7 Principles of UUism. Children will enjoy hearing stories which illustrate each principle and do crafts and/or play games to reinforce the principles.

Last year the children and teachers enjoyed first a curriculum called UU Superheroes. The children "met" folks such as Henry David Thoreau, Clara Barton, Lewis Latimer, Beatrix Potter, Christopher Reeve and Olympia Brown and learned what their "super powers" were and how they employed them. The following term, the children learned about Bible Superheroes, such as Joseph, Samson, and David.

How We Fulfill Our Mission

• Teaching about the world’s religions, including our own
• Fostering social responsibility and personal growth by participation in service projects for our community and outside groups
• Providing instruction in UU principles and practices to assist children and youth in forming their own belief system
• Ensuring a safe learning environment
• Providing activities and rituals
• Integrating our children into our church community and the greater UU denomination
• Providing knowledge of UU history to help children build confidence in their own UU identity.

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