Children & Teens in Worship

 Staying in Touch with USG Over the Summer

Helping Children Experience Worship at USG
Worship begins as soon as you enter the Sanctuary. Include your children in all parts of the worship experience. Allow them to help find a seat in the pews and greet others already seated. Adults without children can emphasize their pleasure at having our youngsters present in the service.

Before the Service Begins
Look at the Order of Service together. Speak quietly to model how we talk in church. Mention the sermon topic and name the participants in the service. Comment on special events in the worship service such as a Child Dedication or Flower Communion. Explain some of the parts of the service such as the offering, meditation, and candles of joy and concern so that children may follow the program. Encourage your children to listen so that they can talk with you later at home.

During the Service
The ingathering music is an important part of the service. This is a time for silence and reflection so that adults and children alike can prepare for worship.

Help your children locate the hymns in the hymnal and help them to sing along. Your words and actions can model that worship is a positive, important, and happy experience.

Help your child to participate in the collection of the offering to instill a value for “churchmanship.”

Accompany your children to the chancel to light a candle of joy or concern when appropriate.

Tell your children how happy you are to share worship time with them! At home, remember the people, needs and events of the church.

The Wiggle Room, located at the back of the sanctuary, is available for infants and toddlers. Children who need to be comforted may be brought here. For your convenience, quiet activities to keep your older children’s hands busy are located in baskets at the back of the Sanctuary.

If You Don't Have Young Children
Please do your best to make families with children feel welcome. Mention to them how pleased you are to have children join our worship. Smile and greet children as well as their parents.

Young children may not sit as still as adults, but this does not mean they are not paying attention. Try to accommodate a bit of movement as long as it’s not disruptive.

Our children will be worshipping with us over the years. We hope these suggestions will enrich the worship experience for all, and that parents know our congregation supports them in their important ministry to our children.

All About the Children and Youth Religious Education Program

Welcome!
Thank you for choosing USG for your child’s religious education. Our main focus is to provide experiences for children and families to deepen their commitment to the principles and purposes of Unitarian Universalism. We hope to build community among families at USG through a welcoming and nurturing environment, and to create learning experiences for spiritual exploration.

The fall semester will focus on understanding images and ideas of God so that children can begin to develop a sense of the divine that is meaningful to them. Then, in the spring, we will shift our focus a bit to explore the meaning of social justice as we develop ways for children to make a difference in the world. It promises to be another fun and eventful year. Thanks for joining us!

What Else Should I Know?
Children’s Religious Education (RE) at the Unitarian Society of Germantown is a cooperative program. Parents, guardians, and many other adults are encouraged to volunteer for teaching, music, mentoring and social events.

Volunteers lead Sunday classes (2 semesters of about 11 Sundays each), occasionally lead or assist in the summer program, lead a children’s worship, assist with childcare, or help plan for our special events. Our volunteers are vital to the Sunday morning programs.

Our curricula have sessions with easy to follow formats. We provide teacher support and orientation. Creative materials are available, but our most valued and appreciated resource is the adult who commits time to our children’s spiritual growth.

Your involvement helps you grow spiritually as you learn about Unitarian Universalism and our self-governing process. It also helps to open new avenues of friendship as you become an active part of our faith community.

In Our Classes

Childcare (infants to age three):
Committee Room
Nurturing childcare by paid adult and youth staff. Toys and books are provided.

Pre-K - 3 & 4 year olds
We Are Many; We Are One
Austin Youth Lodge, first floor
This curriculum encourages children to use their minds, bodies and emotions to develop their sense of identity and self-esteem within their Unitarian Universalist community and their world. It offers participants the opportunity to learn about our church, as well as the freedom to discover and express their unique selves.

Grades K & 1:
Stories About God (Fall); The Rainbow Path (Spring)
Austin Youth Lodge, second floor
Stories About God is an eclectic and liberal approach to theology using story to explore the many ideas about God found in religious traditions around the world. The Rainbow Path focuses on helping children understand our UU principles and live them out in everyday life.

Grades 2 to 4:
God Images (Fall); In Our Hands (Spring)
Austin Youth Lodge, second floor
God Images engages children in their own religious quests and allows for personal decision making by presenting God images that are derived from a variety of sources including: Jewish and Christian traditions, world religions, and modern science.  In Our Hands helps children explore how to promote peace and justice within themselves, in their relationships with others, in their roles as Unitarian Universalists, and as human beings on our earth.

Grades 5 & 6:
Neighboring Faiths
Austin Youth Lodge, second floor
This year-long curriculum helps youth learn about their own faith and other religious traditions through interactive experiences such as field trips to neighboring places of worship and interviews with practitioners of a variety of faiths.  These encounters with other religions are given meaning through periods of reflection and discussion about Unitarian Universalist and personal values and beliefs.

Grades 7 & 8:
The Questing Year (Coming of Age)
Sullivan Chapel
The Coming of Age program seeks to help youth grow in five specific areas of faith development:  learning, spirituality, service, community and leadership.  It provides youth with opportunities to practice decision making, explore a variety of spiritual practices, and develop a personal credo.

Youth Group – YRUU
Austin Youth Lodge, second floor
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists, ages fourteen to nineteen.  YRUU provides youth with an open forum to discuss and come to understand basic concepts behind our seven principles, and current events.  The youth meet after worship service.  The group creates leadership roles for themselves with the assistance of adult advisors. There are opportunities for the youth to get involved in service projects and discuss ethical concerns among their peers.

Attendance
Regular attendance helps children to feel comfortable with their class leaders and peers.  It also communicates the message that you value your child’s religious education experience.  Show you care about your church community by making USG part of your family’s weekly routine.

Summer Program
We have one-hour sessions during the months of July and August –nine Sundays in a multi-age setting and held in the air-conditioned Austin Youth Lodge.  Volunteers lead these sessions.  We are a year-round church.

Just Visiting?
We care that you came to USG!  Please be sure to complete a visitor form in the classroom or childcare before dropping off your child.

Registration
Please be sure to complete a registration form each new church year for insurance, medical and record-keeping purposes.  Forms are available every Sunday at the RE table during coffee hour.  There is a $20.00 supply fee per child.  Make checks payable to USG and note “RE fee” in the memo line.  Thank you.

How You Can Help
We need people of all ages to assist with special events, overnights, teacher luncheons, etc.  Please be sure to indicate on the registration form how your family is willing to help.  Children’s RE (Sunday sessions, orientations and special events) is a priority for our congregation and is funded through USG’s general operating budget.

Children's Religious Education Committee
The RE committee meets monthly.  This is a dynamic and dedicated group of parents, guardians and non-parents who help to form the selection of the curricula and to make policy.  They lead classes, purchase supplies and fundraise, all for the spiritual enhancement of our children and youth.
All are welcome to join our meetings.
Chair: Ilene Klein
Members: Margie Caplan, Nancy Dearden, Linda Gold, Jeff Jaeger, Kim Killian

Childcare Coordinator:
Katia Duey coordinates childcare for USG-sponsored events throughout the year and during Sunday services.

Director of Religious Education Office Hours
Jude Henzy is at her church office at these times:  
• Sunday    8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
   
• Tuesday 9:30 a.m. –   9:30 p.m.
   
• Thursday 9:30 a.m. –   5:30 p.m.

Special Features
On third Sundays, children join adults in the Sanctuary for a story for all ages connected to the theme of the worship service.  Following the story children leave the sanctuary to participate in social justice education and activities.

On the other three Sundays of each month, children attend a brief Children’s Chapel before going to their Religious Education classrooms.

Other popular events include pumpkin carving, the fall hayride, breakfasts with our minister and the annual picnic.

A Children's Version of Our Covenant

We, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church, believe that:

• all people are important;
• we should be kind and fair;
• we should accept other people and help them to grow;
• we should figure out for ourselves what is true and good;
• we should do what our consciences tell us is right;
• people should have a voice and a vote about things that concern them;
• we should work for peace and freedom everywhere and try to make the world one family;
• we should take care of the earth which gives us life.

In our church we learn from and get our beliefs from many sources:

• our own sense of the wonder of life;
• the Jewish and Christian religions and many other religions from around the world;
• earth-centered religions which celebrate life and teach us to live in harmony with nature;
• knowledge gained by people through science and reason;
• the lives of people who have worked to make the world a better place;
• our thoughts and experiences.

We are glad we can come together to help and support each other in our efforts to grow and live good lives.

- adapted by Tony Larsen and Ellen Schmidt

Staying in Touch with USG Over the Summer

    Many families take a vacation from church in the summer.  Maybe they’re traveling a lot.  Some have second homes at the shore.  Others just need a break from the hectic pace of the school year.  Whatever your summer lifestyle, there are still ways to stay connected to your church and denomination.
    First of all, we have programming for kids all summer long.  So, if you do come to church, your children can participate in various multi-age activities, including woodworking, cooking, group games, and hand drumming with trusted adults from the congregation.  They can keep in touch with their USG friends in a setting that’s more relaxed than the regular Sunday School program.  They can also attend the worship service with you, and activity pages and crayons will always be available from the ushers. 
    If you just can’t get to church on Sunday, consider inviting a church friend for a play date at your home.  The folks who get the most out of church are those who feel most connected to it.  Looking forward to seeing church friends is a big motivator for attendance for people of all ages, especially kids.  It’s especially important to build church relationships in younger years, so that children will still want to attend as they get old enough to participate in important programs like Neighboring Faiths, Our Whole Lives (OWL) and Coming of Age.
    Families can also think about ways to bring our religion into the home.  One family I know has our hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, and one night a week at dinner they light a candle and read one of the readings in the back before beginning their meal.  Or, you can purchase some of the children’s books from the UUA bookstore.  There’s a UU coloring book, collections of short stories, and picture books with UU messages. 
    If you’re traveling, you might consider visiting the nearest UU congregation at your travel destination.  Even if you can’t attend the Sunday service, you can drive by and point out to your children that they are looking at another church that’s the same religion as USG.  Often our kids think we’re the only church of our kind; it’s helpful to understand that we’re part of a larger movement.
    You can even travel to UU destinations.  There are lots of summer camps and family programs within a reasonable drive of USG.  This will be my family’s 10th summer attending RE Week at Ferry Beach in Saco, Maine.  Other USG families attend UUMAC, SUUSI, Unirondack, Star Island and The Mountain.  Check them out at the UUA website.  Shorter excursions include visiting the Joseph Priestley House in Northumberland, PA, or touring one of the nearby buildings designed by Unitarian architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
    Whatever you decide to do, I wish all our families a fun and relaxing summer, and I hope to see many of you at church at least once.
    In faith,
    Jude