Children & Youth Religious Education
We welcome all young people, from infancy through senior high, to participate in the Child and Youth Religious Education (RE) program at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Topeka. Our program is divided into several groups so that children and youth receive age-appropriate religious education related to using Unitarian-Universalist Principles in church, in the community, and in the wider world. An attempt is made to familiarize children and youth with worldwide religious practice; a wide variety of religious holidays; and history of Unitarian Universalism.
During both the 9:00 and 11:00 Sunday services we provide a nursery that serves infants and toddlers through age three. At 11:00 we offer a full Religious Education program for preschool through high school.
Our preschool and kindergarten class is designed to familiarize children and help them gain comfort with each other, their teachers, the Fellowship building, and some of the symbols and key values of Unitarian Universalism. In first through third grade, our children study the interconnected web of existence, become more familiar with Unitarian Universalism, and increase their awareness of world religions. In the fourth through sixth grade group, the above topics are deepened. Social Justice activities within the Fellowship and in the larger world also become part of the focus for this group.
Youth programs are offered at both the junior high (7th and 8th grades) and high school levels. Both groups have youth advisors helping to direct their programs. A "Coming of Age" curriculum is under development for the junior high level, and will help middle schoolers begin to articulate their faith through various activities and adult mentorship. At the senior high level, programs are developed and often led by the students, with adults acting as facilitators and advisors.
We offer a comprehensive and sensitively developed program on human sexuality called Our Whole Lives (OWL) at times other than Sunday mornings for children as young as Kindergarten. Classes are divided by age and developmental stage. The OWL curriculum was jointly developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association, the United Church of Christ, and Planned Parenthood, and it includes both values-based instruction and accurate, age-appropriate information. Our OWL teachers are thoroughly trained, and students may only participate with the permission of their parents or caregivers.
For more information contact:
Judy Sasser
Director of Lifespan Religious Education
E-Mail
Bobbi Schaffer
Religious Education Chairperson
785-783-2005
E-Mail