First Universalist Church of Minneapolis

Welcome to Religious Education at First Universalist Church!

At First Universalist Church, our children are a valued part of the community. 

Summer programming is offered at 10:00 a.m. for preschoolers, age 3-5, and for kids entering grades 1-6.  Nursery if offered each Sunday for children ages 0-3.  Visitors are welcome to join our classes at any time.

We offer a full-range of programming for children and their families September-May. We offer Religious Education classes for children ages 2 through 6th Grade at 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. See below for specifics on course content.

Visit our Religious Education classrooms

Visitors are always welcome.  When you visit for the first time, ask a greeter where your child's classroom is located.  The volunteer teachers will ask you to fill out a visitor's form, and then you are free to leave your child in the classroom and go to service in the sanctuary. If you are more comfortable, you can stay with your child for as long as it takes to get acclimated to the Religious Education classroom or they can join you in the service. After visiting three times, we'd like you to register for the program.

Register for Religious Education

Contact Marsha Partington with any questions or to register at any time during the 2010-2011 church year.

Religious Education Program Goals

The following are our broad program goals.

• Foster a religious experience for children and youth that supports a growing sense of belonging, connection, and involvement.
• Expand our congregational capacity for listening, connecting, and advocating for children and youth.
• Name and celebrate ways in which children and youth express their religious experiences and sense of belonging/community.
• Deepen the spiritual sense of identity as Unitarian Universalists.

Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Nursery (infants to age 2) at 9:30 & 11:15

Lily, our paid childcare worker, provides a safe and nurturing environment for babies up to age two. Parents and other community members take their turn volunteering approximately once a month in order to maintain a healthy caregiver to baby ratio.

Two-Three Year Olds: "Growing Together" at 9:30 & 11:15

Our two and three year-olds celebrate Sundays with stories, music, games and creative activities.  They begin to experience church as a place of friendship, growth and nurturing.

Four and Five Year-Olds at 9:30 & 11:15

"Celebrating Me and My World"
This UU curriculum celebrates the wonder of being human, as well as a sense of connectedness with the larger world.  Children experience church as a place of trust and sharing.

Elementary Age Children (Kindergarten through Grade Six)

Each of the curriculum in K-6th grades (mentioned below) will focus on its subject matter from a UU perspective.  By the time a child has finished sixth grade, provided they have been attending since kindergarten, they will be well-versed in what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist, where our roots lie, and how to live out our values in the world.

Kindergarten - The Rainbow Path at 9:30 & 11:15

Each of the seven UU principles is linked to a color of the rainbow:

Red: Respect All Beings
Orange: Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All
Yellow: Yearn to Learn
Green: Grow in Spirit and Mind
Blue: Believe in Our Ideas and Act On Them
Indigo: Insist on Peace, Freedom, and Justice
Violet: Value the Connections in Creation

"Caring Covenants"
In this year of the Rainbow Path our Kindergarteners learn about the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism, covenant, God, peace, UU history and tradition.  The children hear a different story every week, play games, and have fun with projects as they explore their beliefs and our common UU values.

Grades 1 & 2 at 9:30 & 11:15

We Believe: Learning and Living Our Unitarian Universalist Principles
First and second graders examine what it means to be a UU through worship, crafts, games, plays, songs and stories.  In this class we hope to help these children state what Unitarian Universalists believe in positive statements.  The children focus on UU heritage and values and on expressing the meaning of the UU principles in increasingly more sophisticated language.

Grade Three: Stories from Our Sources at 9:30 & 11:15

Stories from Hebrew Scripture
Third graders learn ancient stories that helped shape our culture and the UU religion.  They hear stories of classic figures like Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, Ruth, and Solomon and compare them with modern-day UU values.  We help the kids interpret the stories and think critically about their values.

Grade 4 at 9:30 & 11:15

We Believe: Learning and Living Our Unitarian Universalist Principles
Fourth graders examine what it means to be a UU through worship, crafts, games, plays, songs and stories.  In this class we hope to help these children state what Unitarian Universalists believe in positive statements.  The children focus on UU heritage and values and on expressing the meaning of the UU principles in increasingly more sophisticated language.

Grades Five and Six: Stories from Our Sources at 9:30 & 11:15

Social Justice
Fifth and sixth graders learn about prophetic women and men who have influenced our religion, engage in justice work and advocacy, and participate in service projects that they design that put our beliefs into action.