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The church is located
at the corner of
 Third and Alby Streets.

Telephone:
618-462-2462
Email:
church@firstuualton.org

Our church welcomes people
 of all sexual orientations
 and gender identities.

This church is a member
of the
Central Midwest District
of the
 Unitarian Universalist Association

Weddings
and
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Our Church Community
Affirms Without Creed . . .
 

• That all religions have something good to teach,
  and no one church is exclusively right.
   
• That all people are different and should have the freedom
  to discover for themselves what they believe to be true.
   
• That it is all right for people to have different ideas
   about God, creation, death,
   and explanations of natural phenomena
   and "good and bad things".
   
• That we are interdependent with all in the natural world
  which we share and for which we have a responsibility.
   

Our Religious Education (RE) Offers You and Your Child . . .

• An introduction to beliefs and celebrations of a variety
  of religious traditions and values.
   
• An exploration of Unitarian Universalist Purposes and Principles
   and how they relate to children’s lives.
   
•  Intergenerational services and special events
  (see the church newsletter).
   
• An opportunity to share your ideas and talents
  with the RE Committee.
   
• Age-appropriate activities in small classes.

"With our congregations we will intentionally affirm
the infinite variety of families,
and provision and sustain them
as they grow in spirit, love, and justice."
UUA Website (Home > Members > Families)

This year is our World Religions year of our three-year rotation which is World Religions, UU Identity, and Social Justice. We have nursery care and classrooms for children from birth through high school.

• The Pre-school/Kindergarten class will be using the “Spirit Play” approach to Religious Education. This is a method based on the Montessori method which uses ‘manipulatives’ to tell stories every week. The children are then able to choose activities based on their own interests.
• The 1^st-thru-5^th-grade students will be participating in the “Workshop Rotation Model” (WoRM). They will be able to choose one of two different workshops that fits our monthly theme, which will be presented during the Children’s Chapel. There will be two separate classrooms for this age group.
• The middle-school class will be using the model of “Way Cool Sunday School.” Every month the students will have a Worship Sunday, a Classroom Sunday, a Fine Arts Sunday, and a Social Action Sunday that correspond with our monthly theme.
• The Workshop Rotation classes and the Way Cool Sunday School class will be using the same theme for the year, The Golden Rule in different religions.
• Sept.  Unitarian Universalism
• Oct.   Sacred Earth Traditions
• Nov.   Native American Spirituality
• Dec.   Holiday Activity Month
• Jan.   Hinduism
• Feb.   Judaism
• Mar.   Buddhism
• Apr.   Christianity
• May    Islam
  Click here to see a detailed Religious Education Calendar.
• The YRUU Sr. High group will meet at varying times instead of the 10:30 time of the other classes. The meeting times will depend on the activity they are engaged in at the time, but are typically on Sunday afternoons. During the regular RE time on Sundays the youth have the option of assisting with younger classes or attending the service

On the first Sunday of each month, the children will be having a special worship service separate from that of the adults. On the remaining Sundays the children are expected to attend the regular worship service with their parents until the time in the service when the children are sung to their activities. Children are asked not to bring any toys or personal items to RE.

Safety is very important. All parents need to register each child as soon as possible at the beginning of each year and whenever a new child starts mid-year. Each floor is equipped with a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher, and fire exits are available and labeled on each floor.

The most important thing that parents can do for their children's religious education is to make it a priority. The best way to ensure that your children are learning the religious principles that you would like them to learn is to make sure that they attend RE classes regularly.

In order to make this type of programming possible for our children, volunteers are needed. Volunteer positions can range from the one-time job to a semester or a year-long position. All members and friends are encouraged to volunteer for any position. Please see me for the types of jobs that need to be done.

Thank you,
Jamie Gross, RE Director