Religious Education
Welcome to RE
As Unitarian Universalists, we believe that the process of religious education is a lifelong quest to answer fundamental questions asked by all men, women, and children: why am I here, how should I conduct my life, and what is right and wrong?
Unlike many other religious groups, we do not offer easy, set answers. In our church school classes, your child will learn to ask questions, evaluate what is meaningful for him or her, and eventually develop a strong set of beliefs centering around the right of everyone to pursue their own religious ideas.
We envision a just and loving future in which everyone can share ideas and grow spiritually and culturally. We hope you and your child will share in this future with us. Together, we will help your child in his or her lifelong search for truth, values, and spirituality within a Unitarian Universalist context.
Religious Education for Children and Youth
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| Rev. David Johnson and Director of Religious Education, Kym Johnson welcome children at the start of the new church year. |
Welcome to Religious Education for Children and
Youth
Our Director of Religious Education, Kym Johnson, works with the Religious Education Ministry Team to create a program that gives our children and youth a strong grounding in Unitarian Universalism. Everything we teach is related to our seven Unitarian Universalist principles. Our children and youth learn our principles with the help of colors.
| Red – Respect the importance of all beings. |
| Orange – Offer fair and kind treatment to all. |
| Yellow – Yearn to learn with others at our church. |
| Green – Grow by exploring ideas and values together. |
| Blue – Believe in your ideas and act on them. |
| Indigo – Insist on peace, freedom and justice for all. |
| Violet – Value our interdependence with nature. |
We offer a safe environment for learning about Unitarian Universalist
identity, Judeo-Christian Heritage, Religions of the World, Peace and Social
Justice, and our Interdependence with Nature.
We also hope to foster a true sense of worth in our children and youth.
First Parish is a loving and caring community for children and youth.
Participants in our program have formed meaningful friendships and a strong
sense of community within First Parish. Our youngsters look forward to
Sunday mornings when they can see their First Parish family and friends
again.
| “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our
children. One of these is roots; the other, wings.” - Hodding Carter |
Meet the Director of Religious Education
Kym Johnson has been the Director of
Religious Education at First Parish since August of 2003. She is a
certified elementary school teacher. Her training for Director of
Religious Education includes the completion of five Renaissance
Modules which are offered by the Unitarian Universalist Association.
These 75 hours of training focus on Worship for All Ages,
Administration, UU Identity, Youth, and Teacher Training.
Kym is involved in the Ballou Channing District Religious Education
Group. She was the treasurer for then BCD RE group from 2004-2007
and has been the Chair of this group since August 2007. She attends
monthly meetings with other DREs in the district in which they share
ideas with each other. Kym co-led a district wide Peace Festival
where UUs from all over the district could come together for a day,
meet each other and celebrate peace.
Kym’s love of her job shows in everything that she does here at
First Parish. She is very welcoming and seeks out new families on
Sunday mornings to greet them. Kym works with the Religious
Education Ministry Team to create a Religious Education program that
gives our children and youth a strong grounding in Unitarian
Universalism.
Kym is truly dedicated to all the families at First Parish. We are
grateful to have such a caring, competent, and enthusiastic leader
for our RE program.
Small Group MinistryReligious Education for Adults |
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| A New Way of Being Together |
COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS OF SMALL GROUP
MINISTRY AT FIRST PARISH |
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First Parish has four small group ministries and growing! Small Group Ministry allows people to explore their spirituality and values in a safe environment. It meets the need for spiritual connection and intimacy that is a deep hunger in our society and fundamental to the life of our congregation. Groups are designed to foster connection and caring, and to provide an avenue for personal spiritual growth. Groups of six to ten people meet twice a month for up to two hours guided by a facilitator. The format includes an opening reading, check-in, sharing, topic discussion, feedback, and a closing reading. Topics covered last year ranged from “Living Simply” and “Roots” to “Questions of Faith”. The Small Group Facilitators are: Rick Starkweather, Judy Starkweather, Linda Harding, Kym Johnson. The Small Group Facilitators Team is facilitated by the Minister.
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“Participation in Small Group Ministry was both rewarding and an enlightening experience. Sometimes I felt as if I were looking in a mirror and seeing myself for the first time.” “It is interesting to sit with people you know from church and get to know them on a deeper level in a small group.” “Other people’s ideas helped me to see things in a new way. I love the warm acceptance we have created.” “The best thing for me I think has been the time out to be reflective and to do that with a small number of people.” “The laughter was great. I loved the deep sharing.” “It helped in integrating “religion” into my real life.” “I have most benefited from learning from others.” “I think every new member should be strongly encouraged to be in a small group...It encourages a sense of belonging.” “I enjoyed getting to know the members of the group better. Our discussions of the ideas and values important to our lives lead to a deeper understanding of each other for me. The topic “Friendship” was particularly memorable because friends have always been a source of strength and pleasure…” - Dell Hammond “I believe I have learned something at each group meeting; I believe I’ve learned something about myself in particular which has made me think about some things in a different light.” - Ann Smith |
