Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church Faith Formation Program

I am so excited about the direction our Faith Formation programs are taking this year, and as I talk to the Faith Formation Team and teacher volunteers who've dedicated their energy and time to get us started on solid footing, I sense their excitement as well. Our Butterfly Garden children will be exploring our UU sources throughout the year. Our Rock Garden children will be exploring their Heroes and Social Action. Our Cosmic Garden children will be focusing on Living Our UU Values through investigation of various issues and themes and participation is the much-expected Mummers Play. Our Building Bridges youth will be learning about various world religious traditions, starting with Islam (how we all need correct information on Islam and our Muslim neighbors in a sea of misinformation surrounding us!). Our Senior High Youth Group will be delving deeper into their own self-led initiatives of community-building, fellowship and service to others (and snacks, which are not nearly as trivial as many think). With these kinds of programs, I imagine quite a few adults in our congregation may just want to sneak over and explore these intriguing classes themselves. Or volunteer as a teacher for upcoming blocks*, perhaps?

But wait! That's not all that's going on!
This year, we are proud to be holding both Coming of Age (CoA) and Our Whole Lives (OWL) programs as well. Coming of Age is a program to help 9th and 10th grade youth grow as individuals as well as part of a community. It will give the youth the opportunity to explore their beliefs and values, and how these interact with real-life situations. Our Whole Lives is a sexuality education program designed by the UUA and the UCC, offered to our 7th and 8th graders this year in association with four other local congregations and with nearly 40 youth participating.

Now, most of this will be happening over in the Fellowship Building or elsewhere, but that does not mean it's not all part and parcel of the work of this whole congregation. Just the opposite, in fact. This work is integral to the health and future of this congregation. So you will be seeing the children and youth participating in services. You will be hearing and interacting with them in other ways throughout the church year. And we hope you will be moved to volunteer your time to volunteer to teach or help out in other ways as you are moved.

There's the busy kind of busy and there's the good kind of busy. This year, Faith Formation participants are involved in the good kind of busy, striving to offer our children and youth nothing short of the best in religious education. When you get the time, why not take a Faith Formation Team member or volunteer teacher to the side and thank them for what they do (and ask them how you can get involved).

Love is the mission of our church. May the love of Sacred Mystery surround us all throughout this church!

* a "block" is a 5-6 week teaching session which no volunteer should ever fear because help abounds if you need it and teaching children is a worshipful experience in and of itself.

Peace,

Daniel Payne, Director of Faith Formation