“The great end in religious instruction is not to stamp our minds upon the young, but to stir up their own; Not to make them see with our eyes, but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own; Not to give them a definite amount of knowledge, but to inspire a fervent love of truth; Not to form an outward regularity, but to touch inward springs; Not to bind them by ineradicable prejudices to our particular sect of peculiar notions; But to prepare them for impartial, conscientious judging of whatever subjects may be offered to their decision; Not to burden the memory, but to quicken and strengthen the power of thought; Not to impose religion upon them in the form of arbitrary rules, but to awaken the conscience, the moral discernment; In a word, the great end is to awaken the soul, to excite and cherish spiritual life.”

~19th Century Unitarian minister William Ellery Channing

Welcome to Religious Education programming at Buckman Bridge Unitarian Universalist Church. In keeping with the non-doctrinal nature of Unitarian Universalism, our religious education teachings do not consider any particular religious belief as absolute truth. Instead, we aim to present children and adults with a full breadth of stories, ideas, and traditions of different peoples and religions from around the world, including our own contemporary culture. We recognize that each of us is on a spiritual journey that begins when we are very young and continues throughout our lives.  We offer religious education participants opportunities to nurture their spiritual and personal growth and to explore values that encourage love and fairness.  We offer a safe and creative environment in which children and youth become compassionate, knowledgeable, and involved members of our spiritual community as well as of the world at large. To achieve this, our program provides opportunities for fellowship, free inquiry and expression, ethical and spiritual growth, and service for our communities.Our aim is not to tell our members what they must believe, but to give a variety of perspectives and to promote personal confidence in their individual faith formation.

Although Unitarian Universalism does not claim any religious doctrine as its supreme truth, there are seven key principles that serve as ready guideposts for what we generally agree is responsible, ethical, and just living. These principles have been adapted into kid-friendly language as follows:

Peace Practices

LOVE IS THE SPIRIT OF THIS CHURCH AND SERVICE IS ITS LAW.

This is our great covenant:

to dwell together in peace,

to seek the truth in love

and to help one another.

To make it possible to live out our covenant at church, we have Three Simple Rules:

Do no harm in word or deed

Respect yourself and all others

Everyone gets to play

Positive behavior, interaction, and participation are the basic principles of a healthy and safe learning environment.  Negative behaviors detract from the learning environment we strive to create in all of the Children’s and Youth Religious Exploration classes. Negative behaviors include disruptive activities, refusing to positively participate in activities, disrespect of others in word or deed, and roughhousing.

 The specifics:

No violence in word or deed.

No put downs, only pull ups.

No weapons, real or imaginary.

No horse play or roughhousing.

No exclusive behavior (you can’t play with us).

No electronics*  (including cell phones and handheld video games) or toys .

PROCEDURES EMPLOYED IN DEALING WITH NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR

Adults will verbally redirect to stop the behavior or state positively the desired behavior.  If the behavior resolves, but results in a pattern of disruptions, an Incident Report will filed.

If the behavior continues, an adult will step into the hall with the child (door open) to have a deeper conversation about the need for the negative behavior to stop/the positive behavior to start. If step two is required, an incident report will be filed.

If the child is unable to change the unacceptable behavior or refuses to cooperate, a Board Member will be flagged, or the child will be taken to the R.E. Library or the Religious Exploration Office. After a brief conference, Board members or Staff will return the child to class when it’s appropriate.  Fill out an Incident Report.

Blank## will stay with the child and determine the issue at hand. The child will either be returned to class once the issue is resolved or the parents or caregivers will be called out of church or class to assume responsibility for the child.

A Positive Behavior Plan may be developed in consultation with the parents and teachers for those children who continue to struggle with the key behaviors of being responsible and respectful. This plan would include specific responses that teachers would utilize to help the child have a positive experience in children’s programming.

*No electronics or distracting materials.

Children’s and Youth programming at All Souls is designed to explore the monthly themes and curricula and to build community. The programs are interactive; therefore, ipods, mp3 players, video games, cell phones, and other electronic devices should not be brought to class as they are a distraction to the child or youth using it and to those without.  These items encourage isolation and solitary activity rather than relationship and interaction with others.  Other distracting materials may include card games or toys. A young child may bring a “lovey” to class, so long as it does not become a distraction.

If your child uses an electronic device or toy, the device will be collected. The parent or child may pick it up after class.