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Religious Education PDF Print E-mail

re-party13 Choosing your child's religious education program is an important decision, just as important as choosing your own religious home. Yet making that decision can be confusing. What should you look for? Where will your child be happy, safe, and learning how to be a loving, spiritually literate person?

At First Unitarian, we take children's development seriously. First Unitarian offers age-appropriate classes that run during our worship services. We have a three-year thematic rotation of curricula, covering Unitarian Universalist identity, world religions and our Jewish and Christian heritage. This year we are studying our Jewish and Christian heritage.

Babies and toddlers are cared for during services by Carolyn Sander, an experienced and trusted child care provider. Parents are welcome to leave their small children or stay with them until they are comfortable being on their own. The nursery is wired for sound so that adults can hear the service while they are with their little ones.

Our youngest class is the preschool class, and they will be hearing stories from Hebrew and Christian scriptures, doing crafts, singing songs, and playing. Because preschoolers are just getting used to being in a real class, there is some unstructured play time each week.re-party04

The kindergarteners through third graders are learning about the stories and major themes of the bible. The curriculum helps students become familiar with scriptural texts, and helps them reflect on Unitarian Universalist themes.

Fourth through eighth graders get a bit more into the meat of the subject, working with two curricula, one on Hebrew scriptures, the other on Christian, that stress bible literacy and focus the themes of love, justice, and covenant.

We also have a small but vibrant youth group for high schoolers that meets after services.

One of the best aspects of our program is the love and energy for our young people that the teaching teams bring with them every week. As part of our commitment to the safety of every member of our community, each class and the nursery are staffed by two adults at all times.

re-party17 In addition to our regular classes, we have many special events throughout the year that serve to enhance the experience of each child. Important yearly events include a Halloween party for all ages, Thanksgiving Seder, holiday pageant, intergenerational Kwanzaa service, "mystery friends", Easter egg hunt, and many others. We also gather all of the classes together about once a month to learn about and get involved in social justice.

All of us at First Unitarian hope that you will find this to be a warm and inviting place for your whole family!

For more information, contact Erica Ward, our Director of Religious Education. She can be reached online at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or at the church office, (773) 324-4100, extension 15.

 
Director Erica Ward PDF Print E-mail

Erica Lucille Ward has been Director of Religious Education at First Unitarian Church since the fall of 2007. She has primary responsibility for the religious education program for children and youth, including curriculum, development, and administration, working in close cooperation with the Senior Minister and the Religious Education Council.

Erica received her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies with a minor in Women’s Studies at Warren Wilson College, in Asheville, North Carolina, May 2006.

Erica is a lifelong UU, who grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and attended Unitarian Universalist Church West in Brookfield, Wisconsin. She grew up in the UU RE program, was in her church’s child and adult choirs, was active in her high school youth group, and attended the Central Midwest District’s high school youth conferences.

From 2006-2007, Erica served in Americorps through a nonprofit called City Year, where she tutored 7th and 8th graders at a low-income K-8 school in west Philadelphia. While living in Philadelphia, she was active in the choir and young adult group at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia.

Erica has an affinity with and love for UU camps and conference centers.
She grew up going to Star Island, a UU conference center off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the summer of 2007, she worked as a counselor at Unirondack, a UU camp in the Adirondacks Mountains of New York.

Erica is happy to be back in the Midwest. Her parents live in Asheville, North Carolina, her younger sister attends college in Greensboro, North Carolina, and her older sister lives in Boston.
 
Adult RE PDF Print E-mail
The Adult Religious Education Program offers a variety of activities throughout the church year. Such activities, in the form of classes and discussion and study groups, range from one session to usually several  sessions,  and a few are on-going. At present there are two on-going Adult Religious Education activities.
 
The Spiritual Pluralism Project consists of the UU Buddhist Group, the UU Christian Group, the UU Humanist Group, and the UU Earth-Based Spirituality Group. These groups engage in both study and practice related to their spiritual paths. Periodically they take part in joint meetings focused on sharing and dialogue. Each group also provides a Sunday morning service oriented to its spiritual path.
 
The Chalice Circle exemplifies a small group ministry, having the purpose of fostering intimacy and spiritual growth among its participants. To this end, it follows a series of themes such as "Pets" and "The Road Not Taken."
 
Some examples of recently completed Adult Religious  Education courses are "Unity and Poetry," "Healing Stories," "Understanding the World's Religions," and "Engaging Our Theological Diversity."
 
All Adult Religious Education activities are open to all church members and friends without charge. However, they may require participants to purchase modestly priced reading materials. Rev. Grey, church members and friends,  Meadville Lombard students, and ministerial interns at the church have served as group facilitators and leaders. These activities are in accord with the UU seven  principles and support the church's mission and vision statements.
 
The Adult Religious Education Committee is currently planning Adult Religious Education activities for the 2007-2008 church year.
 
For more information about Adult Religious Education programming at First Unitarian Church, contact Phiefer Browne at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or Rev. Nina Grey at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 
 
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