Lifespan Faith Development
Under the guidance of Sonja Jensen, Credentialed Religious Educator, the UUCB has adopted a Lifespan Faith Development approach to religious education for children, youth and adults.
Children Our faith development program begins at birth. Families know they are welcome to have their babies with them in the sanctuary, and a crying room is provided with the service piped in if they would like a less stimulating environment for their child. For busy children who stay with their parents the service is also broadcast to the Parish Hall during services. When parents are ready to give their children into our care, they can take them to our nursery. We are committed to having a paid, qualified child care provider every Sunday. The consistency of this person gives parents a sense of security and the children light up and go to the provider quickly after a short period of adjustment. This helps our young families to quickly be able to attend services without the distraction of their children so that they can recharge and refresh their souls. Many parent also decide to stay in the nursery with their children to socialize with other parents during times when separation is difficult for their children. Our Pre-School program is headed up by a volunteer who has been doing it for over 20 years. They have a strong sense of tradition and do much to make new families feel welcome. There is a strong rate of retention in this program which sets us up for several years of committed families. We have two levels of Spirit Play classrooms (K-1 and 2-4th grade). We have been developing this program program, which is based on a Montessori model, for the past two years. We have invested in the infrastructure of the room as well as in compelling story baskets that the kids can return to for years to come. The quality of this program is showing in the retention rate of the children of this age who attend. Our Middle School program is the hardest hit by the length of our interim process. Many of the families who were attached to our prior minister, DRE and music director have felt overwhelmed by the changes to our church have drifted away. Less committed than those who already had weathered some changes before and stayed and less flexible than those who are new to the program, this group reports a sense of “losing their church” with the changes. We hope to see this age group rally with the rising of the children from the stronger Spirit Play program. We are currently using Tapestry of Faith Curricula with these kids and engaging in a very individualized Coming of Age program. Youth Group The Youth Group at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo is made up of about 25 registered youth, with a “core” group of about 15. This is down from about 40 registered and 25 before our interim program began. We also have about two or three “visiting” youth who are friends of some of the youth that attend from time to time but are not children of church members, or members themselves. Over the years the Youth Group will takes on different “personalities”. The last few years we have had a group that is very talented in the visual and performing arts. Heavily involved in their school theatrical productions, and participating in extracurricular activities that involve music, painting, and theater. This has made for some fabulous annual Youth-Led services that have brought the congregation to its feet with joy! The youth are very invested in their group. They are a tightly knit group many of them have known each other from a very young age and have gone through RE together. They have had older siblings that have been in Youth Group, and their parents are very involved in the church. |
Adult Faith Development (much of this information reflects the reality of the 2013-2014 Church Year) The Adult Faith Development program is in a building phase in the congregation Courses that were and are being offered include: Articulating Y(our) UU Faith: Have you had the experience or telling someone that you were a Unitarian Universalist and they say, “Really, What’s That?” and then you pause….for a long time, trying to figure out exactly where to start? This 90 minute course will help you develop your answer to that and other “coffee hour” questions. What Moves Us: A Tapestry of Faith Curriculum for adults that explores how our theology has moved over the past two centuries. Behind the Kitchen Door: A UUA Common Read What We Choose: Ethics for Unitarian Universalists: Another adult Tapestry of Faith Curriculum. In addition there are various adult enrichment classes that are lay led and not particularly faith based, most notably the Music with Michael series that has been ongoing for several years led by one of our choir members. |