Our Religious Exploration Program seeks to provide children and youth with a meaningful, non-doctrinal religious education that makes a positive difference in their lives and encourages them to:
- Focus on and acknowledge the spiritual part of life;
- Develop a foundation of knowledge empowering them to evaluate their spiritual possibilities; and
- Articulate their own religious and spiritual beliefs and paths
"Let the wild rumpus start!" Max declares in the children's classic Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.
"Wild rumpus," indeed.
Together, we embark on this "wild rumpus"-a journey that links past with future, young with old, knowledge with faith. What a tremendously profound undertaking, eh?
The theme for this year is: "It Takes a Village." In religious education, we will be focusing on intentionally integrating our congregants, as well as our Whole SoUUl living themes into each exploratory class and friendly family event. The point is to engage everyone, every generation within our congregation-to strengthen our community, improve our connectedness, and ultimately to make our faith the point of family dinner conversation, and to make Unitarian Universalism the quintessential lens with which we view the world and balance our decision making. By taking this holistic and collective approach, our congregation will find direction, purpose, meaning, depth, and distinct opportunities to grow closer, and to evolve in our own individual spiritualities. Indeed, our Whole SoUUl Themes will become threads woven throughout all we do, with each and every congregant as a participant-as a weaver.
As we endeavor to empower our students in a myriad of ways and to enhance their learning experience, we ask you to help by presenting our teachers with support, volunteering, and by inviting your children and youth to dialogue with you about their RE experiences. Please arrive on time and attend frequently so that your children will develop a sense of belonging and so that the class can develop a strong sense of community and continuity. Sincerest thanks to all of the remarkable RE instructors and volunteers who tender their time so magnanimously. Feel free to contact me at anytime-I am at your disposal.
Respectfully,
Eric Bliss, Director of Religious Exploration (DRE)
First Unitarian Denver
1400 Lafayette Street
Denver, CO 80218
voice | (303) 831-7113
fax | (303) 831-8458
