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Welcome to
Faith Formation
2019-2020
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Faith Formation at the
Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis
(UUCA)
2019-2020
Mission
Throughout participation in UUCA’s Faith Formation Program, children and youth will be in-spired and empowered to live bold and compassionate lives by having:
• A foundation in Unitarian Universalist principles, traditions, and stories
• Open minds and generous hearts
• A spirit of service and a passion for justice
• Enough love and respect for themselves to make healthy choices
• A sense of belonging and contributing to a diverse community
• The spiritual tools to navigate the challenges of life
Welcome! Welcome to all returning, new and potential families! My current vision for Faith For-
mation at UUCA as I step into this role is based on all of the information we gathered last year during our year of visioning. I am so thankful for the transitional year we had, to simply listen, learn and reflect on the program. Just as we like to say “revelation is not sealed,” so I recog-nize that this vision will evolve as both our church and I continue to learn and grow.
I understand my role as the Director of Faith Formation is to create the container where Faith Formation can happen for our families. What do I mean by Faith Formation? An experienced Director of Faith Formation explained it to me this way: Religious Education vs. Faith Formation is the difference between teaching a child to read vs. helping a child fall in love with reading. Reading is the shared outcome but a love for the process is what I hope to achieve. I hope that you and your children will fall in love with forming your faiths. It is my in-tention to create a faith community where people (especially our children, youth and parents) want to be and where true community and connection building can happen.
I look forward to working with you throughout the year.
Faithfully, Julie Burman
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Unitarian Universalist Principles in Language Children Can Better Understand (adapted by Helena Chapin and Mary Ann Moore)
We believe
That each and every person is important
That all people should be treated fairly and kindly
That we should accept one another and keep on learning together
That each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life
That all persons should have a vote about the things that concern them
To work for a peaceful, fair and free world
To care for our planet earth, the home we share with all living things and
We take action when we see that someone is being treated unfairly
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How Do I Register?
Visit: https://tinyurl.com/FaithFormation2019-2020
Why register?
To receive information about upcoming events, communicate special medical infor-mation, allergies, or needs your child may have that we should be aware of, help us plan our group sessions, give us your permission (or not) to provide medical care or take photos of your child.
There is a $45 registration/materials fee for non-members. This fee is waived for members. *Families can request a scholarship if needed.
Getting Involved
There are many opportunities to be of service and enhance our community as a volunteer. We can find something to fit your interests and availability. If you are interested or would like to learn more, please contact Julie Burman ([email protected]).
• Faith Formation Leaders during Middle Hour
• Coming of Age Mentors
• Youth Group Facilitators
• Faith Formation / Principle Project Leaders during both services
• Faith Formation Team (formally known as the RE Committee)
• Nursery Assistants
• Event Support
• Camp Beagle Support
• General Program Support
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Sunday mornings for Families
September 15, 2019 - May 31, 2020
9:00 am - 10:00 am First Service
10:10 am - 11:10 am Middle Hour
11:15 am - 12:15 am Second Service
Summer Schedule
One Service 10:00 am - 11:00 am & After Hour 11:10 am - 12:10 pm
What to Expect
Visit our Welcome Table every time you arrive at church to pick up your name tag or make one for the day if you are new or have lost yours.
Children will walk into the main service (9:00 am or 11:15 am) with their family / parent / care-giver and stay through the Wonderbox.
Following the Wonderbox (about 10-15 minutes into the service) all children; babies, pre-school, elementary, and middle school aged will leave the service together and walk down to the Faith Formation Sanctuary. High School students are encouraged to stay for the entire service with the adults but are warmly welcomed to join the younger kids downstairs to serve as Youth Leaders and participate in the Principle Project.
After their time together in the FF Sanctuary, children and youth will be picked up by the adult volunteers and walked to their appropriate room for Middle Hour.
Parents must pick their child(ren) up by 11:15 am. At 11:20 am all children will be walked back to the FF Sanctuary to wait with the Childcare staff.
Please make sure to sign your child out with the adult in charge of checkout.
Children in 5th grade and above will be dismissed at the end of their session with the assump-tion that you and your child have arranged a meeting place.
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What is Faith Formation?
Faith Formation (FF) is age-based programming for our children and youth. Programs run during Middle Hour (10:10—11:10 AM) each Sunday during the church year.
Chalice Children (Pre-K)
Location: Louisa May Alcott Room (off of the FF Sanctuary)
Early childhood is filled with curiosity and wonder. Children are encouraged to connect to their community and explore sharing through play. Your child will be in a group setting with loving adult guides.
Spirit Play (K-1st grade)
Location: Wright Room (downstairs)
Spirit Play is based in story and ritual, play and creativity. It gives children the tools to make meaning of their lives and questions such as, “Who am I, Where did I come from, and What is my purpose?” within the container of Unitarian Universalism. This Montessori based program follows a session format of active story-telling, wondering, and child-directed activities.
Wonder & Love (2nd-3rd grade)
Location: Theodore Parker Room (off of the FF Sanctuary)
Wonder instills respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part and appreciation of its beauty, excitement, and mystery. It is founded on the premise that direct experience in nature is essential to children's physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development. Love will encourage our children to learn to seek guidance in life through the lens of our UU Sources, with an emphasis on love. Participants will learn that asking questions is valued in Unitarian Universalism, even as they begin to shape their own answers.
Bibleodean (4th grade)
Location: Reeb Room (Fahs House)
This is a year-long experiential program introducing children to stories of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles to meet a range of goals. A couple of these goals are to help them understand the importance of the Bible to millions of people, possibly including some in their own lives and have an expanded sense of a spiritual feeling and practices.
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Riddle & Mystery (5th-6th grade)
Location: Anthony Room (Fahs House)
The purpose of Riddle and Mystery is to assist 5th/6th graders in their own search for under-standing. Each session introduces and processes a Big Question. The first three echo Paul Gauguin’s famous triptych: “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” This group will spend one Sunday per month on a “Faith in Action” project.
Our Whole Lives “OWL” (7th grade)
Extended Class Time: 9:45 am - 11:15 am
Location: Brown Room (upstairs of Fahs House)
This program is intended for grades 7-9. Honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assump-tions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relation-ships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. For these reasons and more, we are proud to offer Our Whole Lives, a com-prehensive, lifespan sexuality education curricula. (Fee: free for members & $100 for non-members)
Coming of Age “CoA” (8th grade)
Location: Angebranndt Room (downstairs)
The goal of Coming of Age (CoA) is to help youth better appreciate and understand how their personal beliefs and values intersect with the general principles of Unitarian Universalism. CoA fosters connections with peers and a mentor through creative expression, service and social justice opportunities, attending the annual spring Heritage Trip to Boston, MA, and pre-senting their personal credo to the congregation. (Fee: $350 for members & $700 for non-members with fundraising built into the year.)
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High School Youth Group
High School Youth Group will meet twice a month for two hours in the eve-
nings. Youth group is a place for all our high school youth to spend time together to create connections and feel supported as they respond to situations in life and live out their faith as a youth. We have a team of youth facilitators that will be here to lead, supervise, support, and engage our teenagers in discussion on the church’s monthly (Soul Matters) theme, as well as host a monthly visitor from our church. The monthly visitor will share a program, practice or committee with our youth (i.e. Drum Circle, Mindfulness Practice, Principle Project, UUSJ, etc.)
Our hope is that our high school youth will become more active and engaged as young adults on Sunday mornings. If they participated in the Coming of Age Program they can at-tend the “Membership 101” Inquirers Class whenever it is offered and decide if becoming a member is the right choice for them. We hope they will engage on Sunday mornings by at-tending Middle Hour sessions, participating as leaders during either church service, lead or help in the Faith Formation sessions for younger children, etc. The facilitators will support our youth to connect with their peers, adult members, or find their niche within our church.
We recognize that this is a philosophical shift, we know that it’s new but it’s an inten-tional movement to encourage a multi-generational community in deed not just words. We will implement this new format through December when we reevaluate with the youth and their families.
Scheduled Youth Group Meetings:
Faith & Covenant Building: 09/20
Belonging: 10/04 & 10/18
Attention: 11/01 & 11/15
Awe: 12/06 & 12/20
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The Principle Project / Green Sanctuary
Mission: To enrich faith formation by providing structured opportunities to put into action our UU Principles. When our kids exit the main service they will head down to the Faith For-mation Sanctuary and participate in fun activities; “serious fun” where they learn about seri-ous topics in a fun and interactive way. Adult leaders use support resources to offer project-based learning opportunities in a dedicated space at UUCA. We are beginning with a focus on environmental education. The project will work to develop a UUCA model for outreach into the Annapolis Community, furthering our goal to create beloved community, specifically fos-tering a partnership with The Center of Help.
Program Safety Overview
•Children won’t be left unattended
•There are always a minimum of two (unrelated) FF volun-teers with your child
•Adult FF Volunteers must apply, provide two references, and undergo a full criminal background check and com-plete safety trainings
•Fire extinguishers are throughout the building and first-aid kits are in each FF room and a AED (defibrillator) is lo-cated near the front entrance of the church
What is a Covenant?
Each small group co-creates a covenant at the start of the church year. The covenant is intended to be a living document that children, youth, and adults can refer to often and change as needed. Our covenants typically cover; making healthy choices, staying safe and keeping other safe, being present through connection and listening, being welcoming and inclusive, leaving UUCA better than we found it and treating others the way they want to be treated.
Adult leaders working with your child will do their best to positively encourage wel-comed behavior choices and redirect when needed. If the volunteer’s attempts do not ad-dress the concern or disruptive behavior, the child’s parent will be notified as soon as possible.
The Faith Formation staff, church volunteers, and parents will work together to learn and implement the best way to support each child. Our hope is that our church environment will promote and support appropriate behavior.
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We strive to be Welcoming to All Nursery and Childcare We have a few dedicated and loving staff people that work every Sunday morning for children 0-3 years old. Childcare is offered between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm. You can bring your child downstairs to the Nursery, located in the Clara Barton Room (off of the FF Sanctuary), anytime throughout the morning.
Children with Special Needs
At UUCA we strive to welcome children of all ages and abilities. We understand that your child may have special needs, ranging from specific allergies, medications to a range of individual emotional and behavioral needs. Please let the FF staff and team know what your child and your family needs and together, we’ll figure out how to create a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment for all. We are a learning community, so if you have suggestions or resources for us, again, please let us know.
Faith Formation for Families
Multigenerational Services
Sunday, September 8:00 am - 10:00 am Water Ceremony and Backpack Blessing Sunday, October 27 - 9:00 am & 11:15 am The Skeleton at the Feast Tuesday, December 24 - 5:00 pm Christmas Eve Multigenerational Service Sunday, February 9 - 9:00 am & 11:15 am Science Sunday (Camp Beagle Launch) Sunday, June 7 - 10:00 am Coming of Age Service
Children’s Choir (for ages 6+) Performance Dates
Sunday, October 27 (Multigenerational Services) - 9:00 am & 11:15 am
Tuesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) - 5:00 pm
Sunday, February 9 (Multigenerational Services)- 9:00 am & 11:15 am
Sunday, April 12 (Easter) - 9:00 am & 11:15 am
Sunday, June 7 (Coming of Age Youth Lead Credo Service) - 10:00 am
Contact: Joshua Long ([email protected])
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Child Blessings and Dedications
Many religious communities seek ways to welcome a new child into their midst, Uni-tarian Universalists honor the milestone that a child brings into our lives. We hold two Bless-ing or Dedication Ceremonies each year. We call them different things, because words mean different things to different people, but ultimately they are a ritual way to name the commit-ment we make to the child - as the child’s parents, extended family, and faith communi-ty. Blessings or Dedications are for children of all ages and can be private or can take place during our Sunday morning services. The service events are usually preferred by members who have chosen to raise their child in the church community; to have the gathered congrega-tion witness, honor, and make their own promises of support to the child and the family. For more information about Child Dedication Ceremonies, contact the UUCA at (410) 266-8044.
Naming Ceremony Changing one's name can be one of the most meaningful steps for a trans or gender noncon-forming person in expressing and validating who they are. Recognizing how significant such a personal milestone can be we offer a Unitarian Universalist Transgender Naming Ceremony. Parenting Faithfully Series
These are ongoing Middle Hour (10:10 am - 11:10 am) offerings designed for parents to come together and give support to one another. This gathering provides a safe place to process par-enting in the 21st century while honoring our Unitarian Universalist beliefs. Sunday, November 3: Parenting Faithfully in the Age of Information Overload
Sunday, December 1: Parenting Faithfully during the Holiday Season
Sunday, January 5: Topic TBD
Sunday, February 2: Parenting Faithfully with a Partner
Sunday, March 1: Topic TBD
Sunday, May: Date & Topic TBD
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333 Dubois Road Annapolis, MD 21401 www.uuannapolis.org 410-266-8044
Stone Soup
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Holiday schedule: one service at 10:00 am
Stone Soup is an annual winter tradition where a meal is made by and shared with the congre-gation and paired with a retelling of the traditional story of “Stone Soup”. The event is multi-generational. This year Stone Soup will happen during our main worship service, at 10:00 amto create an engaging and energizing family friendly event. If you’d like to be involved in the planning and/or soup making, contact Julie.
Camp Beagle
July 13 - 17, 2020
Camp Beagle, or “Vacation Darwin School,” was created 11 years ago by a group of inspired new members. It is named after the HMS Beagle, the ship on which Darwin was aboard when he made his important discoveries. Camp Beagle is a fun-filled week of summer camp to en-courage questioning, active exploration, respect for the interconnectedness of all the earth, and adventure! Every day at Camp Beagle is packed with opportunities to explore the natural world with an emphasis on religious naturalism, our UU principles, evolution, and the scientific method. Registration will begin on Sunday, February 9 and we will cap enrollment at 72. There is a cost for enrollment. If cost is prohibitive we offer scholarships and if you’d like to donate to our “Captain Fitzroy” Scholarship Fund, please do so. This camp is almost entirely volunteer run, so be sure to sign up early and let us know how you can help. Julie Burman
Director of Faith Formation
Betsy Owen
Faith Formation Assistant
