What We Teach and Why

Rev. Sue Sinnamon, Minister for Religious Education at UCE reflects on our RE program:

Religious Education at UCE is something we engage in as a community. Some of our programs are adults leading children, some are adults accompanying  children and youth on their journey, some are for adults only. In all cases we all grow in love and understanding of one another. Our religious journey is part content, part individual spiritual growth and part  learning to worship and live in community together.

Living in community. Each year as we plan the next I ask myself: Why do people bring their children to  UCE? Why do they bring themselves? The easy answer is that they bring their children for a Religious Education. But we come back to “What does this mean?” Parents and others have said it means “...  feeling part of a community, answering kids’ questions, getting support for being me…” It is all of these things.

During the past several years as we have focused on  mission/vision we asked – “And what can we do  together?” Religious growth and learning is not a solitary activity. It needs community. There are solitary aspects of a spiritual journey, but it takes place in community: family, UCE itself, Evanston, the planet or all of the above. It is the community that helps us seek and understand that which brings meaning to our lives.

When we ask you to assist with Religious Education, we mean your religious growth as well as our children and youth. The ‘education’ takes place through action, reflection and dialogue. Children want to know what you believe and how you arrived there.

We may do things in community we might not be able or ready to do by ourselves. We host Soup Kitchens; we help at Hilda’s Place; we put up a banner supporting civil marriage as a civil right for all people; we travel to  Boston to see our history and we go outside with the 3  & 4 year olds and discover, “the world has birds.”

As a child progresses through the program, parents are asked to learn beside them in 3rd & 4th grades as they hear Stories from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures;  make field trips with them in 5th & 6th grades as they  learn the ways others worship; plan fundraising and social action projects with the Junior High as they experience the power of giving to others. My great joy in Religious Education is that adults accompany the children and youth, sharing the past and glimpsing the future as we all seek meaning and purpose and peace and joy.  When we call and ask how you want to help, remember this is for you too.

Religious Education Program Mission
Recently, the Religious Education Board, undertook an extensive evaluation process. The results of several focus groups and questions posed to the congregation helped us to define some of the needs expressed by our children, parents and interested members. These ideas will help guide us as we continue to improve our program.

The community identified the importance of exploring, through our religious education program, our UU values and principles and understanding Unitarian Universalism from the sources of our faith. Also identified was the importance of being a part of and known in a community. Understanding our relationship to the world and ways to live our principles as individuals and as a community was also emphasized. The RE curriculum and teaching approach will highlight these priorities.

The Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism
 Our program draws on many sources to provide developmentally appropriate programs for all ages. We are guided by the Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association, which can be expressed in children’s terms as the following:
•    We believe that each and every person is important.
•    We believe that all people should be treated fairly and kindly.
•    We believe that we should accept one another and keep on learning together.
•    We believe that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
•    We believe that all people should have a vote about the things that concern them.
•    We believe in working for a peaceful, fair and free world.
•    We believe in caring for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things.

Unitarian Church of Evanston
1330 Ridge Avenue — Evanston, IL   60201
847 864-1330 — mail@ucevanston.org