OUUC Religious Education

Dear Families of 1^st-3^rd graders,

We are about to move into our “Religious Literacy” pillar for the year, which will be the theme of the curriculum from January-mid march.  In our plan for religious literacy, we have a three year cycle: 1. Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), 2.  Asian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism), and 3.  Science and Paganism.  This year we are studying Abrahamic religions, and the curriculum we will use for the 1^st-3^rd graders will be “SuperHeroes: Bible People”. 

From the parent letter that accompanies this curriculum:

In a world where so often “might makes right” and at an age when they are beginning to form the values that will take them through their lives, your children are about to meet super heroes who were, as the curriculum theme song states, “powerful with brains and even stronger with their hearts”.  The overall goals of Super Heroes are:

1. 1.       To introduce children to the stories of people from the Bible who have acted with courage and wisdom in their attempts to lead their lives fully and make the world a better place for others
2. 2.      To show how the lives of these people confirm the principles which we, as Unitarian Universalists, strive to promote
3. 3.      To encourage the children to lead their lives fully and to use their own positive “super powers” as they interact with the world around them, and as they do so, to grow both spiritually and ethically

Among the superheroes the children will learn about will be Moses and Miriam, King David, King Solomon, Queen Esther, Jesus, and Mohammad.  God is also a player in some of these stories.  At times God is presented like a person, only stronger and smarter.  At other times, God is shown as a force, like fire or the wind.  These portrayals are consistent with the biblical text.  Yet God is never referred to by gender, so that children’s imaginations can remain open to unlimited possibilities of the sources of our living tradition including “direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which move us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.” (Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes)

Most weeks your child should come home with a picture from that morning’s experience.  Please use this as a starting point from which you explore with your child the values and ideas which have been introduced that day.  As parent or guardian, you are the primary religious educator of your child.  Super Heroes and the religious education program in general are here to provide support for you in this challenging and rewarding endeavor.  We look forward to our partnership with you and your children.

I am actually very excited to work on these stories with the children, as I feel that it is important for them to have a familiarity with these stories so they have a frame of reference when they encounter people of these faiths.  I would be happy to make photocopies of any lesson plan that you would like to review.

If you have any questions or concerns about the curriculum, feel free to call or email me: 786-6383×3 or dre@ouuc.org

In peace,

Sara Lewis, DRE

Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Last Sunday the children told the story of the birth of Jesus, in our annual Yule Play.

This Sunday we will have an all-ages Children’s Chapel with a pagan Winter Solstice ritual and a craft activity to paint wooden tree ornaments.  So many Winter Holidays to celebrate!