Religious Exploration

We value our children and youth because of their own innate worth as people and because they are the future of our community and our world.

As Unitarian Universalists, we do not seek to provide our children with ready-made answers to life's questions in the form of a fixed creed or doctrine. Instead, we seek to provide our children and youth with an environment in which they may grow up with a strong sense of values, morals as set forth in our UU Principles. To this end, we are committed to offering a Religious Exploration (RE) program which will enrich the lives of our children and youth, helping them to recognize and realize their full potential and build firm foundations for meaningful, ethical lives.

Our 8 principles:

·       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 persons 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.

·       We believe in building the Beloved Community, free of racism and oppression.

The great end in religious instruction is
not to stamp our minds irresistibly upon the young,
but to stir up their own;
Not to make them see with our eyes,
but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own;
Not to give them a definite amount of knowledge,
but to inspire a fervent love of truth;
Not to form an outward regularity,
but to touch inward springs.

~ William Ellery Channing

A note from our director of religious exploration

Hello and welcome to our Religious Exploration community at UU Catskills. We are happy to have you with us.

Here at UU Catskills, we offer a safe space where children and youth can ask big questions, where curiosity and wonder are encouraged and the ideas of children and youth are valued. It is here where our children begin their life-long process of spiritual discovery. It is here where our children discover the meaning of beloved community.

I look forward to getting to know you and welcome your questions as you seek a spiritual home for your family.

In beloved community, Jane Podell, Director Religious Exploration

On most Sundays:

Our children (preschool and up) begin their Sunday morning experience with their families in the sanctuary, providing them with a sense of community, a feeling of at-oneness with each other and the world, an affirmation of what we believe and a feeling of inspiration.  They take part in the chalice lighting, first hymn and remain present through a "Time for All Ages" that addresses the sermon topic of the day in an age-appropriate way. They are then sung out of the sanctuary to their Religious Exploration (R.E.) session in the farmhouse.

R.E. Sessions:

After leaving the sanctuary, our children gather in the farmhouse and participate in the sharing of "joys & sorrows"and listen to stories related to questions of importance. The power of a meaningful story is placed into the hands of the children who explore their wonderings and reflect its meaning through discussion, art work or drama activities. Every R.E. session ends in fun play in the Play Haven playroom.

Infants and Toddlers

Our nursery, located in the farmhouse, provides a safe and happy place for infants and toddlers while parents attend the service. Our youngest children are under the care of a paid and background checked adult caregiver who is experienced in working with young children of various ages. If parents prefer to stay with their child in the Restless Room (across the hall from the sanctuary), they can still hear the sermon while allowing their child to have extra space to wiggle and express themselves.

kIndergarten Through 6th grade

We are part of a wider theme-based ministry network called Soul Matters. This group of over 150 Unitarian Universalist congregations across the country follows the same monthly themes. The themes are shared in worship, music, children's programming and in small group ministries.  Bringing us into deeper connection, we are companions traveling a new journey together each month.

Our monthly themes

How do these values offer us both challenge and comfort? What might it mean to place them at the center of our living and loving? What promise do they hold for us individually as well as collectively? These are some of questions that will guide and bless our journey in the year ahead.

September:  Welcome
October:  Heritage
November:  Generosity
December:  Mystery
January:  Liberating Love
February: Justice & Equity
March:  Transformation
April: Interdependence
May:  Pluralism
June:  Renewal

Social Action

oNE of the hallmarks of Unitarian Universalism is social Activism …

… That’s because UUs have always believed we must apply our faith to the world we live in. The Religious Exploration program is designed to encourage our children and youth to become involved in social action within our community and the world at large. Social Action is integrated into our R.E. program throughout the year.