We love our Youth

UUCG’s Children’s and Youth Ministry (CYM) is committed to supporting the social, emotional and spiritual development of children, youth and their families, as well as fostering relationships with our greater church community. We know that children learn values and practices from their parents and caregivers, and we are committed to supporting families with the resources they need.

CYM publishes a monthly newsletter that provides specific information about current programs and initiatives. To subscribe to the newsletter, contact the office.

Religious Exploration

SUNDAY MORNING at 10am, all ages worship together. At 10:30am, children 4th grade and under are invited to playground fellowship. During the school year, classes for all ages begin at 11:15am, and nursery care for ages 4 and under is available from 9:30am-12pm.

PHILOSOPHY—When children and youth are in our care, our primary goal is to create loving community by exploring UU principles and sources and living our UU values of justice, love, and compassion. We approach Religious Exploration not as yet another class, but rather as relevant experiences of meaning, connection, and play.

CURRICULA—Depending on the curriculum, our children and youth might gather in age-specific groups or in multi-age groups. Each year, our children and youth are led by volunteer teachers coordinated by our Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry to explore a variety of topics, such as:

OWL (Our Whole Lives) — OWL is a “life-affirming sexuality education program that offers honest, accurate information. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decisions making and has the potential to save lives…” This is a curriculum we’ve proudly offered for K-2, 3-6 and 7-10 every 3 years or so and we are looking forward to offering it again in 2022-2023.

TAPESTRY OF FAITH—a rich collection of UU curricula like: Chalice Children, which teaches younger children about UU practices and the wonder of living; Toolbox of Faith, which helps older children approach the world through a UU prism of practicality and awe; or Circle of Trees, which nurtures a deep connection with the natural world through a multi-generational approach.

WORSHIP—Through ritual, story and song, our children and youth are engaged in worship that nurtures them emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes this occurs in the classroom or youth group setting with an opening ritual and a song. Other times it will be in our sanctuary during the first half of our worship service. We also have special multigenerational services several times a year that are focused on rituals of connection and celebration: Water Communion, Bread Communion, Christmas Eve, Easter, Flower Communion, and our Solstice and Equinox observances on the actual solstice and equinox days.

Social Justice

TTS CAREBAGS--Since the fall of 2013, our children and youth have partnered with our greater church community for CYM’s monthly carebag project, “Taking It T-UU The Streets” (TTS). Promoting our first UU principle of acknowledging “the inherent worth and dignity of every person,” this ongoing project provides tangible ways for everyone to consider and respond to the person they see on the side of the road—donating items for carebags, distributing carebags, or in the case of our children and youth, assembling carebags with messages of hope.

SHOWING UP—When there is a call, CYM supports families with children and youth who want to answer that call. In the past, we have promoted bi-annual food drives, the annual gatherings for Crop Walk and HKonJ in Raleigh, as well as public demonstrations like the 2018 “March for Our Lives” and the summer 2020 demonstrations against police brutality.

Youth Group

Our youth group for 5-9th graders is new and full of promise. Guided by youth advisors in partnership with Rev. Sadie and Cindy, youth meet monthly with the primary goal of building beloved community, growing morally and ethically, and having fun. But they also learn to navigate what it means to have more freedom than they did when they were children—as well as assuming more responsibility.

Nursery & Childcare

Our childcare staff is committed to offering loving care for our children during all services and programs. On Sunday mornings, they offer care for our littlest ones (aged birth thru 4). At other times of programming, they will offer care to children up to the age of 7. Our nursery staff is hired on the basis that they: like and respect children; pass a background check; have demonstrable experience working with young children; are aware of/responsive to the needs of both the children and the parents/guardians; and understand that children have a wide range of needs.

FELLOWSHIP

The relationships that our children, youth and their families have in our beloved community are enhanced by the relationships they have with our members and friends and visitors. These relationships have been sustained through:

• All-church social events (Welcome Back to School Roller Party, Pet Social, Trick-or-Treat Parade, Soup and Bread Exchange)

• Virtual All-church events (Charades, Pictionary, Holiday Decorations)

• Show and Tell

• All-Church projects: Gratitude Tree, Home Altar Kit, All-Church Quilt

• Sundays at Gibson—summer 2021 (thru 8/8) meeting in a park to light a chalice, sing a song, share joys, sorrows, and then play and visit

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact the office, reach out to our Religious Education Director, or join our newsletter.