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RE Leadership The BRUU RE program is led by a professional staff member and a volunteer committee. Interim DRE BRUU welcomes our Interim Director of Religious Education, Michele Townsend Grove. Michele comes to us with 2 years of experience as a settled DRE in Frederick, Maryland, and a total of 18 years experience in Religious Education and youth ministry. She is currently serving as the Joseph Priestley District IDRE Trainer. She will be with us for the next two years, also helping us in our search for a settled Director of Religious Education. For more information about Michele, see her biography. Why do we have an Interim Director of Religious Education? Religious Education at BRUU is in a time of transformation, as
we continue our transition in professional RE leadership. This year
and next, we take advantage of the opportunity to deeply consider
where we’ve been, where we are, where we wish to go, and how
we can get there. To this end, our Interim DRE will guide us in
this assessment of our identity and direction by exploring the following
five areas: The Religious Education Committee is the congregation’s volunteer leadership, dedicated to providing a quality RE program for children, youth, and adults. The RE committee meets monthly to plan RE events, administer the RE Program, and support the IDRE and volunteer teachers. Chair Lisa
Johnston Adult RE Tommy
Zumbrunnen
Spiritual growth and learning is an ongoing, lifelong process that extends beyond Sunday morning in many contexts. Our classes help children begin this sacred journey by providing a safe, welcoming place to acknowledge and explore their feelings as well as their beliefs. We strive for Religious Education – not indoctrination – that is fun and intense, age appropriate, hands-on, and experiential. Our programs balance structure and flexibility, creating a stimulating learning environment for children and adults. We celebrate ourselves and our diversity while we explore the world’s broad spectrum of religious beliefs and learn about their traditions, teachings, and rituals. We passionately embrace participation in socially and environmentally conscious activities as part of our worship and everyday lives. The congregation provides children with opportunities to experience the church community as an extended family. Many of our programs and worship opportunities are intergenerational, dedicated to integrating our children into the life of the church. We use professionally developed curricula of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) based on our Principles and Purposes, interpreted and expressed in language that children can understand and make their own. RE Program Each RE year, the Religious Education Program follows one of these four themes: Unitarian Universalism Our theme during the 2006-2007 church year is Peace and Social Justice, featuring the UUA curriculum “In Our Hands” and continuing last year’s highly successful Justice Sundays. Children in the K-1 and 4th-5th Grade classes will also experience the highly regarded Our Whole Lives lifespan sexuality education program. Children and Junior Youth (Nursery – 8th Grade)
Intergenerational Services: On several occasions throughout the year, our whole congregation gathers for intergenerational worship. Child care is provided for those children who cannot sit through an entire service. Typical Intergenerational Services include the Water Communion and Ingathering (September) and Flower Communion (May/June). Conduct: In keeping with our UU principles, we expect children to respect the inherent worth of others and treat each other with kindness and compassion. Teachers are empowered to help our children practice our principles and gently redirect inappropriate behavior. To protect the safety of all our students, in rare cases a parent or guardian may be requested to remove an overly disruptive child. Dress: Our classes are often active and include crafts, artwork, cooking, dance, and other activities. Washable, comfortable clothing is suggested. Young Religious UUs (9th-12th and beyond) This group of empowered youth will embrace the five components of successful youth programming: worship, leadership, learning, community building, and social action. In addition to meeting during services on Sundays, they do many other activities throughout the year including overnights, field trips, and weekend conferences. The students decide which topics are discussed and set up different activities. Adults As we live and integrate new experiences, our religious beliefs evolve and grow, and BRUU’s Adult Religious Education program seeks to support this journey and meet the diverse needs of the congregation. The Discovery Dinner and New UU programs provide the framework for most of our Adult RE offerings. RE Teachers All Religious Education Classes are taught by volunteer
teachers. Teacher training is conducted annually, typically on the
Saturday in September before the first service of the church year.
Each classroom’s teachers are organized into a team with a
lead teacher, and all teaching is done in pairs. The Nursery Team
consists of eight teachers, so that each teacher is needed only
once a month. The other teams (K-1 through Junior Youth) consist
of four teachers, who each teach once and assist once a month. Teachers
enjoy their own fellowship and preparation time in the RE office
before class each week. The Our Whole Lives program requires teachers
with special training, and the Youth Group conducts its own programs
with the assistance of the Youth Advisers. Each Sunday morning the Sunday Superintendent facilitates
the smooth operation of the RE Program. The superintendent helps
students find their classrooms, ensures each class has all its necessary
materials, takes attendance, and arranges for substitute teachers
if needed. Newcomers to Bull Run Unitarian Universalists can look
for the person with the clipboard and the yellow nametag. She or
he will be happy to assist you and answer any questions you may
have. The RE Committee administers several programs dedicated to integrating
our children into the life of the congregation. On each month with a fifth Sunday, all Kindergarten and older children are invited to participate in a field trip to do the congregation’s Social Justice work in the world. Children begin the service in the Sanctuary and are commissioned by the congregation before they go out into the community, and display the fruits of their efforts during Fellowship Hour if possible. Children who do not wish to leave the building have the opportunity to work on a related and meaningful project on the church grounds. Justice Sundays are coordinated with the Social Justice Committee, and the field trips are accompanied by volunteer driver/chaperones. Previous Justice Sunday trips have included collecting food for the Aids Pantry, sharing a meal with residents of a local homeless shelter, and picking up trash in old town Manassas. The Justice Sundays for 2006-2007 are October 29, December 31, April 29, and July 29. Intergenerational Parties The RE Committee sponsors two intergenerational parties, the BRUU BOO! and the Winter Intergen. The BRUU BOO! is typically held the Saturday before Halloween, and is structured like a fair midway with games, a costume contest, a cupcake walk, and raffle drawings. The Winter Intergen, usually held the first Saturday in December, features holiday games and activities for children of all ages, a Yule log, and decorating the BRUU tree. Our UU Heritage During each month’s All Church Sunday, one of the RE children reads the biography of a famous Unitarian or Universalist, and the congregation tries to deduce his or her identity. Readers are selected from the 2nd-3rd Grade and above classes, and the famous UU is selected in consultation with the minister. Special Pals The Special Pals program is an annual favorite of children and adults alike, providing a unique opportunity for intergenerational friendship and interaction. Each adult who signs up is paired with one or more children, and each pair is assigned a famous UU identity. Each member of the pair is either “Senior” (adult) or “Junior” (child); e.g. Theodore Parker Sr. is paired with Theodore Parker Jr. The pair then exchanges tokens such as notes, small gifts, and clues about who they are, and their identities are revealed a part of a game during the Winter Intergenerational Party. Junior Youth and older children may take the role of “Senior” with a young child if they wish. Points of Contact For more information, or to volunteer as a committee member, Sunday
Superintendent, teacher, or driver/chaperone, please contact one
of the following people:
Being an Interim Director of Religious Education is a special role for congregations seeking a settled Director of Religious Education. Michele works with the congregation in maintaining their active program, while doing the necessary interim work to build assurance in hiring a settled Director to carry the program into its future. The interim process is a time for BRUU to “take a deep breath” – rather than working hard to create new programs and opportunities, we slow down and reflect on who we are and where we want to go in the future. Michele is with us part time and has office hours at various times throughout each week. When she is not in the office, she can easily be reached by phone or email and is always happy to talk to you.
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Michele
Townsend Grove comes to BRUU with 18 years of experience in the
area of Religious Education and Youth Ministry. She received her
Master’s of Theological Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary
in Washington DC in the spring of 2001. She has served congregations
in Delaware, Washington State, and Maryland, and is excited to be
with such an active and positive congregation in Virginia. Michele
lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia with her husband Andy Townsend
and their new daughter, Helena Mariah Townsend-Grove.