About Our Children and Youth Ministry

At BRUU, we strive to help our children, youth, and their families grow spiritually with lives filled with compassion and wholeness. Through our Sunday morning education programs and a variety of family fellowship opportunities, we seek to cultivate in our children both a love of liberal religious life and a sense of belonging in a wider faith community.

BRUU has adopted the Woven Faith Lifespan Curriculum Series to both honeor our past and incorparoate our present and future expressions of faith.

Woven Faith integrates our most current associational learning around anti-oppression practices, supporting the cultivation of both internal and interpersonal social-emotional skills essential for sustainable justice work.

Woven Faith is a theme-based, whole church series. An organizing principle of Woven Faith is that the congregation is the curriculum; that the whole environment – accessibility, worship, fellowship, RE classes, leadership development, caring ministries, justice work – all inform the UU we learn and absorb.

We invite you to explore the curriculum.

Simply create an account with uua.org and explore the monthly themes and activites.

For more information and register, contact  dle@bruu.org

———————————————————————————————————————-

Religious Education Offerings for ages 3-17

Explorers (Children ages 3-7):  Montessori inspired learning space, participantsexplore our UU Faith and values through story, song, and play. Emphasis is placed on creating a safe and engaging enfironment for childrent to learn how to be in community with each other.

Service Path (Children ages 8-18): Project centered activity combines experiential learning with direct community engagement. Participants will discover community needs, implement a collaborative soution, and explore their personal values throughtout the process.

Art Path (Youth ages 8-18):  Participants will explore themseleves and the world through visual art. They will learn about artistic technique while considering big questions about ourselves and what maters in our communities and faith.

All Ages Chapel:  All education participants gather together in shared worship. They explore a theme of UU while growing together on our individual journeys. Lead by DLE.

Nursery (Ages 0-3): Our loving and attentive childcard staff are available every Sunday morning.

Senior Youth (Ages 14-18):  Highlights of the upcoming church year are the annual Youth Worship Service, which is always thought provoking and one of the year’s favorites. Several weeks will be spent in service to our local community. A member of the Senior Youth is also elected each year as a Board of Directors Representative.

In addition to BRUU activities, there are many opportunities for Youth to participate in the larger UUA world. Trainings and Service learning trips provide real world experience in social & climate justice; regional gatherings offer leadership & peer ministry positions.

Summer camps enjoy fellowship with others who share similar values and youth are encouraged to join the General Assembly Youth Caucus to help mold the future of our faith and polity. Contact our DLRE at dle@bruu.org to find out more.

Additional Educational Offerings:

Coming of Age is offered to rising youth (9th and 10th graders this year). Janette and Star lead retreat style sessions that allow participants to examine the questions “What are my faith beliefs?” “What family/cultural history contributed to my current beliefs? What personal experiences have I had that contribute to my opinions and point of view?” Each youth is paired with a Mentor to help them along the way. Regular sessions are held at BRUU, and the group will retreat at Shenandoah River State Park to explore spiritual practices and make them their own. The year culminates with another deep and introspective worship during which Coming of Age members share their Credos, or Statements of Faith, knowing that it represents their faith beliefs right now and that they are sure to evolve through future life experiences.

OWL, Our Whole Lives, is a is sexuality education that fosters informed, responsible, and values-based decisions about sexual health and behavior. Written by Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ, OWL provides honest, accurate information about sexuality changes lives. It dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives. The curriculum includes interactive activities that clarify decision making skills, affective emotional learning, and a safe and supportive peer group.