We’re delighted to announce that the beloved Coming of Age program is back in 2024!
This is a program that asks our youth to explore what it means to become an adult in a Unitarian Universalist context. A lot of cultures have this kind of event in the life of their congregation or community. Close to home, our Jewish neighbors have bat and bar mitzvahs where young people are asked to learn a language and be able to reflect on a text. In other cultures there are walkabouts, solo experiences in the wilderness, or even rounds of combat. In each of these examples, the community is expressing what is important to it. In Judaism, the importance is put on being religiously literate in the language of the Torah. Walkabouts emphasize the importance of survival in nature, while hand to hand combat points toward the importance of defending the group or surviving a conflict.
In our faith, we ask our teenagers to reflect deeply on who they are as spiritual people, to be able to think metaphorically, and to express themselves as soulful, connected beings, capable of experiencing a spiritual passion and transforming that passion into service and dedication to a common good. These are the attributes we seek in our adults, and therefore the ones that we assist our youth in developing.
Because of the programming losses we experienced during the pandemic years, this year’s Coming of Age will be open to all youth in grades 7-12. Space is limited, so don’t delay in registering.
For the safety of our youth, additional information about dates and times is available by request only. Please contact Skyla King-Christison at dre@uucorvallis.org if you’d like more details.