Welcome to Lifespan Religious Exploration
Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship’s Religious Exploration programs for all ages. We invite you and your children to join our community of searchers. Your participation will enrich us all! Our goal is to create a caring community that is lively and enjoyable, a community of people who will challenge and support each other in our continuing search for who we are, what we believe, and how we act on these beliefs. Our approach to religious exploration is based on the assumption that how we teach children, youth, and adults is as important as what we teach. We start with the goal of providing a welcoming and safe place for all persons, where learning is enjoyable, and the atmosphere cooperative and comfortable. For our children and youth, we share the commitment of parents, guardians, and friends to help them learn and grow in religious ways of being, and we strive to provide a program that supports and encourages all efforts in this direction.
WHAT IS “LIFESPAN RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION”?
A primary purpose of religion is to nurture all that is right and good in us, to help us to grow into our best selves. From infancy through all stages of life, Unitarian Universalist religious exploration grounds us in our faith, binds us together in community, teaches tolerance and respect, and inspires us to bring more peace, justice, and love into the world.
Based in both the Unitarian story of freedom, reason, and tolerance, and the Universalist story of faith, hope, and love, we teach the inherent worth and dignity of all beings, so we work for justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. We are all moral agents, capable of making a difference in the world, so we teach about challenging structures of oppression and promoting the health and well being of the earth. We take seriously the Golden Rule and the call to let our lives speak louder than our words. We believe faith is a journey. Beliefs can change, values can deepen, and understanding can broaden.
As children and adults develop their own beliefs and learn to meet their own spiritual needs, the UUFC’s Lifespan Religious Exploration programs provide opportunities to explore and reflect within a nurturing community. Learn more about our offerings for children, youth, and adults below. For all ages, we emphasize:
Ethical growth—internalizing enduring values like justice, equity, and compassion, and gaining tools to act on them in everyday life.
Social growth—connecting with peers and people of all ages on a deeper level. Finding acceptance among people who see beyond the superficial.
Spiritual growth—feeling a connection with the sacred within, among, and beyond us.
