A Brief Description of Our Religious Education Program
High Street Church offers a Lifespan Religious Education Program that includes Children’s RE (Religious Education) classes for grades Pre-K through 12th grade during the Sunday worship service. High Street offers three age level groups every Sunday, Preschool (K3-K), Lower Elementary (1st-3rd grade), and Upper Elementary (4th-6th grade)
Welcome to January’s theme on “What Does It Mean to be a People of Possibility?”
I’m excited about the four rich angles we’re taking on possibility this month:
The Sessions
January 6. Intergenerational Service
January 13. Impossible Possibilities
January 20. The Possibility of Change
January 27. The Possibility of Being Wrong
I’ve particularly enjoyed working on Session 2 (January 13). When I wrote my curriculum, Spirit of Adventure, I discovered that we have an overemphasis on fine motor crafts in our children’s curricula and little or no emphasis on sports, engineering, architecture and medicine as topics which can teach about our faith. This month, we explore invention, engineering and science in Session 2, Impossible Possibilities. We suggest a Makerspace or a Take Apart Party, delving into imagination, invention and the possibilities which the future will bring. The Take Apart Party has become extremely popular in RE programs around the country. One year, in the congregation I served, the children came to me and said that if I didn’t offer a second one in a few weeks, they would never come to Sunday School again, they loved it so much. Involve your engineers and scientists as co-creators to widen your pool of interested volunteers and expand the possibilities from which to build faith!
Session 4 (January 27) also has my heart because it tackles such a central value to teach our children (and adults!): humility. It’s never easy to contemplate the possibility that we might be wrong. It is important that we understand how to learn from our mistakes. Having grown up UU, the spiritual practice of humility was rarely taught. Yet, it is a valuable practice if we are to live together in community.
An organizational note: In advance, collect recyclables and safe junk for the Makers Space. Collect old computers, cassette tapes, VCR tapes, adding machines, cameras, and other old, destroyable tech for the Take Apart Party. In addition, small screwdrivers with Philips head and standard head are helpful.
With gratitude for ministry and many gifts you offer our children,
Katie, on behalf of the entire Soul Matters Team
Katie Covey
DRE for Soul Matters
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