Religious Education
We believe education is very important because we understand that what we learn about the world, ourselves, and each other helps to shape who we are.
Our Religious Education program coordinates opportunities for us to learn together. These include a nursery for our littlest ones and classes for other youth on Sunday mornings, as well as discussions and other outings for all at various times throughout any given month.
— We provide child care for children from infants to 5 years old during Sunday services.
— Our Religious Education program is different from most other churches; We are not attempting to teach a particular religious point of view or credo. Instead, we recognize that all the religions of the world have something to offer and have much in common. We look to the deeper roots of the world’s religious teachings.
— We have a tradition of teaching:
♦ The world’s religions.
♦ Our core principles (such as every person has inherent worth and dignity).
♦ A renowned, comprehensive and inclusive sex education program (called OWL – Our Whole Lives) which is inclusive of various sexual orientations and identities and teaches strong core principles. Content includes:▪ ‘What does a healthy relationship look like?’;▪ ‘How do I control my own space in the face of peer pressure?
♦ An examination of real sexuality in contrast to the hyper-sexualized artificially beautified people that our mass media constantly presents to us and our youth.
— We are a great resource for mixed faith marriages. We teach mutual respect and understanding and, beyond that, celebration of our belief differences.
— Our Religious Education curricula has a strong core value of social justice, which is core to our basic principles.
— We are less concerned with teaching a particular creed and more concerned with teaching our youth to be able to navigate, for themselves, a spiritual path that follows their own conscience and can lead to lifelong spiritual growth.