Welcome Forward Family Ministry

---

• What is Family Ministry?
• Facets of Family Ministry at UUCF
• Family Ministry This Month
• Sign Up to Receive the Family Ministry Newsletter
• This Month’s RE Schedule
• This Month’s Ongoing Groups and Events
• Upcoming Family Ministry Activities and Announcements
• Information for New Families
• 2023-24 RE Class Dates
• 2023-24 RE Class Options for Elementary-age Children
• 2023-24 RE Class Options for Middle and High School Youth
• About Our Whole Lives (OWL) Lifespan Sexuality Education Program
• RE Policies and Procedures
• Sign Up Your Child/Youth for Religious Exploration (RE)

---

What is Family Ministry?

Family Ministry at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax is an approach to faith development that recognizes that faith development:

• Happens throughout our lives, at all ages.
• Happens wherever we are; on a walk, in a class, at home, in worship.
• Views parents, grandparents, caregivers as the primary religious educators for their children.
• Creates an intentional community of all ages.

Family Ministry seeks to meet people where they are and includes families of all kinds – as families – in the life of the congregation. It’s not just about families with children. At the same time, it recognizes that families with children require significant attention.

---

Facets of Family Ministry at UUCF

• Children and youth participate regularly in worship services.
• Music Ministry includes opportunities for families, children and youth.
• Religious exploration structured as small-group ministry that supports and educates parents and other adults as well as children.
• Social justice and social action for all ages.
• Resources for at-home spiritual deepening.
• Whole-congregation social and educational events.

⇑

---

Family Ministry This Month

October Message from the Director of Religious Exploration

Greetings parents, guardians, RE volunteers and friends,

The program building is bustling with activity on Sunday mornings again. Many new students (25 since July) have enrolled in RE and the excitement to be together again is electric! If you are a new family, welcome! If you are a

returning family – welcome back! I hope you all review the opportunities for connection in Family Ministry this month (pot-lucks, youth group, hiking, campus path-clearing, etc.) and dive into congregational life at UUCF.

The Unstoppable Stories Banned Book Festival, sponsored by the Potomac Partnership, is this weekend, September 30, and October 1. The Saturday family activities at River Road UU will include story-telling, an art space, a reading space, and an opportunity for children and youth to make video statements in support of the freedom to read. Children are encouraged to come dressed as a favorite book character. Dress-up items will also be available at River Road. On Sunday at UUCF, children ages 4 and up are invited to bring a bag lunch and enjoy story time in the teen pod from noon to two o’clock. Older elementary students and youth are invited to Cocoa Connections in the Music and Arts room from noon to 2 p.m. where they will have the floor to speak, read, recite poetry, sing, play music and share their stories however they choose, while audience members enjoy cocoa and snacks.

An All-Congregational Listening Session will be held on Monday, October 2, 7:30 p.m., via Zoom. This year’s approved budget does not include enough money to pay all the staff currently employed. The Congregational Advisory Team was established to study UUCF’s staffing and programs to determine what is core to the mission and should continue with the funding available and where cuts can be made. Please attend the listening session to give your input on UUCF programs that impact you and that you want to continue. Learn more about the work of the advisory team HERE. Staff cuts are slated for January 1.

And last, but certainly not least – congratulations to Jeanette Walton for becoming certified to facilitate Our Whole Lives (OWL) at the MS/HS level. Jeanette will be subbing in 7th-9th grade OWL this year and will be a facilitator for one of next year’s OWL classes.

I look forward to seeing you and your family on campus soon!

Diana
Diana Maren Tycer (she/her)
Director of Religious Exploration, UUCF
dtycer@uucf.org/703-625-1935
Sign Up to Receive the Family Ministry Newsletter

⇑

---

This Month’s RE Schedule

• Sunday, October 1, 10 a.m. Worship Service. Child care available. Fall RE in session for ages 2 through HS.
• Sunday, October 8, 10 a.m. Worship Service. Child care available. Fall RE in session for ages 2 through HS.
• Sunday, October 15, 10 a.m. Worship Service. Child care is available. Fall RE in session for ages 2 through HS.
• Sunday, October 22, 10 a.m. Worship Service. Child care is available. RE class for MS OWL only!
• Sunday, October 29, 10 a.m. Worship Service. Child care is available. Fall RE in session for ages 2 through HS.

⇑

---

This Month’s Ongoing Groups and Family Ministry Events

• Joyful Noise meets Sun., 10/15, 10/29, 3:30 p.m. in the music room.
• Voices of Hope meets Sun., 10/15, 10/29, 4:30 p.m. in the music room.
• REC meets Tues. 10/10, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Commons and online.
• 4th – 6th gr. Group Cox Farms trip, Sat. 10/14, 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
• MS Youth at Cox Farms, Sat.10/14, 6:45 – 10:15 p.m.
• Adult OWL meets Tues.10/17, online only at 7-9 p.m.
• Campus Refresh Day is at UUCF, Saturday, 10/21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m
• HS Youth at Cox Farms, Sat. 10/21,7-11 p.m.
• Fall Festival is Sun.10/22, 11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. at UUCF campus.
• RE Parent and Guardian Orientation is Tues. 10/24, 7-8:30 p.m. online only.
• RE Family Hiking is Sat. 10/21 at 9:30 a.m. at E.C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly.
• RE Family Potluck is Sun. 10/29, 5:30 p.m. in the Commons.

⇑

---

Upcoming Family Ministry Activities and Announcements

⇑

---

Information for New Families

UUCF offers Religious Exploration classes every Sunday from September through May at 10 a.m., for preschool children and Kindergarten through Grade 12 on 26 Sundays, as well as seven Sundays in the summer. Additionally, staff and volunteers offer Special RE programming or Fun and Fellowship for younger children when RE classes are not in session.

Children and youth (teens) begin each Sunday in the worship service with their parents at 10 a.m. and are dismissed to their RE classes around 10:25 a.m. Children and youth are always welcome to attend the entire worship service with their parents and are not required to go to RE classes. RE offers children and youth a supportive, loving and safe environment to learn about Unitarian Universalism, engage in fun activities and make new friends. Visitors to RE classes are always welcome! RE classes end at 11:30 a.m., allowing time for parents and guardians to socialize after worship services end at 11 a.m. or participate in post-service programming.

All new parents, children and youth are invited to participate in Family Ministry activities, like the monthly potluck suppers (usually the fourth Sundays of each month), the RE Hiking group, and music and arts events. Please fill out a blue visitors card in the Sanctuary on Sunday mornings or contact visitors@uucf.org so that we can send you information on UUCF activities.

⇑

---

2023-24 RE Class Dates

Please mark your calendars for the following RE Class Sundays:

Oct. 1, 8, 15, 29

Nov. 5, 12, 19

Dec. 10, 17

Jan. 7, 21, 28

Feb. 4, 18, 25

Mar. 3, 10, 17

Apr. 7, 14, 28

May 5, 19

Special RE activities are scheduled for Nov. 26 (Thanksgiving weekend), Jan. 14, (MLK weekend) and Mar. 24 (spring break).

---

2023-24 RE Class Options for Elementary-age Children

2023-24 RE Class Options for Elementary-age Children

Preschool & Kindergarten

Hello Friends – for children ages 2-3, all year.
The Hello Friends curriculum is chock-full of songs, stories, crafts and activities. Friendship is the theme, with lessons on how to be a friend, making friends, animal friends, being a friend to the earth and much more. Hello Friends was created with the littlest UUs in mind. The overall goal of this class is to provide children with a loving and welcoming experience, to help model a community of friendship and to lightly introduce Unitarian Universalist themes.

Chalice Children & 8 Principles – Ages 4-5, all year
Early childhood is filled with curiosity and wonder. In a group setting, with loving adult guides, young children can engage in spiritual seeking, develop their openness to sharing and experience the benefit of a supportive community. The Chalice Children curriculum centers the flaming chalice as the symbol of Unitarian Universalism. With free play, circle time, stories and songs, children learn they are part of a loving and caring congregational community. The 8 Principles introduces young children to the basic ideas of the UU principles: caring for ourselves and the earth, treating each other with kindness and fairness, being free to learn and search for what is true and the importance of listening to one another.

Grades K-4

Treasure Hunting/Soul Matters – Grades K-1, all year
Developed monthly by the Soul Matters Sharing Circle, these curricula are based on monthly worship themes. Each month’s theme is explored through stories, songs, meditation, projects and play. This curriculum was crafted using an anti-racism/ anti-oppression lens and is designed to foster inclusion, equity and justice as well as teach UU identity in an age-appropriate way.

Circle of Trees & World of Wonder – Grade 2, all year
These classes delve deep into the UU 7th principle and instill a respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part, and an appreciation of our world’s beauty, excitement and mystery. This class is designed to nurture and preserve children’s sense of wonder at the world and all its amazing plants, animals, spaces, textures, patterns and processes. The lessons offer children weekly opportunities to directly experience nature on the beautiful UUCF campus.

Love Will Guide Us & Soul Matters – Grade 3, all year
Drawing on the wisdom of the ages as expressed in many different traditions and cultures, along with direct experience, students engage theological questions about the origins of life, the meaning of death and what it means to be human. Participants will learn that asking questions is valued in Unitarian Universalism, even as they begin to shape their own answers to some major life questions: “Where did we come from? What happens when you die?” All sessions highlight love as the central aspect of Unitarian Universalism. Using the night sky and the North Star as metaphors, students are “guided to love.” All sessions included guided discussion, reflection, hands-on activities and self-expression to engage participants with various learning styles.

Toolbox of Faith & Gather the Spirit – Grade 4, all year
Kids love learning how to use tools! Toolbox of Faith uses real tools as metaphors for qualities of the Unitarian Universalist faith. With activities including stories, games, music and using real tools to do fun things, like bursting a balloon with a magnifying glass, hammering nails just to feel the power and mirror walks – leaders help student explore qualities like faith, courage, conviction, listening, humor and justice. Toolbox of Faith helps children understand what being a UU is all about. Gather the Spirit dives into all aspects of water as a major resource for all life. This curriculum encourages children to appreciate and conserve clean water as well as understand how their UU identity calls for the protection of this resource for all life on our planet.

Grades 5-6

Toolbox of Faith – grade 5, fall and winter; see above.

Grade 5 Our Whole Lives (OWL) Lifespan Sexuality Education – Grades 5, spring 2024
This is the second course in the highly regarded comprehensive lifespan sexuality education curriculum created by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. This ten-session class focuses on puberty and the physical and emotional changes adolescents can expect. In addition to explaining sexual reproduction, workshops also explore gender identity, peer pressure, consent, prevention of sexually transmitted infections and contraception.

Amazing Grace – Grade 6, fall-winter
Amazing Grace is a UU Tapestry of Faith curriculum that explores the concept of right and wrong. This curriculum uses UU sources and history to provide a rich philosophical base for ethical development. Diving deep into the ideas of sin and salvation, 6th graders will learn about the theological roots of these ideas and how UUs reconceived them during the past 300 years. The lessons are packed with action, information and challenges designed to equip students to safely navigate the middle and high school years, and the ethical choices they may face.

Inclusive Virginia History – Grades 6, spring 2024
Developed to supplement the Virginia history curriculum taught in schools, this 10-week class discusses the impact of colonization on the native populations of Virginia and explores how the growth of slavery in the 1800s impacted the lives of people of color before and after the civil war. Racial politics of the 20th Century, including Jim Crow laws and the civil rights movement, are reviewed. This class includes a field trip to the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture.

⇑

---

2023-24 RE Class Options for Middle and High School Youth

2023-24 RE Class Options for Middle and High School Youth

The information below should help you and your youth decide which course is best for them. However, if you need additional information, please contact Diana Tycer or Courtney Firth, coordinator for youth and emerging adult ministries.

Coming of Age (COA)

This course examines the theology and values of Unitarian Universalism and culminates in a student credo of beliefs shared during the youth-led Coming of Age service in May. Students are eligible to go on the next Boston Heritage trip, scheduled for May 2025. An important component of this class is the matching of students with adult mentors in the congregation who actively live their UU values. Parents and students are encouraged to ask adults they know to mentor their COA youth, but RE staff can help find mentors if needed. All students should be matched with mentors by the end of November. NOTE: Registration for this class closes on Oct.  29, and no new students will be accepted after this date.

In addition to Sunday mornings, the Coming of Age class schedule includes these events: 

• Sun., Sep. 17 – COA Commencement Ceremony. COA youth, mentors, parents and families join a luncheon immediately after RE at 11:30 a.m., and then at 12:15 p.m. proceed to the COA Commencement Ceremony, which includes ministers, RE staff, parents and youth, and symbolizes the start of each student’s spiritual journey to discover what they believe.  
• Sat., Feb. 3 – COA Retreat. COA youth and teachers participate in an extended teaching session from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Sun., Mar. 10 – DC Adventure Trip. COA youth, mentors and chaperones metro into DC for a morning of fun and learning. The group typically attends a service at All Souls Church Unitarian, visits the National Portrait Gallery and eats lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl.
• Sat., Apr. 27 – Rehearsal for COA Service. Youth and mentors gather at 10 a.m. to rehearse their roles in the upcoming COA worship service. End time varies but it may run until 1 p.m.
• Sun., May 5 – COA Worship Service. During this rite of passage students present their credos to the congregation, which is deeply moving for everyone. Students get their first experience planning and participating in an entire service. 

7-9th Grade Our Whole Lives (OWL) Lifespan Sexuality Education

Our Whole Lives is a nationally recognized, comprehensive, sexuality education program that covers topics not addressed in the public schools, including gender identity, sexual orientation, pornography, all options for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, consent and healthy relationships. The class meets for 26 sessions and regular attendance is expected. NOTE: Registration for this class closes on Oct. 1, and no new students can be added after this date. Those not registered by that date may take one of the other classes available for Grades 7-9.

OWL meets on some additional dates when other RE classes are off, ensuring most core content is completed by April, before spring sports and other activities create schedule conflicts. The last official class is on Apr. 28. OWL will not meet in May, leaving youth free to attend the Coming of Age service, the Mother’s Day service and High School Bridging service.

Before a youth may take OWL, a parent or guardian must attend a parent orientation session and sign a permission form. Parent orientations are scheduled for:

•  Sun., Aug. 20, 2-4 p.m., in person, in the Program Building Social Hall
•  Sun., Sep. 24, 4-5:30 p.m., online.

Crossing Paths

Crossing Paths explores major world religions and compares/contrasts beliefs with the values of Unitarian Universalism. This class includes trips to other houses of worship on Sunday mornings and at other times. Tenth graders are welcome in this class since it complements the world history courses taught in area high schools in 9th and 10th Grades. Registration for this class remains open all year; new students are always welcome. 

Crossing Paths spends 4 consecutive weeks exploring one religion. The first week introduces the core concepts and practices of the religion. The second week compares and contrasts values and beliefs with Unitarian Universalism. The third week is a visit (in person or virtual) to a house of worship associated with that faith. The final week is a debrief about the visit and a review/summary of what has been learned. Religions studied include: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Catholicism and Hinduism. A more detailed schedule of the visits will be shared in the fall. Parents are expected to chaperone on-site visits at least once during the year, but are always welcome on the visits, even when enough chaperones are already present. Parent transport to visit other houses of worship is the norm, but carpooling with RE teachers can be arranged.

High School Youth Class and Youth Group  

High School Class is a relaxed fellowship that offers guided discussions on topics of concern to youth. It is moderated by adult facilitators and the coordinator for youth and emerging adult ministries. In addition to class meetings, the youth enjoy social events and trips and participate in social justice activities together. High School students in other classes are welcome to join HS youth group activities. Students are welcome to join the HS Youth Class at any time during the year.

⇑

---