We are committed to providing children and teens with a rich and varied religious education that speaks to their spiritual lives, their lively intelligences and their deep capacity for caring. We are always learning and growing, no matter our age. Our religious education program fosters an atmosphere of spiritual education that respects individuals and their decisions, nurtures spiritual exploration and ethical decision-making through meditation, discussion and community service, and provides opportunities for meaningful relationships with other church members and with our wider community.
Worship begins at 10:00 am, with children attending the first 15 minutes or so with their families. After the Story for All Ages, the children and youth are invited to join our Director of Religious Education, Courtney McKenny for community time, or they are welcome to stay in the sanctuary with their families for the remainder of the service. If your children participate in community time, 
please be sure to come downstairs at the end of the sermon to bring them up for the 15-minute social break so that they can be a part of the UUFM Chalice Cafe.
Babies are always welcome in our services. If you’d prefer to use the nursery, our childcare provider, Jana Smothers, will be happy to meet you and help get your infant or toddler settled, starting at 9:30 a.m. If you’d like to stay in the nursery with your child(ren), our audio system will enable you to still hear the service.
Please note: A snack is usually served in the nursery. Be sure to note any allergies on the registration form and tell the volunteer when you drop off your child.
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Our Second Hour begins at 11:15 after the social break. During this time, children and youth are invited to attend age appropriate Religious Education classes. We have three age groups in addition to our nursery. Each class is lead by two volunteers and uses Unitarian Universalist curriculums:
Pre-K through 1st grade
Elementary – 2nd through 5th grade
Junior and Senior High – 6th through 12th grade
At UUFM, we are using a “Pillar Model” to enhance the our children’s religious growth and learning through three thematic units: Social Action & Peacemaking, Unitarian Universalism, World Religions. Our church year is from September through May and we focus on each pillar for a year.
Please note: Religious Education programs end at 12:15 pm. If your child is in the Nursery, PreK through 1st or Elementary class, please return to their classroom to pick them up at the end of 2nd Hour.
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Children’s Version of Our Unitarian Universalist Principles
We affirm…
That each and every person is important;
That all people should be treated fairly and kindly;
That we should accept one another and keep on learning together;
That each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life;
That all persons should have a vote about the things that concern them;
In working for a peaceful, fair and free world;
In caring for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things.
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“The great end of religious instruction is not to stamp our minds irresistibly upon the young but to stir up their own.” — William Ellery Channing