Religious Exploration – Basic Information
Welcome!
The Religious Exploration program at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo County is a welcoming, nurturing place where children and youth are encouraged to explore their world th
rough the lens of their faith.
The Director of Religious Exploration – Dr. David Robinson – can be contacted at re@uuslo.org if you have any questions or to sign up for the weekly (almost) email update about RE happenings.
The RE Committee meets once a month (the time changes, watch the Newsletter and News and Notes for details). It’s Mission Statement reads:
- To provide a program which fosters the ideals of the Mission Covenant of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo County;
- To promote by teaching and example our Unitarian Universalist heritage, purpose, and principles;
- To encourage peaceful communications and respectful acceptance of differences;
- To create for our children and ourselves a religious community of hope, healing, empowerment, and transformation.
The following statements sum up the guiding principles of our Program:
1. People learn in different ways; no one style suits everyone.
2. The Sunday morning experience should be as close as possible for everyone in church, Sanctuary or RE, in a safe, compassionate, and respectful environment.
3. This is Church, not school. We encourage a language of reverence for the loving mystery which encompasses us, and for each other.
4. This is Church, not school. We don’t “Educate”, we “Explore”.
5. This is a Unitarian Universalist church, not school. Everything we do reflects the Seven Principles.
6. This is Church, not school. Parents are the primary source for encouraging religious exploration. We are here to help that process, not control it.
7. This is church, not school. We encourage respectful play as a critical way to learn and reinforce learning, not distract from it.
Important Information:
Visitors
Guests are very welcome in our RE classes. If you are visiting our Fellowship for the first time, come a few minutes early so you can check out the Religious Exploration area before the service. You can meet our staff and explore the space in which your child will be our guest. Our staff is dedicated to making their experience with us both enjoyable and challenging. You are welcome to stay with your child during our class time.
Registration
In order to provide a Religious Exploration program which meets the needs of the children and is safe, we ask that every child be registered. Forms are available here on the website (A FORM for Everything!) and in RE. The Registration Packet (which can be downloaded here) has three forms: 1) a general information form, 2) an emergency medical information form, and 3) a permission slip for walks in the immediate vicinity of the RE area and for photographs. This slip does NOT give permission for field trips or outings to specific locations. Parental / guardian permission will be sought separately for those events. For children previously registered, there is a one page update form (which can be downloaded here).
As part of the registration, we ask each family to commit to bringing fresh fruit for our snack tray one Sunday during the year. The registration form has more details.
Safety
Children can only learn and grow if their environment is safe and nurturing. Safety is our first priority. Please share any information about special needs with the Religious Educator, or our Minister. Be sure to note any allergies or pertinent medical information on the Emergency Medical Information Form of the registration packet. Be sure to update that information during the year if there any changes. The confidentiality of this information will be respected.
Attendance
Children will benefit from regular attendance by becoming more familiar with the program, the teachers and their classmates. Bonding as a group helps them feel more comfortable with active participation in the classes which is essential to the learning process. We STRONGLY encourage regular weekly attendance as an integral part of experiencing our programs.