First Unitarian Church of St. Louis | Religious Education for Children

For the youngest of children, loving nursery care is provided from 8:45 am till noon. Augustine Underwood (Miss Augie) and Rhonda Buergler (Miss Rhonda) are the nursery leaders. Babies and toddlers find many toys, books, and hugs in the nursery. Very simple activities are introduced for the older two years old. Parents who wish to keep infants with them are welcome to bring babies to the Sanctuary. You may also listen to the service in the more comfortable setting of the Dodson Room, adjacent to the sanctuary. (Please be aware that this room is not soundproof.)

For older children, our course of study provides a background in the history and wisdom of many traditions and a strong knowledge and connection with our own traditions. Each year, the classes engage three themes: Unitarian Universalist Identity; World Religions; and Jewish and Christian Heritages. Classes are a combination of active and reflective learning opportunities. As the children progress through the program, these subjects are looked at with deepening intellectual sophistication in recognition of their cognitive development. Children are guided to appreciate the wisdom and knowledge in these areas as they go deeper into understanding religion and developing their own religious values. The curriculum for each classroom is available in the prospectus on the Religious Education program.

Worship, Personal Reflection, and Prayer
Individual spiritual development is the center of our church. Each week the children and families are offered time for quiet reflection and connection with others.

On most Sundays, the children begin their morning in the sanctuary with their families for the beginning of the service. This time together may include a story/message for all, a special reading, music or a hymn. After time in church, the children proceed to their classes. All classes begin with a chalice lighting which includes quiet reflection, a unison affirmation and sharing of Joys and Concerns. Several times a year (Christmas Eve and Easter, for example), families are together for the entire worship service. In addition, there are times during the church year when the children actively participate in the sanctuary service. These include the Cornbread Communion at Thanksgiving and Flower Communion in the Spring. A touching highlight for all is the traditional Christmas Pageant, with the children portraying the roles in the Nativity Story.

On the first Sunday of each month, we depart from our regular schedule and have a special Children’s Chapel in place of Sunday School Chapels. Each chapel has a theme that is explored with story, song, movement and action. These Sundays give our children the opportunity to explore the spiritual matters of their lives in an age appropriate manner with all of their peers in the Religious Education Program.

At the beginning of worship services and Sunday School classes, a chalice is lit.

A flame within a chalice (a cup with a stem and foot), represents the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and is a symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith.

"At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our denomination. It unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work."
—Dan Hotchkiss

Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame as a Unitarian symbol during his work with the Unitarian Service Committee during World War II. To Deutsch, the image had connotations of sacrifice and love. Unitarian Universalists today have many different interpretations of the image.

Hope Children's Choir
Children age six and older have the option of participating in the Children’s Choir. The choir meets for weekly rehearsals (on Sunday mornings between services) and performs in occasional Sunday morning services and Children’s Chapels. This group provides an opportunity for creative expression, teaches the discipline necessary to perform as a group, and enhances the worship experience of the entire church. Also, the children who participate in choir have real pride in their choral accomplishments.

Community
Our need to belong and feel loved is our first enduring religious experience. Attending church regularly and consistently is essential for your child’s attachment to the community. On Sunday mornings, your child will enjoy attending Coffee Hour with you. At this time you and your child can purchase a baked good and chat with friends and acquaintances. Children will find the special Kid Zone tables in Fellowship which have arts and crafts materials and board games. For those children wishing to have free-play time, the lawn area along Kingshighway is open. Children should always be supervised when playing outside.

In addition, there are several All Church Intergenerational social activities throughout the year. These include fun activities such as the Stone Soup Dinner and puppet show, Hanging of the Greens holiday party and the UnFish Fish Fry Vegetarian meal during the Lenten season. Please check the calendar and watch the church newsletter for details.

Service to the Community
Acting upon values is an essential component to the religious education of children. Our program includes year long attention to social action in the community and pastoral concern in our own congregation. Some activities are for the whole Sunday School and others are in the various classrooms. Following is a description of some of the activities.

SSDN (formerly known as the South Side Day Nursery)
In 1886, Unitarian women founded this nursery with the goal of providing a safe, clean and educational facility for the children of poor working women. The Unitarian church has maintained a strong relationship with SSDN. In a typical year, the church children will solicit needed supplies like diapers and formula at Thanksgiving time and the Jr. High and Youth Group may help with special clean-up days at the nursery.

Sandwich Making
Every second and fourth Sunday of the month, our congregation is responsible for preparing sack lunches for the chronically homeless, to be distributed by Gateway Homeless Services. Each Sunday School class participates in this project with an in-class lesson about stewardship and mission, followed by the actual preparation of the lunches. Parents are encouraged to participate with making the sandwiches; you and your family can deliver the sandwiches to the Center, as well.

Food and Toiletries Collection
Our congregation supports a neighborhood food pantry maintained by Trinity Episcopal Church. Donations of non-perishable food items and toiletry items may be brought to church each week and left in collection baskets in the front foyer. On the third Sunday of each month you may purchase canned goods at the Trinity Store in Fellowship Hall. Middle School youth in the “Take a Bite out of Hunger” over see the sales of the canned goods.

“Project ARK is committed to providing services that enhance the lives of children, youth, young adults, women and families infected, affected and at risk for HIV disease through coordination of medical care, social support and prevention services.” Each year the Sunday School supports the mission of this group by participating in their annual winter toy drive. The toys collected for this project are often the only gifts the children who benefit from the program will receive over the holidays.

Mitten Tree
Each winter, new hats, gloves, mittens and scarves are collected and adorn a Mitten Tree in Fellowship Hall. The items are donated to SSDN and The Christian Service Center. This is a wonderful way for children and adults to share the warmth of their lives with others.

UUSC
Each Thanksgiving, the children and entire congregation participate in the Guest at Your Table program which supports the human rights work of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). Each family takes a box home and at every meal or snack, a few coins are contributed to the box. The individual boxes are collected after the first of the year and the cumulative collection is donated in our church’s name to the UUSC. This collection is an easy way for children to learn that we can share the bounty of our lives with others.

Standing on the Side of Love is a public advocacy campaign that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression. It is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association and all are welcomed to join.

The message, “Standing on the Side of Love,” emerged as a rallying point for people of faith in Massachusetts during their early efforts for fully inclusive marriage, and later during the fight against Proposition 8 in California.

The Standing on the Side of Love Campaign was inspired by the 2008 shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, which was targeted because they are welcoming to LGBT people and have a liberal stance on many issues.The Knoxville Community responded with an outpouring of love that inspired the leadership at the Unitarian Universalist Association to launch a campaign that would harness love’s power to challenge exclusion, oppression and violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, race, religion, or any other identity.

The Sunday School supports Standing on the Side of Love by asking the question, “How do we show love to the world?” On the Sunday closes to Valentine’s Day we engage in projects and activities that demonstrate the many ways we actually show our love.

Please contact our Religious Educator through if you have questions about the program or if you would like to receive a prospectus on our Religious Education program for children, youth, and families. You can download our Religious Education Registration Form to fill out at home and bring with you on Sunday morning.