Faith Formation
for Children and Youth

Visit Jimmy McTophat!

Jimmy's Journey, the story written by our very own children and youth, has been installed in Rockfield Park!

You can stroll down the paved path and read the story on your way to enjoy some play (or watching your kids / grandkids do the play bit).

You can support the ministry of our young folks by snapping pics with our StoryWalk^® project and sharing them online!

Welcome to another Fellowship year of Sunday morning programming for children and youth at UUFHC!

We welcome families to another year of Sunday morning programming at UUFHC! Now that we’ve had our beautiful Ingathering service for all ages, we’re ready for a fall full of enriching curriculum for our young folks.

December Classes for Children and Youth

The month of December invites us to examine the theme of presence, which many of our young folks felt was rather a nebulous theme back in June when they were brainstorming study topics for the program. Nonetheless, we've managed to select some nourishing topics to explore together in our two classrooms this month. Take a look at what's coming up for our young folks below!

December 1st: Where is Sacredness?

• Loving Hearts & Faithful Hands
  Participants in this class will explore three winter holiday religious traditions and wonder what is sacred about each for the people who celebrate them while crafting ornaments which celebrate the sacredness of being present with one another.
• Hopeful Minds & Truthful Actions
  Participants in our discussion-centered class will share their own winter holiday traditions, learn about other winter holiday religious traditions, and compare the differences and similarities in each. Are there common truths or themes which are incorporated in these celebrations? What do they have to do with the theme of presence? Participants will also begin a stained glass inspired Collaborative Art Display (CAD).

December 8th: How to BE Present

• Loving Hearts & Faithful Hands
  Participants will learn about the work UUFHC is doing in the wider community and ways that their presence can work towards justice and peace. Participants will also be crafting gifts to acknowledge, thank, and celebrate the folks of the Community Outreach Committee and other volunteers whose presence makes an impact in Harford County.
• Hopeful Minds & Truthful Actions
  Participants will learn about various campaigns and initiatives in Harford County to which UUFHC members commit their time and energy. They'll discuss ways youth can get involved and how our UU Values call us to be present with folks beyond our congregation's walls. They will also continue working on the December CAD.

December 15th: Offering Our Presence

• Loving Hearts & Faithful Hands
  This has to be one of the most exciting class activities we've ever offered! Participants will consider both what they can offer adults in the congregation and what they'd like from adults in return. Then they'll craft Congregational Classified ads to share with the whole congregation during coffee hour! It's going to be a really fun opportunity for multigenerational connection and community building!
• Hopeful Minds & Truthful Actions
  Participants in this class won't miss out on the fun of Congregational Classifieds, of course, so they'll be contributing to what the Loving Hearts & Faithful Hands class is working on as well—just with more in-depth discussion and a focus on how the UU Values call us to offer our presence to our community. And of course, participants can still work on the CAD as well.

December 22nd: All Ages Worship Service

Brace yourself for the hilarity and poignancy of our annual No Rehearsal Christmas Pageant once again! This delightful UUFHC holiday tradition welcomes everyone to become a part of the ancient Christmas story and celebrate the lasting messages of hope, transformation, and interdependence which it inspires. Best of all, nobody has to show up early or practice anything—just come as you are and join in as you want!

December 29th: Board Game Sunday!

A beloved occurrence among all our young folk, the fifth Sunday of the month (should there be one) is when curriculum is cast aside and we concentrate instead on community building, covenant, and fun with a variety of board games!

More information about our curriculum, is available here.

What is the structure of the curriculum for this year?

Like last year, Sunday morning programming will be choice based, rather than age based. This strengthens engagement by allowing young folks to participate in activities which most interest them. Also like last year, there will be one craft-based offering and one discussion-based offering each Sunday. Here’s what to expect from each:

• Craft Class
  This offering features a craft which is easily accessible for younger children while allowing older participants to take on the roles of helpers and leaders. The lesson plan is structured to offer opportunities for older participants to facilitate aspects of the lesson (like reading things to the class, demonstrating how to assemble the craft, being in charge of supplies, etc.). In this way, participants can build community and learn about the topic of the day from doing the craft and / or taking on leadership roles.
• Discussion Class
  This offering is geared towards young folks who want to dig deep into a topic sharing what they already know and discussing new ideas. While this is often most appealing to our youth, there are topics younger participants enjoy delving into at length as well! While participants in this class have their discussion (led by a facilitator using a discussion guide), they will have the opportunity to work on a monthly Collaborative Art Display which will reflect what they’ve shared and learned throughout the month.

How is curriculum selected?

Last spring, the DFF had virtual conferences with families about their experience with the program and what topics they’d like the program to address. The DFF used this feedback to create suggested topics which align with this year’s monthly worship themes. These topics were presented to the children and youth in June, along with the worship themes, and they were invited to give their feedback about which they were most interested in and what other topics they’d like to learn about. Finally, all of the collected information was brought to the RE Committee to discuss. The committee then discussed which topics should be used for which month (it’s important to note the committee is not limited to only the topics selected by children / youth). Then, the DFF created lesson plans for those topics using a wealth of resources (including materials from Soul Matters, the UUA, and other UU-aligned sources).

Check out the Fall Curriculum Overview

Now that you know how the program is structured, learn when it's all happening!

Schedule a Conference with the DFF

Parents, caregivers, and those interested in our program for children and youth are welcome to schedule a conference with our Director of Faith Formation, Jenn Blosser at any time!

And thank you for supporting our program and the children and youth of UUFHC!