Passing Along Our Values

May Memorial offers a full range of religious education worship and Sunday-morning programs for children and teens, as well as a variety of adult education opportunities.

May Memorial’s youth education programs are led by teams of volunteers from the congregation under the supervision of Religious Education Director Jennifer Hamlin-Navias and Interim Minister John Marsh. We call our program UniQuest. The guides for children’s worship and morning programs are members of the congregation, who volunteer under the leadership of Religious Education Director Jennifer Hamlin-Navias. Two volunteers guide each RE class, grouped by age and theme: Natural Wonders (Pre-K, K), Earthlings (grades 1-2), Webwalkers (grades 3-4), Faith Friends (grades 5-6). The Coming of Age group (grades 7-9), has more guides.

May Memorial offers a UUA-approved curriculum on sexuality to adolescents, though not every year. There is a facilitated teen program under the supervision of Interim Minister John Marsh.

Program goals for faith development in 2006-2007:

• Build relationships and a sense of community in the program and the congregation.
• Foster a sense of celebration and fun as part of a vibrant spiritual life.
• Promote identification with and deepening understanding of Unitarian Universalism. To support children, youth, and their families in practicing Unitarian Universalism at home and in the world.
• Encourage young people and adults to act as stewards of our religious community, of the larger human community, and the interdependent web.

We live out these program goals through UniQuest. UniQuest small groups are aimed to create little communities for the children. From within these groups they can explore their own beliefs, others beliefs and the history and identity of the UUA. Children will investigate UU Principles and Sources Sexuality education is integrated in age approriate ways.

A wide variety of growth opportunities

Led by volunteer guides from the congregation, children will engage in different activities that will encourage their spiritual growth. Time for a weekly sharing of joys and sorrows and sharing a “feast” is included.

Most groups will rotate through a different room each week. These include: art studio, theater, nature center/outdoors, chapel/movement, gym. Our aim is to support natural curiosity and depth of discovery through various learning modalities. What will I create in the world? How will we make something together? (art studio) What role will I play? How will we act together? (theater) What does my body tell me about the world and its mystery (chapel-yoga, gym-movement) What is my part in the interdependent web of life? (nature room)

Groups run according to the demographics of our population of children. Some ages are combined, some are not.

Adult education programs at May range from support groups and meditation to theology and discussion groups. The range of possibilities is ever-expanding, and offers many opportunities for members to deepen their faith and understanding and lead better lives.