What people say about our Youth Religious Education Program

"This church has been with me since I was young and has helped me grow up and shown me many different paths and ways of life.  I am very grateful to everyone in it, and without you, I would most likely be very different, so I thank you. You are all wonderful and individual and amazing."
Cate, Former Teen

This is what the children and youth say about RE! Photo by Joe Maciejko

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 "Hi!  I recently became a member, however, I've been attending this congregation on and off over the past 13 years. One of my first memories was attending Super Con (a youth-planned UU gathering for young people, in essence, a youth conference), here at the congregation.  What I remember most about the Con was how involved and knowledgeable the youths were about several issues such as politics, environment, and social justice.  The youths were involved in community outreach programs, protests, engaging others in proactive endeavors to change their school, neighborhood, and community. While at the Con I was completely overwhelmed but inspired by these individuals who were just like me and nothing like me. I came to realize there were more important things going on in the world outside of my personal high school drama.  As I reflect back on that experience now, I can see how it changed my life. After that Con, I began working with individuals with disabilities; this has turned into a passion and a career. This congregation has and will continue to inspire me and hopefully, I can do the same for others in the future."
Amber, Member

A happy RE member - Photo by Joe Maciejko

"It was late-August/early-September some time ago, the beginning of the school year.  I had not anticipated embarking on a spiritual journey when I came home from the office that day, but my wife greeted me with a concerned look.  Our daughter had a discussion at school that day with several of her friends which led to the question, "John is Catholic, Megan is Jewish, Raj is Hindu, what are we?"  In fact, the "what are we" (as a family) question had never come up - until then. 

The Yellow Pages brought us here.  Our family entered the door, and it was an epiphany.  The feeling of community was striking for my wife and myself, but the real "Powerful Moment" came when our two children (10 and 7) came running up to us and asked, "Can we come back again next week?"  You see, one of the most important gifts you can give a child is a sense of identity and belonging and I commend all of you who came here to give."
Gary, Longtime Member