The mission of the All Souls Children’s Religious Education Program is to foster the lifelong exploration of religious thought and values through a program that promotes spiritual development by means of free inquiry, mutual respect and responsible behavior.
All Souls Children’s Religious Education (CRE) is a cooperative church school program that supports families by nurturing hearts, minds and souls. There is no fee associated with our Children’s Program, but we do expect our parents to pledge to the church’s operating fund and to participate in the program in a variety of ways throughout the year.
We have great Children’s Religious Education programming for a full 2 hours and 45 minutes almost every Sunday throughout the year, and your children are encouraged to participate in all of it. If you must limit your participation to a shorter amount of time, please drop off or pick up your child either before or after Chapel from their classroom.
Each Sunday’s Religious Education program has three components:
- 10:00-10:55 Religious Education: A carefully planned curriculum encompassing our Jewish and Christian heritage, World Religions, Unitarianism and Universalism, and the world and our place in it.
- 11:00-11:20 Worship*: Our Children, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, have their own worship service in the Chapel every Sunday they are not with the adults in the Sanctuary. This is a special time when our ministers and carefully selected lay leaders provide an age-appropriate worship experience that mirrors the adult worship service.
- 11:25-12:45 Spiritual Expressions: Using visual arts, drama, movement, yoga and music, the children explore the monthly themes and grow and nurture their spirits with professional artists
*On the first Sunday of each month, our children attend the first twenty minutes of the adult worship service, culminating with the Story of All Ages and then go with their teachers to their classes. Seventh and eighth graders attend the entire service on these Sundays.
Our church school year extends from Homecoming Sunday (the Sunday after Labor Day) in September through the Sunday before Memorial Day in May with a variety of educational opportunities in graded classes. During the summer months, a pre-school class and mixed-age classes are offered during the church services.
FESTIVAL SUNDAYS
During the year we have special Sundays when families worship together in the Sanctuary.There is no Children’s Religious Education programming on these Sundays. Childcare is available for children in Pre-school and younger.This year our Festival Sundays include the Festival of Thanksgiving (Nov. 22), the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov.29), the Sunday after Christmas (Dec. 27), Easter (April 4), and Mother’s Day (May 9).
WE ARE A PEANUT FREE ZONE!
For the safety of children in our program with a very dangerous peanut allergy, All Souls is peanut-free. Snacks brought into class must not contain peanuts and not have been manufactured where peanuts are processed. Be sure to read the labels thoroughly! Please wash your child’s hands and face and check their clothing if they have peanut butter to eat before coming to church. If your child has any food allergies, be sure to note them on the Medical Release Form and let your child’s teacher know.
DRESS FOR THE WEATHER
Children should come dressed for the weather and dressed for fun. They will go outside for some portion of the morning unless the weather is severe, so bring labeled coats and sweaters when the weather warrants. Some of our projects may get messy; please save your finest clothes for Festival Sundays.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Participants in the Children’s Religious Program must have a completed Registration Form and Medical Release on file or fill out a Visitor’s Card each week when attending.
All Children, eighth grade and younger, on the church grounds or in the church building on Sunday mornings must either be in programming or directly supervised by a parent or guardian.
Children should be picked up promptly following the second service.
After 12:45, your children may be brought to the Family Room for pick up.
Please keep sick children at home!If your child has a contagious condition or has experienced fever (or required fever-reducing medication), vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours, for the health and welfare of your our child as well as others, please keep your child at home.
Shannon Boston, the Children’s Religious Education Administrator, is available to answer any questions you may have about the program. She can be reached in the Religious Education Office, 743-2805, ext. 321 or at SBoston@allsoulschurch.org.
The All Souls Children’s Religious Education program serves children through eighth grade by drawing from our diverse religious heritage, fostering each child’s spiritual development in the tradition of liberal faith. Parents are always welcome to attend programming with their children.
Click here to download and print a registration form.
Read more about Unitarian Universalism and Children's Religious Education: