As Unitarian Universalists, our religious education is less about what we are teaching and more about how we teach. We value the independent journey of every UU to find what they believe in and how they want to live – and that goes for our children just as much as for our adults. As teachers we strive not to hand down beliefs, but to reach out a hand with helpful tools and questions to inspire reflection. Together alongside the children we cultivate wonder and excitement while practicing respect and gently guiding them towards being more loving and inclusive people.

Conduct, Covenant, and Customs

In our classes we strive to meet the children and youth where they are in the moment and take into account their physical, social, and emotional wellness. We practice listening to our bodies needs by an open choice of healthier snacks and drinks, providing fidget toys for listening aids, offering activities that inspire different learning types and interests, and trying out naming our emotions with joys/sorrows, meditation, and sharing.

When we are together we also create a covenant, or an agreement about how we want to be in our space together. While each group can customize their own values and ideals, there are some things that are universal throughout the program. We respect each other as inherently worthy people: so we pay attention to pronouns and identities, we honor respectful different beliefs and ways of thinking, we value people’s participation and boundaries, and we work to make sure everyone has what they need.

We will not always live up to these aspirations with every person, in every class, every week – we are human and as such we are humane with ourselves and others. WHEN, not if, we mess up and don’t live up to our covenant we call each other back INTO relationship. There is no calling out and saying someone is a bad person for doing or not doing something. Instead we remind ourselves why we are here together and how we can try again more kindly.

Our Unitarian Universalist Values

All that we do as Unitarian Universalists is based in love – for when we focus on love our other values of justice, equity, transformation, pluralism, interdependence, and generosity we learn how to express this love for one another.

In children’s language: we build beloved community as we try to make our world fair, we help everyone to flourish and get what they need, we are always changing and growing, we celebrate diversity since we know there’s not just one right way, we honor the web of life since the whole world and all people are connected in one big family, we joyfully share with one another what we can in love.

What do we stand for?

Our community, the Unitarian Congregation of West Chester, is a Welcoming Congregation – which means we work hard to be a safe and inclusive place for people who identify as LGBTQIA+. Our congregation has also stood up for Black Lives Matter and we work hard to become antiracist and advocate for people who are black, indigenous, people of color.

In our RE classes this means that we learn in age appropriate ways what these issues are, how we can be a safe space, and what we can do to make the world a better place. Like we said with our covenant earlier, we won’t always get everything right, but these are promises we are making to each other to do our best together.