Religious Education for the children and youth is a cooperative venture involving both children and adults in the church community. In a liberal religious tradition such as Unitarian Universalism, religious learning, spiritual growth, and faith development are viewed as a lifelong journey each person takes.

We may hold different beliefs but we covenant to journey together as a community, using as our guide our common principles and values. Together, we strive to create an atmosphere of respect, compassion, and spiritual growth for ourselves and others.

Religious Education classes encourage creativity in the individual, positive interactions among the children, and connections to each other, our community, and the world. Teachers work in teams and teaching is seen as a spiritual practice. The curricula used draw upon the core set of liberal principles and historical tradition of Unitarian Universalism and are developmentally appropriate to the age of the participants.  Source material is gathered from teachings of the world, including Jewish and Christian heritages and other religious traditions, as well as from art and science.

There is also an active Senior Youth group (9th-12th grade) that meets on Sunday evenings, as well as other times depending on the activity.

The Religious Education programming for children and youth at the UU Society of Schenectady runs a full program from September through June and an abbreviated program during the summer months. In addition, we have special events around the traditional holidays of the major world religions and church-wide multigenerational services approximately once a month.

For further information, you may contact Director of Lifespan Religious Education (DLRE) HB Steadham at dlre @ uuschenectady.org, or (518)374-4446 X6.