District Programs Small Congregations Religious Education
Religious Education for Small Congregations
These resources come from the Zeal Appeal: Small Congregations, Vital Stories workshop held in Santa Fe, NM, April 2008.
Big Ideas for Small Congregations, A friendly guide for leaders who strive to make small their smaller-sized congregations vital and meaningful. Jane Dwinell & Ellen Germann-Melosh, www.spiritoflifepublishing.com.
The Multigenerational Congregation: Meeting the Leadership Challenge, A survey of contemporary congregational life with helpful insights into essential the differences and unique dynamics between generations and between long-tenured and shorter-tenured members. Author: Gil Rendle; available from Alban Institute; www.alban.org.
Full Circle: Fifteen Ways to Grow Lifelong UUs. A comprehensive and across the lifespan resource for developing and sustaining Unitarian Universalist identity. By Katie Erslev, available from the UUA bookstore.
Starting from Scratch: How To Begin Your Own RE Program for Children & Youth. Anne Fields, et al. A good resource if your congregation has no program and you’d like to start one or if your family joined a congregation that has no RE program and you’d like to suggest they start one. UUA bookstore; www.uuabookstore.org.
SCREENNOW.COM An on-line pre-employment screening service providing background checks on potential staff/ volunteers working with children and youth.
The RE RoadMap. A comprehensive and indispensable resource with hundreds of pages of helpful information covering program development, administration, and curriculum planning. Order directly from the author: Cindy Leitner 14985 SW 98th, Tigard, Oregon 97224, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Which Lesson? UU Curriculum Content Finder. Summaries of RE curricula for preschool through middle school. Contact the author: Virginia Steel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mountain Desert District (MDD) Lending Library (see catalog handout): RE curricula and resources are available on loan for review for a three-week period. Please do not violate copyright laws by making photocopies. The only cost to MDD congregations is the first-class or priority mail return postage. Extended loan periods may be arranged if sufficient copies of the requested material are on hand to meet other loan demands. Borrowers will receive with the borrowed material a form stating the due date and where to return material. One overdue notice is sent out for material not returned by the due date. If the overdue material is not returned upon receipt of the overdue notice, the borrower will be charged for the unreturned items. All materials are to be returned to: Mountain Desert District c/o Melanie Buck, 2242 S. Albion Street, Denver, CO 80222
Tapestry of Faith, UUA Lifespan Faith Development: In addition to an annotated bibliography of available published curricula, Lifespan Faith Development Staff are creating a new Tapestry of Faith Program over the next three years. Some of these curricula are now available on-line in beta form for free during the field-testing phase. Visit http://www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith/.
UU CARDS. A consortium of UU curriculum writers and resource developers. The source for many of the most popular curriculum, www.uucards.org.
Come Into The Circle: Worshipping with Children, Michelle Richards. A collection of chalice lightings, prayers, meditations, and other child-friendly worship resources. www.uua.org/publications/skinnerhouse/
We Believe: Learning & Living Our UU Principles, Ann Fields, Joan Goodwin. Twenty-two sessions (3 sessions per UU principle) for all ages with activities, game board, stories, worship resources, and handouts. Order online from www.uuabookstore.org.
Family Ministry. A relatively new section of the UUA website focused on ministry to and with UU families: uua.org/religiouseducation/families/
Peacemaking in Congregations: A Guide to Learning Opportunities For All Ages. This peacemaking guide is a collection of learning materials and resources (curricula, websites, books, games) geared toward children, youth, families, and adults—all focused on peacemaking at various levels. Available online in PDF.
HeartTalk for Kids, Debbie Grieb, Veronica Lassen. Based on the work of Marshall Rosenberg (Non-violent communication), grade levels PreK/1 grade, 2/4 grade, 5/6 grades. Order online from www.heartvistas.org. Accompanying adult materials available from the Center for Nonviolent Communication in Albuquerque at www.cnvc.org.
Touching the Heart: Tales for the Human Journey, William J. Bausch. Compelling, convincing, and completely absorbing stories for all ages. Twenty-third Publications online at www.23rdpublications.com.
Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA): A national UU professional organization for all who care about religious education. Resources include an annual conference and access to a listserv where members can discuss professional issues. lreda.org.
Church of the Larger Fellowship: Officially a UU virtual congregation with resources for families and small groups including curricula for only a few children or adults. http://clf.uua.org/.
Posted February 23, 2010 Written by Jess Cullinan