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Children and Youth Religious Education
What's Happening This Week
The lineup of what is happening in children and youth programs will go here.
Welcome to the vibrant and enriching program that is religious education for children, youth, and families at All Souls! Our mission, in alignment with that of the church at large, is to build a diverse, spirit-growing, justice-seeking community. We do this through meaningful lesson themes, arts, hands-on and physical activities, and open conversations. In addition to classes, there are many family friendly events, as well as opportunities to enrich our connections with the family of All Souls Church. Welcome, one and all, to our Unitarian Universalist religious community.
Vision and Goals
The purpose of the Religious Education Program is to
Encourage and support our children’s spiritual and ethical growth.
Provide an open, safe, and compassionate community.
Offer young people a place to explore Unitarian Universalism and other faiths.
Support a natural development of religious faith based on direct experience.
2025-26 Church Year Registration Open!
All children and youth must be registered to attend classes and activities. The All Souls Church Unitarian Religious Education program does not charge registration fees. We ask that, when making your pledge or contribution, you please consider the experiences your family has had with the program.
Nursery through 5th Grade
Religious Education programming for our students beginning with nursery care through grade 5.
Middle & High School
Religious Education programming for our students in grades 6-12.
Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Comprehensive Sexuality Education - We are working to incorporate OWL for all ages!
Coming of Age (COA)
Our Unitarian Universalist theology and identity program for high school students. Culminating in May with our youth-led service.
Ways You Can Help
Teacher/Youth Advisor
Are you looking for a deeper, richer connection to a smaller group of our church’s children? Teaching may be the role for you. As part of a teaching team, you will work with a particular age group (preschool, K-1st, 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th, 6th-8th, or 9th-12th) at the service time you choose (9:30 or 11:15), teaching approximately twice a month for the whole church year. This year-long commitment provides the opportunity to get to know your students, their parents, and your fellow teachers in a meaningful way. Lesson plans, training, and year-long support are provided by the CYRE program to help you make the most of this ministry.
Substitute Teacher or Guest Presenter
Have you always wanted to teach Sunday school, but can’t commit for an entire church year? Workshop leader may be the role for you. Each month will have activities and lessons focusing on the church’s monthly theme. After children’s chapel time, which all K-5th students attend, each class will go to a different theme-related workshop room for the remainder of the morning. This is where you, the workshop leader, come in. For the entire month, or part thereof (except for first Sundays), you’ll lead a workshop, assisted by the grade-level teachers, in a particular area. A different class will come to your workshop each Sunday, so, by the end of the month, you will have worked with all the different age levels, adjusting your activities as needed to each age group, but leading the same general activity each time. If you have a particular skill or interest you’d like to share, let us know. If not, we’ll help you choose one that will be fun and rewarding.
"Choose Your Own Adventure" Facilitator
Do you want to help out in CYRE, but don’t feel ready to step into a teaching or workshop leader role? The “Choose Your Own Adventure” facilitator may be the role for you. The first Sunday of every month, children in Kindergarten and above begin the morning in the sanctuary with their parents and stay through the Story for All Ages. After the story, all K-5th children proceed to the lower level for a special first Sunday snack, then free playtime, either active games in the gym, or crafts, books, games, construction, and dramatic play in separate classrooms. This is where you, the Adventure Day Facilitator, come in. Adults are needed to supervise both the snack and the free playtime. No lesson plan to learn and just once a month, this is an ideal role for someone who is looking for a lighter volunteer commitment.
Weekday Volunteer
If you have time during the week to come in to the church and help the CYRE staff with various preparatory tasks, there’s plenty to do. Your help “behind the scenes” of the CYRE program would be greatly appreciated.
CYRE Committee Member
Our program serves children at All Souls, from the time they’re babies through their senior year of high school. The success of our program rests upon volunteers from our church community. Whether you are a parent or not, we need wide participation from the entire church community to meet our spiritual goals for everyone—children, youth, and adult volunteers. Volunteers are supported by staff and lay leaders. Come, be a part of this vital, enriching ministry. You’ll be glad you did!
CYRE Team
Staff
Ebonie Bazemore, CYRE Assistant
Religious Education Committee
The Religious Education Committee embodies congregational responsibility for the religious education for children and youth by articulating directions and supporting the professional and volunteer staff in realizing the goals of the program.
Meeting once a month with RE staff, committee members articulate the direction and design of the religious education program by listening to parents and congregants, planning and implementing religious education events, supporting training sessions, and working with other adults in the wider congregation to build a truly intergenerational religious community.
Merrie Dodson, Committee Chair
Barbara Corprew
Juliet Gray
Amanda Helin
Lydia Mosher
Lowell Ungar
CYRE Safety Policies
All Souls Church (ASC) and its congregants want all people at the church to be safe. The Religious Education (RE) Safety Policy (Safety Policy) is about the reasonable boundaries, behaviors, and rules ASC and its congregants follow and respect to keep children and youth under the age of 18 safe. We ask that all adults in the church follow these rules with all children and youth in the church during church-related activities. We understand that individual adults may have grown up with different rules, or follow different rules within their own families. We, the Children and Youth Religious Education (CYRE) Committee, arrive at these rules and behavior expectations after research, consultation with child safety professionals, and prayerful consideration. You can access a full copy of our Safety Policy here.
General
No adult should ever be alone with one child or youth, unless they are the parent or legal guardian of that child or youth. An adult mentor who is talking to a child or youth can find a place that provides some privacy, but may not be alone in a room with a child or youth. Examples of safe mentor conversation locations include a corner of Pierce Hall, a corner of the lobby, or in a room with the door open where the conversation can easily be seen by people walking by.
Background checks
ASC RE staff will perform background checks on all individuals who regularly work with children or youth at church-related activities.
Registration
Parents/guardians must complete RE registration for each child or youth participating in RE. Registration is handled online and linked to Realm, the church database system.
Snacks
ASC is not currently offering snacks during Sunday morning RE classes. Even so, Parents and guardians should notify RE staff of any food allergies, so they can make an effort to best safeguard the health of all young people.
Drop-off
If a parent/guardian is the first to drop off a child or youth and there is only one teacher in the room, the parent/guardian will stay until another teacher or child or youth arrives.
During service
During service, children or youth must either be in class or with their families in the service.
Outside of service
In times outside of service and RE classes, children and youth may move through the church with age-appropriate independence. However, children and youth are expected only to enter spaces meant for people to occupy, e.g. children or youth cannot climb into closets, hide backstage, or go by themselves into the bell tower. Consider both the physical safety of the space and the likelihood that children or youth could get hurt out of view by objects or people. Parents/guardians are responsible for supervising children and youth.
Pick-up
Parents/guardians must pick up children in 5th grade and younger promptly after class. Teachers may not dismiss a child in 5th grade or younger on their own, unless the parent/guardian has expressly permitted this in writing. Please be mindful of this when socializing after the service.
Off-site activities
Children and youth may not leave the church for RE activities without a signed permission form from a parent or guardian.
Emergency plan
ASC will perform evacuation drills so that children, youth, and teachers are familiar with the routes. Parents/guardians will meet children and youth outside in the event of an evacuation.
First Aid
ASC provides limited first aid kits in every classroom. A more comprehensive kit is at the front desk. Teachers will promptly notify parents/guardians of any serious health issues.
Photos/videos
ASC will not publish pictures of children or youth in ASC publications or on social media without express parental/guardian permission, which may be provided at RE registration. Adults, children, and youth at ASC should not post pictures of or identify children or youth on social media without the permission of the child or youth and their parent/guardian.
Serious violations of the Safety Policy should be reported to Director of Religious Education.
Expectations for Behavior
In the RE Program, we seek to engage children and youth within an atmosphere of mutual respect and kindness. At the beginning of the church year, all classes create a “Class Covenant,” stating how they will be in community with each other. In order to ensure a safe learning environment for all participants, we expect a method of interacting guided by our covenants. In the event that a child needs help meeting these expectations, the following steps may be taken: verbal correction or sign, removal from the group, conversation with the Religious Educator, consultation with parents, parents asked to take part in class.
In the spirit of community, we ask that our children and youth "be present" in class. This means they do not bring books and toys into the room with them unless it is meant to be used with the lesson. Ideally, all children will be present in mind and spirit, but if your child has a special need to bring a book or toy from home, please let us know.