Religious Education For You

The great end of religious instruction is not to stamp our minds on the young, but to stir up their own; not to make them see with our eyes, but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own; not to give them a definite amount of knowledge, but to inspire a fervent love of truth. Not to impose religion upon them in the form of arbitrary rules, but to awaken the conscience to moral discernment. In a word, the great end is to awaken the soul; to bring understanding, conscience and heart into earnest vigorous action on religious and moral truth, to excite and cherish spiritual life. 

These inspiring words from Unitarian Universalist theologian William Ellery Channing are at the heart of all UU Religious Education programming. As Unitarian Universalists, we have no creed or catechism, so our program strives to help each child and youth address the big questions of life:

• Who am I?
• How do I get along with others?
• What is the world like?
• What can I learn from the spiritual practices and belief systems of other religions?
• What do I believe?
• How will I live my life?

Here at Albany UU, our Sunday School provides a friendly place for children and youth to explore and make discoveries as they are guided toward developing their own religious identity and beliefs. We encourage curiosity, as well as a creative response to life.

Our mission statement guides Religious Education programming at Albany UU and endeavors to:

• Foster Unitarian Universalist identity by helping both children and youth cultivate their religious identity, as well as their beliefs as Unitarian Universalists
• Promote stewardship through participation in and caring for our church community, and our denomination
• Instill Unitarian Universalist values by internalizing and practicing our Seven Principles

Our Director of Religious Education is Leah Purcell.