Values and Covenant
As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.
Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:
Interdependence. We honor the interdependent web of all existence. We covenant to cherish Earth and all beings by creating and nurturing relationships of care and respect. With humility and reverence, we acknowledge our place in the great web of life, and we work to repair harm and damaged relationships.
Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, experience, and theology. We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.
Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions.
Transformation. We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.
Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.
Inspirations
As Unitarian Universalists, we use, and are inspired by, sacred and secular understandings that help us to live into our values. We respect the histories, contexts and cultures in which they were created and are currently practiced. These sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times. Grateful for the religious ancestries we inherit and the diversity which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.
Helpers Needed
The Children's Lifelong Spiritual Formation program is looking for volunteers to help lead meetings and/or support meeting leaders on Sunday mornings. Meeting Leaders will lead the Sunday morning meeting using the format provided by the Lifelong Spiritual Formation Director. Meeting Helpers will support children in creative activities like arts and crafts, games, storytelling etc. If you are interested in helping out in the CLSF program, please sign up here. We will be offering Helper Trainings for volunteers. Our first training will be on September 1st.
Sunday Mornings
Our Children's Lifelong Spiritual Formation (CLSF) program year coincides with the school year. We offer CLSF programming and nursery care mid-September through early June. Program offerings include:
- Sunday morning CLSF workshops (aka Sunday School) for Grades K-7
- Nursery care for children Pre-K and under
- Youth programs for grades 8-12
- Multigenerational events, activities and worship services
- Multi-age activities and projects
The Nursery is open at 9:45 and nursery staff arrives at 9:50. On occasion, the Nursery will be open but unstaffed. Parents and caregivers are invited to use the Nursery during the worship service as needed. The worship service can be seen and heard from inside the Nursery.
With the exception of Nursery age children, everyone typically begins Sunday mornings in the Sanctuary. Early in each service, there is a Time for all Ages story shared by the Lifelong Spiritual Formation Director (LSFD), the minister, or a volunteer storyteller. After the Time For All Ages Story, the CLSF meeting leaders and children will be sung out to to participate their in workshops in the CLSF area. This generally happens around 10:15.
Our Sunday morning CLSF groups are divided into two groups according to the following grade levels: K-3 and 4-6. CLSF programs end by 11:15am. Most weeks, parents and caregivers have a little time to gather for coffee during Hospitality Hour following the worship service before CLSF meetings end.
Children in K- Grade 3 must be picked up by a parent or caregiver at the end of their CLSF. Children in grades 4-7 will be released from programs to find their families at the end of their CLSF meeting. Parents and caregivers are responsible for their children before and after CLSF programming.
Children of all ages are always welcome in the sanctuary throughout any service as a valued part of our multi-generational community. Coloring and activity pages are available near the entrance of the sanctuary.
Inside the Children's Lifelong Spiritual Formation Program
How We Learn:
What We Learn:
We are a liberal religious community that respects all people (community building), honors the teachings of all major religions (world religions), values peace and justice and practices conflict resolution (social justice), works to preserve the planet (environmental justice, web of life), and values our original roots (Jewish and Christian heritage, UU history). This year we will be doing a themed ministry using materials from Soul Matters.
For more info visit: https://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com
Who Leads the CLSF Meetings:
Our CLSF Volunteer Leaders are UUCB members that have been recruited, vetted, and supported by the Lifelong Spiritual Formation Director and the Children's Lifelong Spiritual Formation Committee. They come from a variety of educational, spiritual, and social backgrounds. You are welcome to meet them before or after services to learn more about them. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this form. Parents and caregivers are always welcome to join their children in their CLSF Meetings!
Children's Lifelong Spiritual Formation Calendar 2024-25
Special CLSF Programming
Our Whole Lives
Our Whole Lives, OWL, is a series of lifespan sexuality education curricula. UUFWC offers classes for elementary ages (grades K-1 and grades 4th-6th), Middle School (grades 7-9), and High School (grades 10-12).
OWL helps participants make informed and responsible decisions about their bodies, sexual health and behavior. It equips participants with accurate, age-appropriate information in six subject areas:
- human development
- relationships
- personal skills
- sexual behavior
- sexual health
- society and culture.
Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, “Our Whole Lives” provides not only facts about anatomy and human development, but helps participants to clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality. More information about OWL can be found on the UUA website: http://www.uua.org/re/owl.
This offering is not well-suited to an online environment and is therefore only held in person.
Coming of Age
The Coming of Age program at UUCB offers eighth graders an engaging and structured atmosphere in which to explore significant issues at this transitional stage of life.
Coming of Age provides a modern rite of passage experience that welcomes and affirms youth as they embark on their journey towards young adulthood. The youth are supported on this journey by the Director of Religious Exploration. Coming of Age is comparable to a confirmation or bar/bat mitzvah.
At the end of the Coming of Age program, the youth present a worship service to the congregation and discuss what they’ve learned through the COA experience and how they have grown. These “credo” statements can be presented as a statement of faith, a poem, a visual representation, or anything that feels authentic to the youth. After COA, the youth move into the Youth Group.
Some highlights of the program include:
- Development of a personal belief statement
- Learning about UU history
- Community service project
- End-of-year celebration/party for the youth and their families
- Working with a mentor- a member of UUCB who will share their spiritual journey
Neighboring Faith Communities
Grades 6/7
In this program youth explore the faith traditions of Unitarian Universalism, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, and Quakers. Discussions, videos, and games explore the values that the faiths share but with an emphasis on their uniqueness. Most faith units include an information piece, a field trip or virtual visit (mosque, temple, synagogue, churches, and more), followed by reflection on the visit. Most field trips are on Sundays but some are on other days.
Youth Group
Grades 8-12
The Youth Group is comprised of high school age youth (grades 8-12) who gather every for worship, conversation, fun, food, social action, and deepening relationships. It is an ongoing group that seeks to foster spiritual depth, clarify both individual and universal religious values and create a peaceful community on Earth. A part of the Unitarian Universalist youth movement, this group welcomes all high school students in our faith community. This year we are working to create a Southern Maine Youth Conference for local UU youth group to get to know each other.
