What We Offer Through the Lifespan

We provide children, youth, young adults, and adults the opportunity to explore, reflect, and learn in a nurturing spiritual community. Unitarian Universalist religious education programs offer all ages, inspiring:

• Ethical growth – internalizing enduring values like justice, equity, and compassion, and gaining tools to act on them in everyday life.
• Social growth – connecting with peers and people of all ages on a deeper level. Finding acceptance among people who see beyond the superficial.
• Spiritual growth – feeling a connection with the sacred within, among, and beyond us.

What Do We Learn

Our congregation has adopted a themed approach to ministry. This means that each month we focus on a unique theme in both worship, religious education, and our small groups. Themes allows us to explore a topic deeply in these different settings, but then continue that exploration in wider conversation with one another. This is particularly helpful to families. Adults and children, having engaged with the same theme on Sunday in worship service and classes, can share what they’ve learned with each other at home. Engaging with the theme throughout the week is a crucial way to promote faith formation for everyone in the family.

To help us program for the themes, San Gabriel subscribes to Soul Matters, a curriculum developed by UUs for UUs. Over 150 UU congregations subscribe to Soul Matters. Each monthly theme focuses on a spiritual value that our UU faith has historically honored and calls all of us to embody in our lives. Past themes have included topics such as Intention, Perseverance, Balance, Emergence, Creativity, and Blessing.

Classes follow routines that help children develop ownership over their experience as well as growth in mind and spirit. Time together with our trained, volunteer teachers usually includes a chalice lighting, review of our seven UU principles, an engaging story and follow-up activity, and playground time.

In the Fall and Spring Semesters, children are grouped into classes according to age & grade, although this is flexible and responsive to the needs of the individual child. Currently we offer classes for Prek-First Grade, Second-Fifth Grade, and Middle School. Our High School Youth Group is currently in a rebuilding phase, looking for both youth and advisors to create a new program. During the summer months we combine all ages 4 and up for a one-room schoolhouse approach, and adopt a special camp-like curricula. In past summers we have had fun with Harry Potter and UU and “traveling” with Passport to the World.

We invite you to explore these pages and contact our Director of Religious Education at DRE@sangabrieluu.org to get connected.