Religious Education

Our Mission

It is the mission of the UUCV Lifespan Education program that everyone:

  • Knows that they are held in unconditional love;
  • Knows that they are powerful and have the ability to make changes in the world;
  • Experiences this empowerment as a source of hope and courage;
  • Recognizes that because they are held in love and are powerful, they have an inherent responsibility to use their power to bring more love into the world.

Children

UUCV offers Religious Education for children ages 0-18 through a variety of age-related programs.

Register your child for our 2022-2023 program.

Adults

UUCV hosts a variety of Religious Education programs for adults. Learn more.

Volunteer

Interested in volunteering with us? Learn more about how you can build community and make a positive impact at UUCV.

Our Religious Education Volunteers nurture our children as they explore their place in the world and grow into amazing Unitarian Universalists. It takes a village to raise a child and we appreciate all the time and energy that you share with our younger generations!

To ensure the safety of our children, RE Volunteers are required to submit the following background checks:

1) Pennsylvania Criminal Record through PATCH

2) Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance through Childline

3) Volunteer Affadavit if you have lived in PA for 10+ years or FBI Background Check if you have not

Read our Instructions for more information, including the FBI background check code.

Nursery Staff are required to have vaccinations due to contact with our youngest congregants who can not be vaccinated. Nursery Staff are “On Call.” Please check in with the RE Director when you arrive on the signup day to find out if you are needed during Worship Service. 

Our Whole Lives (OWL)

UUCV offers an Our Whole Lives sexuality class for different age groups once a year. Click here for more information about OWL.

Service Days and Family Events

The RE program strives to offer events and activities for all ages that foster community service, social action, and fellowship among kids and their families.  Please keep an eye on our events calendar to see upcoming events

Director of Lifespan Faith Development

This position is in charge of coordinating religious education programming for UUCV. They can be reached at 717-249-8944 or via email at [email protected]

 

Adult Religious Education

Adult RE Group – Class Schedule – Winter-Spring 2025

These classes will be held on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:00 am in the Board Room at UUCV or join via Zoom at https://zoom.us/my/meetingsuucv (572 887 2212).

February 2: How to Stop Negative Self-Talk  Do you find that you often talk to yourself in a harsh and critical way? Why do you say mean things to yourself that you’d never dream of saying to other people? If you’d like to learn how to stop the negative self-talk, come to the RE meeting on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 9:00AM. Discussion leader: Jill Hoffmann

February 16: The Aramaic Lord’s Prayer Explore the richer meanings of the Lord’s Prayer when understood in the language spoken by Yeshua (Jesus) and in the context of the time and culture in which he lived. Many misunderstandings about Jesus and his message seemingly have arisen based on mistranslations from Aramaic to Greek and then to King James English within the context of the social structure of the early 1600’s. The session will be based on the work of Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz, scholar and author in the fields of comparative Semitic hermeneutics and psychology.Discussion leader: Cheryl Parsons

March 2: Gnostic Gospels / God  The Gnostic Gospels, left out of the Bible by early Christians, express some very different, often more mystical, views of God, Jesus, sin, and so on. We’ll talk about some of these views, and whether they feel true, or useful, to us. And we’ll broaden our discussion to ask: what does God, or whatever you call it, look like in your life?  Discussion leader: Christine Carracino

March 16: Rumi – Sufi Mystic  Many love the soaring poetry of the Persian poet Rumi. His words from nearly 800 years ago transcend the ages and take us to a timeless realm. Join the discussion on the works of Rumi, including not only his poetry, but also his establishment of the oldest Sufi order. What were the factors influencing Rumi’s life that made him into the person he was? How do we view his life in the context of today’s world? These are just a couple of the questions regarding Rumi that we will entertain. If you have a favorite Rumi work, bring it to share.  Discussion leader: Brian McPherson

April 6: Christian Denominations and the Spectrum of Christian Belief  Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Assemblies of God, Episcopalians…and the list goes on. Have you ever wondered why there are so many denominations within Protestant Christianity and what similarities or differences they have? And what about terms like fundamentalist, evangelical, mainline, and liberal. What do those terms mean when applied to Protestant churches? Join us as we seek to get some insight and clarity on these topics. Discussion leader: Keith Bittinger

April 20: Amend Video Series: The Fight for America – Love  After decades of setbacks, the struggle for same-sex marriage equality culminates in an Ohio’s couple’s case taken up by the Supreme Court in 2015. Hosted by Will Smith. Discussion leader: Melissa Mattson

May 4: Cultural Values / Intelligence  Discussion leader: Lacey Armstrong & Martha Bergsten

May 18: What do faith and hope look like in your life?  What do you have faith in and what do you hope for? Maybe you have faith in the fundamental goodness of others and that gives you hope for the future. Or maybe to the contrary, you’ve lost faith and as a result aren’t feeling very hopeful these days. Join us for an open discussion about what faith and hope look like in our lives.