Everything we do is Faith Formation. Everything we teach is Unitarian Universalism. And, the congregation is the curriculum.
Welcome to Our Learning Community!
Our religious exploration program enriches the lives of children, youth, and families. We strive to help one another grow in spiritual practice, deepen understanding of and respect for our religiously diverse world, and to live UU principles in our daily lives. We encourage parents to ask questions, visit classrooms, and participate in support of the spiritual growth of our young people.
Worship and Religious Exploration
Worship is an important part of who we are and what we do. We have enriching Religious Exploration available each Sunday, including intergenerational worship services.
Children in Pre-Kindergarten through grade 6 attend the first 15 minutes of service with their families and then are sung out to their classes or all-ages activity.
Junior High and Senior High youth begin their gathering at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday Worship Services & Religious Exploration Offerings at 10 am
- Message for All Ages in Worship every Sunday
- Religious Exploration offerings every Sunday
- Jr and Sr High Youth meet every Sunday at 10 am.
2025-26 Classes
2025-26 RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH
begins September 14, 2025 and will run through May 17, 2026.
Countryside is preparing to offer nursery care on a regular basis during Sunday Morning worship. Please let us know if this is something you or your community would be interested in using. The nursery room has live sound from the sanctuary and is always available for your use.
If nursery care is needed for you to attend prior to our securing staff, please email RevKaren@ccuu.org, and we will make every effort to support you.
Picture Book UU
This curriculum is fun, friendly and concise with teachable moments that introduce our faith to young children. We will use picture books to introduce UU values and offer opportunities for congregants to come and share their wisdom with the kids. It’s fun for the children with options for: Junk sculpture, bells for joy and justice, play dough menorahs, sarong dramatic play, “Pin the Star on the Constellation” game, Milky Way Bar meditation, and other creative activities.
Grades 3-6: Flourish Together – How do we UU?
Focusing on UU values as well as some of the “big questions” that children wonder about, this curriculum uses a variety of activities to engage kids where they find themselves in life and on a particular day. Activities range from interactive to solo, meditative to creative, instructive to exploration. Lessons highlight inspirational figures that are UU as well as other voices, aiming to present a wide range of identities.
Our Whole Lives (OWL) (Grades 7 – 10) Sept 14-Jan 11
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is the Unitarian Universalist comprehensive sexuality education curriculum for all stages of life. Parents are children’s primary teachers, but what is society teaching our children about sexuality? Our Whole Lives (OWL) values: Self Worth Sexual Health Responsibility Justice and Inclusivity. Our Whole Lives is an antidote to sexualized media messages, peer pressure, misinformation, and prejudice. Participants are guided by trained facilitators through an engaging curriculum that addresses topics most important to young adolescents, including those typically excluded from sexuality education and health classes. Grounded in a holistic view of sexuality, OWL provides medically accurate facts about anatomy, human development, and sexual health. OWL provides accurate, age-appropriate information, puts sexuality in the context of values and personal responsibility, supports healthy decision-making, and strengthens social skills. (Gr 7-8 visitors and those not registered for OWL will join the Flourish together class.)
Compass Points: Grades 6-8 (Jan 18-May 17)
“Compass Points” is a Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious education program designed for young adolescents to explore their identities, beliefs, and UU faith. The curriculum aims to help participants understand their feelings, discover their beliefs, think independently, and assume responsibility. It uses various activities and discussions to help them navigate life’s big questions and develop their own values and understanding of the world.
Senior High Youth Group (Grades 9-12) ~ Sundays at 10 am
SHYG offers a variety of activities, planned for youth by youth. Our youth advisors guide our 9th-12th graders through a series of programs based on our youths’ interests and leanings. Youth plan a thing and then do a thing – service projects, group events, even overnighters, sometimes with other UU youth groups. Team-building and leadership development are also important throughlines.
A Cooperative Program
The vitality of our program depends on the generous support of many dedicated volunteers. When you register your child, please let us know how you’d like to share your gifts with our community. Helping in the religious exploration program is a great way to get acquainted with church members, especially other parents and families, and to learn more about our living faith. A background check and a signed covenant of ethics are required of all volunteers working regularly with children and youth. Those planning to teach, may download the background check authorization form here and a code of ethics form here; please complete them & submit them to Rev. Karen Mooney, RevKaren@ccuu.org.
