Religious Education

Mission Statement of Religious Education Program

The Religious Education program of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers is an integral and valued part of the Church. It offers programs for students from birth through high school age every Sunday morning of the year. All children and youth are welcome and are encouraged to formally enroll in an appropriate class and attend it regularly.

In the Religious Education program each student is viewed as a unique and valued person with indiviual needs to be recognized and met. To reflect this, a rich, experiential curriculum is provided within an environment that is open, supportive and nurturing. The intent of both the curriculum and the learning environment is to provide the essential balance between freedom and structure which is necessary for all students to select and develop their own belief systems rather than to blindly and uncritically accept the beliefs of others. The curriculum and environment also will allow religion, sex, politics, and other sensitive subjects to be discussed in ways appropriate to the age level as students engage in their personal search for truth, develop in their religious beliefs, and learn to act consistently in relation to their beliefs.

The goals of the Religious Education program focus upon the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual development of students. The major goals of the program are for each student to:

• Develop a foundation upon which to build a personal and evolving belief system
• Gain knowledge of the beliefs and history of Unitarian Universalism as well as other world religions, with an emphasis upon Judeo-Christian heritage
• Understand the foundations of Unitarian Universalism and be able to respond comfortably and knowledgeably to questions regarding its beliefs and practices
• Believe in themselves as competent, well-rounded persons
• Develop into a moral, ethical, virtuous person whose basic character is consistently reflected through his or her decisions and behavior which are, in turn, based upon his or her own values, beliefs, and personal stage of development.

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