Coming of Age
Coming of Age brings together all of the RE experiences our children have had to this point in their lives. It is the rite of passage that we at First Parish provide to our children as they step over the threshold from childhood to youth on their way to adulthood. During this half-year curriculum, we offer our ninth-graders an opportunity to explore their values and spirituality so that they can articulate what they believe using the symbols and vocabulary that fit them best. It is our hope that this program becomes the first step in a life-long spiritual journey.
The Goals of Coming of Age
- To create an internal sacred space to reflect on your beliefs, values, and cares.
- To express your own beliefs within the context of Unitarian Universalism.
- To mark the beginning of your own spiritual path through life.
- To put our First Parish Benediction in action.
To accomplish these goals we have broken the program activities down into five categories:
- Getting to know each other begins here tonight and will encompass the first few weeks of the program.
- Social Action is an important component of our Church's activities, and we include an event in the fall and the spring.
- Gathering the background information builds the context for the youth to know about herself (or himself). It includes learning about UU history, family history, and exploring personal values.
- Exploring beliefs offers new thoughts and opportunities for the kids to consider. Different vocabularies and symbol systems that they may not have heard about, or may have heard about be never really understood.
- And finally, the Coming of Age, which includes the final retreat and solo as well as the presentation of credos to the congregation.
The Coming of Age program culminates with a Sunday morning recognition service that allows the youth to share their individual credos with the First Parish community.