Religious Education

RE News

Greetings from Religious Education! Summer is drawing to a close and we are looking forward to coming together in community again in just a few short weeks. Please note some dates and program happenings coming up soon, and get ready to join us!

RE Registration
We ask all families with children of any age to complete the RE registration form, even if you are unsure about how often your family will participate in RE programs this year. Registering your children allows us to plan programming not just for this year but into the future, to communicate with you about important program details, and to maintain staffing levels that follow the UUA’s guidelines for Safe Congregations.

RE Informational Meeting
The RE Committee invites all parents, guardians, and any members interested in RE at CUUF to join us for a brief meeting after the first indoor service on September 22. We will share an overview of the 2024–25 program year, including our program theme and calendar, program offerings for all ages, this year’s holiday pageant, and information about volunteer opportunities. An alternative activity for children will be provided during the meeting. Please join us!

Upcoming RE Programming

Sunday, September 8 — The On the Water Service at Long Lake will offer options for youth to participate in a hike, a craft activity, or partake in the service.
Sunday, September 22 — The first indoor service of the 2024–25 year will feature a concurrent Children’s Chapel for youth of all ages (children younger than 3 should be accompanied by an adult). Children’s Chapel involves many elements of the UU worship service adapted for younger participants to incorporate active participation, including music, chalice lighting/extinguishing, candles of joy and concern, a participatory message, and more. Attendees at our first Children’s Chapel of the year will collaborate on a creative project representing our 2024–25 program year.
Sunday, October 6 — This Sunday’s Children’s Chapel service will introduce the story for this year’s holiday pageant and may also involve casting pageant roles. (We are getting started a little earlier this year in hopes of minimizing rehearsals outside of service time!) All subsequent fall Sundays in RE will be dedicated to pageant preparation and related activities. The RE registration form provides space for you to communicate about your family’s intent to participate in the pageant this year, or you can reach out directly to RE Director Andrea Ward

CUUF RE Staff and RE Committee


Please reach out at any time with thoughts, ideas, questions, or concerns.
RE Director — Andrea Ward (andrea@chequamegonuuf.org)
OWL Coordinator — Ashley Smith (ashley@chequamegonuuf.org)

RE Committee — Co-chairs: Doug Liphart and Beth Reed; Stacy Craig, Minister; Ashley Smith, OWL Coordinator; Erin Tenney, CUUF Board Member; Andrea Ward, RE Director

Our Whole Lives (OWL)
Required Parents-only Meeting for all 8-9 Grade Participant Parents/Gaurdians
Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, 4-6:30 PM
AdventureUs in Washburn

Snacks provided. Please contact OWL Coordinator Ashley Smith at Ashley@chequamegonuuf.org with any questions

Chequamegon Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Safe Congregations and Background Check Policy for Religious Education Staff and Volunteers

  • The Chequamegon Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (CUUF) recognizes the importance of fostering and creating communities where everyone, especially our most vulnerable populations such as children and youth, are protected. We seek to preserve that spirit of welcome, respect and trust in balance with our concern for the safety of our children, applying the best practices from the Unitarian Universalist Association to any policies or guidelines we adopt.
  • Religious education (RE) classes will be conducted following best practices from the Safe Congregations handbook: two adults or attendants will be present and classes will be conducted in open spaces or with doors open.
  • The CUUF Board will conduct a background check on all staff hired to work with RE, such as the Director(s) of Religious Education. The RE director(s) will conduct a background check on all RE volunteers who are hired to work with the youth. Background checks will be repeated once every five years.
  • RE director(s) will be mandatory reporters and will attend an annual training. RE volunteers will be provided an incident report form for accidents, injuries, medical situations, student behavioral incidents, or other concerns and will turn this into the RE director(s).
  • Every employee and every volunteer who comes in contact with children and youth will receive a copy of the safe congregation policy, ethics policy (under development), and sexual harassment policy (under development).