Mission Statement
The RE and Family Ministry Committee is the support committee for the Family Ministry the RE program, and our community of Family Ministry. In collaboration with the Family Minister, the Committee helps to develop plans and policies to foster a rich and growing RE program that will prepare our children for a lifetime of spiritual and ethical exploration and growth. The committee also works to build community among our church families and support our Family Minister in providing pastoral care and ministry to families. The Committee’s responsibilities include Childcare, Pre-K, K-6, 7-8, and the Youth Group.
UUCB Religious Education and Family Ministry Committee
The UUCB RE and Family Ministry Committee is composed of 8 members: 2 co-chairs and 6 members, each of whom focus on one of four task force areas. Members serve for three year terms.
The Committee meets quarterly, on the 2nd Sundays of October, January, April, and June. Additional meetings in July and August are planned to kick off the church year. In between these meetings, the task forces will meet as needed or otherwise collaborate.
Task Forces:
Communications and Welcoming
- Collaborate with the Family Minister to welcome new families and keep ongoing families connected and involved
- Connect with and follow up with new families when they arrive
- Maintain the Family Ministry Directory and the RE Registration Database.
- Send out announcements about programming
- Update and maintain the RE section of the church website
- Facilitate and coordinate the RE Family Greeters
- Coordinate and do community outreach to publicize RE and Family Ministry events
Curriculum and Facilitation Support
- Collaborate with the Family Minister on facilitator/teacher recruitment
- Work to support teachers through orientation gatherings and ongoing teacher mentoring and support
- Help the Family Minister make the experience of facilitation an opportunity for spiritual growth
- Help the Family Minister develop and reflect on and refine curricula and programming choices
- Help track the progress in growth of the program (e.g. attendance tracking)
- Solicit input from and communicate with Families on their RE program experiences, and us this information to refine/improve the curriculum.
Community: Celebrations, Events, and Community Building
- Collaborate with the Family Minister on annual events (Field Day, Egg Hunt, Holiday Craft Fair, etc.)
- Support the ongoing health and well being our Parent Chalice Circle and Parents Support Group
- Coordinate the Families tUUgether program with the Family Minister
- Conceive of and support new events and fundraising ideas
- Develop and support family community building workshops, retreats, programs, events, including the annual Family Ministry retreats
Caring: Family Ministry Pastoral Care and Outreach
- This will be an ongoing responsibility of the Committee co-chairs
- Coordinate meals or other support for families going through life transitions – new babies, medical challenges, difficult issues or situations in parenting, etc.
- Communicate with the Family Minister and with our Co-ministers to know of the need for pastoral outreach.