On Sunday mornings, our children and youth gather for age-appropriate programs that nurture their hearts, minds, and spirits. Rooted in Unitarian Universalist values, our faith formation is designed to help young people grow in compassion, curiosity, courage, and connection.
Whether you’re new to Cedar Lane or have been part of the community for years, your family is warmly welcome. Our classrooms are spaces of love, laughter, learning, and belonging.
Each class invites children and teens to explore life’s big questions:
Who am I? Why does community matter? How can I help build a more just world?
Through stories, art, games, discussion, and hands-on activities, students learn about UU values, world religions, identity, ethics, and social justice. Our curriculum includes comprehensive sexuality education and a deep emphasis on pluralism, helping young people develop healthy relationships with themselves, others, and the world.
Programs are designed in two-year cycles to support deeper learning, age-appropriate reflection, and skill-building over time. Our goal is to nurture self-aware, justice-oriented, spiritually grounded young people ready to make a difference.
Our Sunday programs are led by a dedicated team of volunteers–parents, members, and mentors–who share a love for learning and a commitment to supporting the next generation. No teaching experience is needed–just a willingness to show up and grow with us. We welcome volunteers to join us. There are opportunities weekly or occasionally. Let’s raise compassionate, curious, courageous kids–together.
Rev. Dayna Edwards, Minister of Faith Formation
dedwards@cedarlane.org
Each Sunday the children and youth (except for ages 0-2; nursery information below) begin their faith formation time either in the main sanctuary for a wisdom story or in the chapel for Family Chapel.
Recommended all ages! A maker space is a collaborative workshop or community space equipped with tools and resources for people to create, invent, and learn. When people are invited into a creatively safe space they encounter the holy through the process of creation. Maker space puts the emphasis on the process and not the product. It is a place where people of all ages can come together and use art and technology to access answers to the “big questions” that go beyond words. People who participate in our Maker Space will have access to creative materials ranging from pen and paper to weaving looms, cardboard cutting scissors, and painting easels and canvases.
The youngest members of our community are cared for by a professional and qualified childcare provider who is passionate about early childhood education. Our professional child care provider is assisted by a Cedar Lane lay-leader. This is the beginning of your child’s journey toward feeling a sense of belonging and safety at Cedar Lane.
This Montessori-based religious education teaching method centers around stories. Our focus with this age group is to introduce them to the basics ideas of being in a faith community. Each week, they will light a chalice, listen to a story that is told with props found in a “storybox”, and then have an opportunity to respond to the story through art and play.
Within the “Haunting House” children will explore relationships, share stories, discover the natural world and talk about important religious questions, including about birth and death. Caregivers are invited into the classroom to create with their children several times throughout the year. The class includes an important caregiver meeting that discusses the birth and death units.
OWL is a transformative program that empowers our youth through a very important journey of self-discovery by equipping participants with accurate, age-appropriate information. This comprehensive sexuality education provides not only the facts about their changing bodies but also helps participants build strong bonds, clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, make informed and responsible decisions, and understand the various aspects of sexuality in a safe environment.
On Sunday mornings our youth group will deepen their Unitarian Universalist identities while creating bonds with their peers. They will use the Fly By Light curriculum which promotes five pillars: social emotional learning, artistic expression, environmental justice, social justice, and health and wellness.
In addition to our Sunday Morning programming, youth are encouraged to participate in fellowship activities and two off-site trips, one to Camp Tockwogh and one to a historical UU location, such as Boston, MA.
This is a prestigious leadership opportunity in which you will deepen your faith while also giving back to your faith. You will learn critical life skills such as conflict resolution, time and resource management, as well as how to function well in a high-demand environment.
We know it can be complicated to decide how much to pay, and there’s no one right answer for anyone. Many thanks to UU@UN for providing an equitable model for payments.
Consider paying at a lower tier if many of these are true for you:
Consider paying at a higher tier if multiple of these are true for you:
A reflection from Pronoia Coaching:
When I pay more, I know that I am helping others to access the event.
When I pay in the middle, I know I am helping the organizers cover costs.
And when I pay less, I know I am letting my community hold me and support me.
All of these are wonderful and acceptable ways of participating.
