LRE Volunteer Opportunities
Teaching Children and Youth
It is often said the best way to learn, is to teach. Teachers in children and youth LRE classes are adults from the congregation who have been with the congregation at least a year and have passed a background check. Classes are taught by two adults at a time. There is a rotating schedule so that adults have an opportunity to hear the services in the sanctuary part of the year. We have great curricula, lots of support, and encourage independent thinking in children and adults.
Are You Crafty? Or Organized? Or Musical?
There are opportunities to help with setting up classrooms with books, cutouts, and other materials, as well as organizing and cleaning. Special Sundays may involve crafty adults in helping with creative projects. Children’s music programs are an important part of their worship, and need musically inclined adults. Adults with special interests may be invited to share them with the children. Past presentations have been on stamp collecting, visits to our partner church in Romania, and children’s books written by members of the congregation.
Are You Inspired to Teach an Adult Class?
Any UU member or friend with an interest or expertise in a particular area is invited to work with the LRE Staff and Team to offer a class to our congregation and/or our wider community. Past classes have included book discussion groups, writing your personal history, and UU history. What is your great idea?
Do you want to help outside of the classroom?
The LRE Team is a group of adults committed to being a part of our Lifespan Religious Education (LRE) program.
The Religious Education Team Mission Statement: Our mission in our lifespan religious ministry is to enhance and deepen the spiritual growth of people of all ages at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem (UUCS) through inner exploration and outward acts of justice and kindness.
An LRE Team member has many roles while carrying out the team mission. They support the LRE staff in creating a program that is in the best interest of the children and youth. This support may be in the form of driving for a field trip, helping with planning parties and activities, brainstorming new ideas, sharing a special talent, and implementing programs and classes that make up the RE ministry. The help is done outside of the Sunday classroom setting. The LRE Team usually meets once a month as announced in the Sunday Bulletin and on the website calendar. If you are unable to make it to every meeting, there is still an opportunity to be involved with the Lifespan Religious Education Team!
The LRE Volunteer Handbook and Safety Policies 2017-2018 covers most of the questions that volunteers have when helping with Religious Education.
If you wish to volunteer for LRE, please contact our Director of Lifespan Religious Education, DLRE@uusalem.org
Volunteers who work with our children are required to complete and pass a background check. For the form, click here.