First Parish Church School



The First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Scituate, Massachusetts is a meetinghouse dedicated today, as it has been throughout its long history, to fostering religious freedom of belief though worship, study, service and community.

As adults, we know that life is a journey. On that journey, what we believe shapes how we behave. It matters what we believe and think and do. In these times, our children need to be taught and shown that hope is real and that there is a sustaining source of life and goodness. Our children need the nurturing of their intrinsic religious yearnings. It is also important for them to find and develop the individual expression of those deepest universal impulses: faith, hope and love.

At First Parish, we are dedicated to giving our children the religious and moral bricks that provide the foundation for living a good life according to our Unitarian Universalist principles. These "bricks" or themes are "Ecology, the Web of Life," "Bible Themes," "Unitarian Universalist Identity,""World Religions," and "What It means To Be A UU." For each of these themes teachers work with highly regarded curricula written by prominent UU religious educators and others:
EcologyBible Themes
Honoring Our Mother Earth (K-1)Special Times (K-1)
The Web of Life (2-3) Timeless Themes (2-3)
Caring for Our Planet (4-5) A Growing Up Year (4-5)

Unitarian Universalist IdentityWorld Religions
Just Because I Am (K-1)Holidays and Holy Days (K-1.-1,4-5)
Stepping Stone Year (2-3)Celebrations Around the World (2-3)
We Believe (4-5)Neighboring Faiths (6-8)


Unitarian Universalist Principles


We, the members of First Parish, Scituate have joined with other Unitarian Universalists
around the world in covenanting together to affirm and promote:
Our First Parish Church School is guided by our fourth principle, "a free and responsible search for truth." We believe our Bible Themes and World Religions curricula teach children to 1) honor and respect the world's sacred spiritual texts and learn from them; 2) respect the mystery of existence; 3) learn from other's beliefs so that they can explore their own feelings about life, truth and meaning. We believe our Ecology curricula promote respect for the interdependent web of life (our seventh principle). We believe the units on "UU Identity" and "What It Means To Be A UU" bring everything together and make our children proud to be Unitarian Universalists.

Heifer Project Our Church School Social Justice Projects, done throughout the year, follow our first and second principles. We fight world poverty and hunger by raising money for Heifer Project International and UNICEF. We help Boston area mothers and children by donating to Renewal House shelter. We serve meals at Father Bill's, a homeless shelter in Quincy.
Coming qf Age Class

The Coming of Age Class is for students in Grades 6-8. The class meets Sunday evenings twice a month usually in the evening. The class is designed to give special recognition to the transition from childhood to young adulthood. The participants are asked to complete four required areas of exploration which may be individually designed to meet the particular needs of the participant's interests. The four areas are Religious Understanding, Service to Others, Personal Relationships and Religious Heritage. learning is done independently as well as with the guidance of a mentor. Upon the completion of the class, participants will be recognized with a special ceremony and welcomed into the YRUU Group. This year the Class will also use the curriculum "Neighboring Faiths,' and discuss the themes 'Self and Stress,' 'Feelings and Family,' and "Relationships and the Future."

First Parish Youth Religious Unitarian Universalists

The First Parish YRUU Group (Grades 9-12) meets Sunday evenings twice a month from 6-7:30. This year the group will be discussing "Self and Stress' and will be exploring their spiritual journey with 'On the Path." Social activities in the past have included week-end long, conferences with youth from other churches (we plan on attending at least one this year) and a December holiday shopping trip. As part of its outreach work, the group is involved in helping to feed the homeless at Father Bill's in Quincy.

Drawing by Brooke Kingsland, age 8 Special activities occur monthly during the church year. They include: