Religious Educators, Who are They?

Religious educators? Who are they? Are they those of us who have chosen to make a profession of promoting growth and learning in congregations, like myself? Are they the Religious Education Leaders, those dedicated, nurturing adults who spend time with our young people Sunday after Sunday? Are they the hard-working, visionary members of the Religious Education Committee and Adult Religious Education Committee? Are they the mentors in the Coming of Age program? Are they the greeters at the Hearth Room door and the ushers at the entrance to the sanctuary? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. But the most important group of all is missing in those mentioned above--the people who wear the “PRIMARY RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR” hats, the people whom all of those mentioned above complement and underscore, the people who teach our young people the most about values, beliefs, ethics, fairness, and faith.

Parents are and always will be the primary religious educators of their children. The rest of us are here to support the process, but we are secondary, always secondary.

That’s why I am so heartened by Michelle Richards’s new book, Tending the Flame: The Art of Unitarian Universalist Parenting. Teachable moments in a young person’s religious and spiritual development are unpredictable. The best preparation is to know ourselves deeply and to continuously tend to our own religious and spiritual growth and health. This is like putting the oxygen mask on ourselves first, and then assisting others in an emergency. And the analogy goes even further; for it is in the midst of tough and tender times, the “emergencies” if you will, that we learn our most lasting spiritual lessons, and we build our faith.

I don’t mean faith in a supernatural event or entity. I mean faith as the foundation of one’s life---the place a person stands, the way a person lives, the choices a person makes because that is who they are, in the very center of their being.

So, how to “know ourselves deeply and tend to our own religious and spiritual growth and health?” First, I urge you to find a group in our church community that feels like a fit for you, a group where you want to get to know the other people and they want to get to know you on a deeper level, a group that feels like “home.” It might be the Monday night “Spirit of Life” group or the Friday Families group or the Religious Education Committee or Gina Grubb’s new Hospitality Team. If you would like some help finding your niche, speak with Membership Coordinator Gina Grubb or me.

In addition, to directly address your role as primary religious educator, you can order Michelle’s new book through the UUA Bookstore or borrow my marked-up, dog-eared copy. You can also connect with Michelle and absorb wisdom for the UU parenting journey through her parenting blog on the UUA website—uua.org. And, if you want more, we can explore forming a group that meets regularly to discuss UU Parenting, using curriculum written for that purpose.

Parents, you may be your children’s primary religious educators, but you need not be solo operators. Connections to your faith community can strengthen you, your children, and your family. May it be so.