For the next few posts, I’d like to share with you some of the information the members of LREDA heard at their Fall Conference in San Antonio last weekend. The presenters were from the Lifespan Faith Development Staff Group at the UUA, and they gave us all a pretty good rundown of what to expect from the new Tapestry of Faith curricula series that’s being rolled out. Here’s something from a presentation they did on outcomes:
Through surveys, focus groups, and other feedback, Unitarian Universalists identified four desired outcomes for children, youth, and adults in religious education programs. These outcomes are four strands woven through Tapestry of Faith. Far from mutually exclusive, these outcomes are interdependent and interactive:
- Ethical Development
- Spiritual Development
- Unitarian Universalist Identity
- Faith Development
Most of the outcomes are built around the Lifespan Faith Development Vision Statement for Tapestry of Faith, so I thought I’d repost it here, then add more content from the presentation in follow up posts.
We envision children, youth, and adults who:
- Know that they are lovable beings of infinite worth, imbued with powers of the soul, and obligated to use their gifts, talents, and potentials in the service of life;
- Affirm that they are part of a Unitarian Universalist religious heritage and community of faith that has value and provides resources for living;
- Accept that they are responsible for the stewardship and creative transformation of their religious heritage and community of faith;
- Realize that they are moral agents, capable of making a difference in the lives of other people, challenging structures of social and political oppression, promoting the health and well-being of the planet, acting in the service of diversity, justice and compassion;
- Recognize the need for community, affirming the importance of families, relationships and connections between and among the generations;
- Appreciate the value of spiritual practice as a means of deepening faith and integrating beliefs and values with everyday life;
- Experience hope, joy, mystery, healing, and personal transformation in the midst of life’s challenges.
Phil's Little Blog on the Prairie 
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October 17, 2007 at 1:44 am
Jess
This sounds just wonderful! Do you feel that the curriculum materials uphold the vision statement? And how soon will the materials be widely available?
October 17, 2007 at 9:57 pm
psdlund
Good questions, Jess. Yes, I do feel that the curriculum is upholding the vision statement, at least from what I’ve seen. The emphasis truly is on LIFESPAN faith development, and that fact that there’s so much coming out for young adults (the new OWL update) and adults in general (Spirit of Life, Spirit in Practice) makes me think that there is a new commitment to developing what I would call “mature persons of faith” in the UU tradition. As far as when the materials well be widely available, it looks like 2008 is the year we’ll see a broad array of curricula available. I’ll try to track down the release dates and post on them later. Thanks for the comment!
October 18, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Jess’s Journal » Spiritual Religious Education
[…] the curriculum in process now for release sometime in 2008 lives up to the visioning statement, which Phil believes they will, Unitarian Universalist spiritual development is in for big, […]