Christian Education and Youth

One of the most important things we do as a church is to guide and support the young members of our congregation through Christian Education. This ministry is organized by our Board of Christian Education which is made up of members of our congregation. Ultimately, the foundation of our Christian Education ministry is love and unconditional acceptance, and it is our hope that the children in our church know that they are beloved by God and our community, just as they are.

Sunday School

We offer Sunday School  every Sunday from September-June. On the first Sunday of the month, the children come into worship at the end of the service to participate in Communion. We have a staff Sunday School teacher named Deb Raymond. She is incredible in creating a program that is engaging, relevant and encourages our church’s youth to discern how their faith affects their lives. She is assisted each week by a church volunteer.

Nursery

We offer nursery coverage every Sunday, year-round, for children under 5 years old staffed by volunteers. We are looking for a person to work from 10-noon in our Nursery while worship is taking place. If this is something you might be interested in, please contact Deb Raymond at cedirector@uccburlington.org

Confirmation

When young people are in 8th or 9th grade, they are invited to participation in a year-long Confirmation program. This is lead by our pastor, Rev. Andrew Harris, and he is assisted by the Board of Christian Education. The Confirmation experience covers the following topics: Christianity (and it’s relationship to Judaism and Islam), the United Church of Christ, Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus the Christ, living lives in service of others, faith/doubt and the importance of being part of a faith community. We take at least one field trip in the fall and we go on a retreat in the spring. At the end of the Confirmation experience, the youth decide whether they want to confirm their Baptism and officially join the church, this occurs during our celebratory Confirmation Sunday in the spring.

Other Christian Education and Youth Activities

In addition to Sunday School, Nursery Care and Confirmation, our Christian Education ministry offers special events and activities for the children throughout the year, they also assist with coordinating our annual Christmas pageant. Each June, we have a Christian Education Sunday which celebrates the youth and children in our church.

We invite you and your children to join us in our Christian Education ministry, we’d love to get to know you!