Welcome to Valley UU’s Faith Formation, run by the our Interim Director of Faith Formation, Sara Sautter. Our Faith Formation program is comprised of three parts: education, fellowship, and service.
Why “Faith Formation” and not “Religious Education” or “Sunday School”? The term “Religious Education” is only inclusive of the education portion of our ministry, and does not take into account the fellowship and service we do. Faith Formation highlights better the life-long approach to learning about the UU faith, understanding other religions, and creating community.
If you have any questions about our programing, please contact us using the form below.
Education
Our education programming encompasses Sunday morning classes for infants through High Schoolers, as well a wide variety of adult programing.
We offer all of the classes for Our Whole Lives Human Sexulaity (OWL), starting with the Kindergarten through 1st grade class, where the parents are in the classroom with the child, all the way through older adult classes.
Our Coming of Age (COA) program is offered every other year to youth in High School. A variety of activities, lessons, and discussions focus on the youths’ spiritual growth, and the program culminates with an optional trip to Boston.
Fellowship
The fellowship that we offer for the youth and children are broken up into three age groups: Elementary (WeeUUs), Middle School (MUUGs), and High School (YRUU). The Director of Faith Formation, and Faith Formation Assistant help facilitate the parents running those programs.
Service
The congregation has opportunities for service in programs such as iHelp and Paz de Cristo. Families can participate in iHelp by providing food and serving those who are a part of the iHelp program. Families with older children can sign up to cook meals for those who are a part of Paz de Cristo. Our Faith Form program has in the past offered a service trip to Agua Prieta where volunteers build houses in Mexico, and our Sunday curriculum offers service-based projects as well.
Our Values
Unitarian Universalists hold strong values and moral teachings. We recently reviewed and updated the language around our values to as follows:
Interdependence
We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.
We covenant to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation. We will create and nurture sustainable relationships of care and respect, mutuality and justice. We will work to repair harm and damaged relationships.
Pluralism
We celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.
Justice
We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive.
We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions within our congregations, our Association, and society at large.
Transformation
We adapt to the changing world.
We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Generosity
We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.
Equity
We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness.
We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.
Anti-Racism Education
Conversations around racism are crucial, no matter the age. But they can also be very difficult conversations, especially for younger children who may not understand the history behind hate, and why it is so very important to understand white privilege.
Our Summer 2025 programming will be devoted to chldren;s anti-racism education. Watch here for updates.
Need some tools to help start the conversation? Check out these books:
J is for justice! X is for Malcolm X! This super simple ABC board book is a perfect first step for families who want to start talking to their kiddos about activism and civil rights from a really early age.
This beautiful book (a Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner for illustration) tells the story of the 1960s Birmingham Children’s Crusade, when kids marched to protest Jim Crow laws.
This inspiring book tells the story of Sylvia Mendez, a child with Mexican and Puerto Rican roots, who helped bring about school segregation in California a decade before it was deemed unconstitutional at the national level.
Academy-Award winning actor Lupita Nyong’o wrote this book about Sulwe, a girl with skin the color of midnight, which helps children grapple with colorism and question what society teaches them about beauty and value.
Malala Yousafzai’s first picture book tells the activist’s own story, inspiring young readers to push for change — without waiting for permission.
From Martin Luther King Jr. to Dolores Huerta, this book tells the stories of some of history’s great activists during their childhood and helps teach them that anyone can help stand up for justice.
There’s a reason why this beautiful, slice-of-life story has won so many accolades: Using a simple bus ride to drive the plot, it encourages kids (and parents) to both celebrate and talk openly about the diversity they see in the world around them.
This lovely book teaches children to value kindness and empathy.
This book helps white families teach their children about racism, privilege and white supremacy so that kids understand what it means to be actively anti-racist.
This heartbreaking bestseller for teenagers tells the story of a 16-year-old girl whose unarmed childhood best friend is shot and killed by a white police officer. It’s unflinching and necessary.
Contact Us
Links to dive deeper
Faith Formation Q & A
Sunday Morning Programming
Our Whole Lives, Human Sexuality
Coming of Age
Multi-Generational Service Trip
Youth Groups
Adult Programs