KENNEBUNK — It’s said that lessons learned in Sunday School by children can stick with them for a lifetime.
Now in this age of religious strife and distrust, some children attending Sunday School in the area will have an opportunity to visit other churches and learn about their diverse religious practices.
Under a special program called “Neighboring Faith Communities,” Sunday School participants at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Kennebunk will study and visit area churches and other places of worship this year.
Accorrding to Emily Jones, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church’s director of Religious Education, the program will devote three Sundays to each different religious community.
Jones said that in the session before the children’s visit, the Sunday School class will learn the basics about the faith community and how they are expected to behave.
During the second session, they will attend a worship service and during the third session, they will discuss their experience and note how it was similar to or different from other faith communities including their own, she said.
Each of the classes may also include visiting guest speakers.
By participating in this program, the Sunday School children will experience ritual and other practices with a purpose of learning tolerance and respect toward others.
The children also will hopefully become aware of the diversity of religions in the United States and gain new perspectives about each religion they study.
“We won’t focus on doctrine,” Jones said. “Each religion has emotional, material and social dimensions too. The best way to learn about these is through experience and that’s what we’ll do in this course.”
First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church is at 114 Main Street in Kennebunk
To learn more about Sunday School programs at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, call 985-3700 or send an email to UUkennebunkDRE@gmail.com.
— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
