Religious Education Staff
Karen Lewis - Director of Religious Education
Charles McMullen - Director of Adult Religious Education
Alison Conger - Youth Director
A Welcome Statement from the Ministers about Religious Education
 Dr. Laurel Hallman, Senior Minister
Religious Education matters. It matters because we are essentially religious beings with yearnings toward meaning and purpose contributing to the common good,and deep connection with Life and God. It matters too because we each need to develop our own inner wisdom uniquely our own and at the same time part of something much deeper. Religious Education matters because our perceptions change as we change.We need teachers and mentors to lead us in paths they have already walked to help us along our way. It matters because we have a history to learn good news to celebrate and values to streng then us as we grow.Religious Education matters because we cannot become wholly functioning religiously literate full human beings all by ourselves.We need community.We need church. Religious Education matters for all of us teachers and learners alike. We take this all very seriously at First Unitarian Church and want you and your children to join us in this labor of love because it matters.
 Rev. Daniel Chesney Kanter, Minister
Children’s religious education is essential.It is essential that they receive a gift of meaning and perspective when it comes to religion and spirituality.It is essential that they see the world and the mysteries it holds as part and parcel of who they are.It is essential that they engage in a liberal community that gives them an identity that will sustain them through good times and bad. When you have so many other options on Sunday morning consider that coming to this church at this time in your children’s lives will foster an opening to freedom and tolerance generosity and faith that they will count on through their adult lives.Welcome I am glad you are here.
Karen Lewis
Director of Religious Education for Children and Youth
 Children and youth ask questions that echo those of the world's greatest theologians and scholars: "Is it okay for me to be happy when others are not?", "How do I live a life that is good?", "What happens after I die?" These questions and many more are raised in our classrooms each week. Because parents are the primary religious educators of their children, I know that you are engaged in these conversations at home. Regular attendance on Sundays will support your children as they pursue their search for truth. Our classrooms may be the only place, other than home, where they have an opportunity to discuss these important questions.
Caring volunteer teachers and carefully chosen curricula introduce our young UUs to the stories, ideas and principles of our liberal religious tradition. Here children and youth will find an environment in which to freely explore all facets of liberal religion. Together, we create a place where we may make new friends and grow together in a nurturing faithcommunity.
This brochure provides a brief overview of our dynamic program for Lifespan Religious Education. Please call on me if you have further questions. Welcome to our church family.
Charles McMullen
Director of Adult Religious Education
 Our history and theology teach us that we are not a people of creed and doctrine, but a people of covenant. We place high value on the connections offered through our liberal religious community life. It is here we learn to express compassion for ourselves and for each
other, and we learn to spark one another's creativity so that each of us can mature in wisdom and faith. It is holy work.
The mission of our adult programming is to provide the tools necessary for us to build our own theology...one that will not only sustain us in times of difficulty, but one that will help us daily to express our unique creativity and compassion in the world. Our faith requires of us that we deepen in wisdom and faith so that we might live lives of integrity and greater love.
I invite you to engage actively and thoughtfully in our faith community, and I hope you will find the programs, workshops, and events we offer to be only one of the many dimensions of your learning. We are grateful you are here to share your faith journey with us.
Alison Conger
Youth Director
Our ninth through twelfth-grade youth are amazing teens and it is my great pleasure to work with them. Our group of volunteer Youth Advisors share their time, energy and spirit,
joining with our youth to create a welcoming and caring environment in which to learn and grow together. We welcome teens from schools throughout Dallas and the surrounding
suburbs to join us each week in worship, learning, fellowship, community service and leadership development.
Parents take an active role in our Youth Program by joining in many community service projects throughout the year. Ample opportunities for fellowship await youth and their families as we work side-by -side on fundraising events, including our well received Luncheons In Community.
Youth-led worship services, discussions, visits from special speakers, social events and worship with the larger congregation complete our time together. Our youth are an integral part of our church. I join them and their advisors in extending to you a warm welcome to our church home, and invite you to contact me for details regarding our programs for youth.
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