Children
Children’s Church
This year, we are asking the question, “What does love look like?” Our lessons will focus on stories and activities that help us learn how to love ourselves, our neighbors, and our world!
In our current unit, we are looking at some of the things that Jesus taught so that we can learn how to put love into action.
Each Sunday, we’ll enjoy a brief lesson together and build healthy friendships with playing outside (or indoors, depending on the weather).
Registration
At UPUCC, our children’s program offers a warm, loving and supportive environment for children birth through fifth grade. It is based on our Children’s Covenant.
If you have not already done so, please take a couple of minutes to fill out the Children’s Registration Form. Even if you’ve been a part of our church for years, this will help us to refresh our database and make sure that we know how to reach you. Thank you for your help!
ALSO, here’s a survey to complete which would be helpful in choosing the most fitting curriculum and offering helpful programs!
For 6th grade and older, see our youth program.
What to expect Sunday morning
If you have a child who is three or younger, you are welcome to bring the child to worship with you or bring them to our nursery.
During the worship service, we have a special time with children. All children are encouraged to gather at the front for a special message and conversation just for them.
For children in preschool and through 5th grade, we have Children’s Church – our version of Sunday School. Each Sunday, the children learn a different story, play games, do activities, and enjoy time together.
All of our volunteers and employees who work with children are Safe Church Certified, which includes training and regular background checks.
What children will NOT experience at UPUCC
- A literal reading and interpretation of classic Bible stories.
- Scary stories of hell and judgment.
- Teachers who ignore or don’t encourage questions.
- Dismissive or disrespectful attitudes toward other faiths.
What children WILL experience at UPUCC
- The Bible explored as our sacred stories which explain how our ancestors understood God and Holy Mystery.
- Stories of God’s love and Jesus’ teachings.
- Teachers who LOVE questions and have lots of them, too!
- A respectful attitude towards all faiths and an interest in learning more about other paths to God.
Youth
We have a fun, thoughtful, and engaging youth program for kids in 6th – 12th grade. Our staff, advisers, and youth seek to create a sacred space where youth are heard, valued, accepted, challenged, and encouraged in questions of faith. We welcome and affirm all.
We regularly have collaborative youth events with youth from other area progressive churches. These include activities such as playing games at Atomic Empire in Durham.
If you’d like to receive signups and emails for our weekly gatherings, please reach out to Tyler.
Music
The music program at UPUCC is an important part of our worship and ministry. We are thankful to have an exceptional group of people in our choir that perform an eclectic array of choral music — modern, folk, classical, jazz and gospel. Rehearsals are every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. except in the summertime. All are encouraged to join the fun!
In addition to the choir, we are also fortunate to occasionally hear from vocal and instrumental solo performers and small groups. If you would like to participate in any of these activities, please contact us.
Adult Education
UPUCC Adult Education is a life tool for Covenant Partners on their journey of faith and for helping them live out their faith according to our Covenant. We offer a variety of opportunities for spiritual growth and for understanding the issues of the day as they relate to our spiritual values. We have Sunday morning forums (on site and online), occasional evening book discussions, spiritual enrichment events, and other happenings throughout the year. For a schedule of upcoming activities, check our calendar. Visitors are always heartily welcomed.
Creativity Group
The UPUCC Creativity Group meets regularly onsite. Most of our time is devoted to making handmade greeting cards that we offer for your donation. We have an abundant supply of (mostly donated) materials and are more than happy to share what we have learned about card making. The only warning we give is that card making is addictive, so beware!
We have also collaborated with our friends at Healing Transitions. We provide supplies, including postage stamps, to help the women make cards during that hour.
Ordering Cards
Creativity Group’s custom-made all occasion cards are now available to order!
While we ask for a minimum donation of $5 for individual cards, we hope your donation for special/multiple orders will be thoughtful and generous.
Samples of all-occasion cards are often on display in the UPUCC Worship Space, available to order there as well. One of a kind Christmas/holiday cards are also available. We would love to create these cards for specific orders! We will contact anyone who orders and arrange details for delivering the finished cards. Monetary donations are due upon delivery of the completed order; they can be made online through the UPUCC donation form. For more information or to place your order, please contact Alice, Gail, Linda, or Michele.
Giving
To make a one-time or recurring donation, click “Make a Donation.”
Forms for pledging and volunteering
Safe Church Program
Our Children and Youth Ministries involve adult volunteers (cleared through our Safe Church program) working together to plan the individual events.
UPUCC Safe Church Policy
In accordance with the Safe Church Policy adopted by the UPUCC Congregation, a background check is required for persons who work with our children and youth. The UPUCC Safe Church Policy Concerning Abuse Prevention document provides detailed information on the policy.
In order to facilitate this policy, all Covenant Partners who wish to volunteer with UPUCC children and youth need to:
- Print and read the UPUCC Safe Church Policy Concerning Abuse Prevention.
- Complete Volunteer Application and Disclosure Form.
- Leave completed documents in the Children’s Committee mailbox in the copier room at the church.
Interested volunteers are invited to contact the church office for more information.
According to the policy, all confidential information will be secured. In addition to the background check, all volunteers will be asked to attend a safe church/safe child training.
Faith in Action
How do we put faith into action? At Umstead Park UCC we are guided by our Covenant, in particular the section about our commitment to the wider world:
- With our steps toward a mutual relationship with the wider world, we will:
- Share freely of our wealth and resources;
- Recognize our identity as global citizens, intimately tied to and partnered with all of God’s children in every land;
- Demonstrate our concern for neighbor through service and prophetic voice;
- Claim our inescapable connection with the sacred earth and all of creation;
- Live justice as the social expression of love, and peace as the present manifestation of the world to come.
Every day we put faith into action through use of our (LEED certified) building, as offices, storage, rehearsal, and performance space for the Justice Theater Project, and as meeting space for organizations like Healing Transitions and other service and social justice groups.
We have worked with the Impact Global Health Alliance (formerly Curamericas Global) to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Guatemala and other parts of the world. We’ve worked with non-partisan advocacy organizations, like the Poor People’s Campaign and Common Cause, to ensure that we put our faith into action that supports our values and increases voter turnout.
Our Creativity Group meets regularly to craft beautiful greeting cards which are offered for donation and all proceeds fund various charitable needs.
Our Youth Group participates in service learning opportunities, including a trip to western NC to help with Hurricane Helene recovery.
Our History:
When UPUCC first came into existence in 1999 (then called North Raleigh UCC), we rented space in a middle school, later in a YMCA and did not have a building. As a UCC-subsidized new church start, we committed 51% of weekly donations to Faith in Action. Through the years, as the church grew and became self-sufficient, we decided to purchase a building, in partnership with an architectural firm as co-tenants. Staying true to our covenant, the building qualified for LEED gold certification and we immediately looked for ways to apply this significant investment to Faith in Action. Our building is now in use 24/7 for Faith in Action.
PACE
PACE is a growing group of members seeking to further the UPUCC covenant by Partnering with others, taking Actions, Communicating our events and purpose, and Equipping the UPUCC community to cope and have agency in our historically challenging times.
We keep a running list of events and activities we will participate in and resources to support the UPUCC community. To not overwhelm folks, we publish only prioritized events and activities, usually no more than 2 per week. We strive to pick the best activities to address, focusing on ones we think will have the greatest impact.
To learn more about PACE email us at UPUCCPACE at gmail dot com
