Crossing Paths:
A “Neighboring Faiths” Curriculum from Soul Matters
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"Crossing Paths is dynamic, detailed, and flexible. It is clearly made for the young people of today and meets them where they are at in terms of emotional and intellectual content. The lessons are fun and memorable, and we're so grateful to have access to this curriculum." - Clare Fortune-Lad, DRE, UU Church of Haverhill, Haverhill, MA "Crossing Paths was a blessing. It allowed us to do true theme-based ministry while keeping with the well-loved Middle School tradition of visiting other faiths." - Ashley Johnson, Credentialed Educator, Columbine UU Church, Littleton, CO "I talked with one of my Crossing Paths leaders to check in about how it was going. He said he loves Crossing Paths and wishes it was a two year curriculum! I said it will be. And right at that moment he offered to teach again next year! Thank you!! I also got a chance to observe the class and they were reviewing everything they learned so far and it was AMAZING how engaged these kids were and the memories they shared. It made my heart sing!" - Sadie Kahn-Greene, Director of Faith Formation, UU Church of Nashua, Nashua, NH |
We are thrilled to offer Crossing Paths, a Soul Matters version of the impactful Neighboring Faiths youth programs used throughout our UU congregations.
Unique Components
Crossing Paths joins the long line of visit-based UU curriculum going back 70 years. Church Across the Street was published in 1947. More recently, we’ve seen Neighboring Faiths (1997) and Building Bridges (Tapestry of Faith). Our Soul Matters versions honor these previous curricula and adds its own unique components, including an emphasis on theological grounding, a distinct take on religious pluralism ("Many Mountains, Many Paths"), and an abundance of experiential learning and a deep commitment to family-centered activities.
UU Identity Formation
While the program is built around interfaith engagement, its focus is really on UU youth identity formation. We not only lift up the core pieces of other faiths, we also compare and contrast those faith's beliefs and practices with those of our UU faith. By exploring those similarities and contrasts, youth are better grounded in their faith and clarify their own particular UU identity.
Theme Based & Non-Theme Based Options
We offer two versions/subscription options of the program:
Designed for Online & In-Person Use
During this transition out of "Covid time," we are designing the packets so they can be used in-person or online. This will likely shift as the year goes one, with packets being online heavy at the beginning of the year and slowly shifting focus to in-person activities as the year progresses.
The Faith Traditions Covered
Purchases Include
Subscription Choices & Cost
We offer three types of subscriptions with each type having a different price depending on the size of your congregation:
Theme Based, New/First Time Subscription: $155 for congregations less than 150 members
$200 for congregations more than 150 members
Theme Based, Renewing Subscription: $90 for congregations less than 150 members
$120 for congregations more than 150 members
Non-Theme Based Subscription: $210 for congregations less than 150 members
$250 for congregations more than 150 members
Leader Coaching Cohorts
Our Leaders’ Guide and the leader tips in our packets offer robust support for leaders, but we also offer extra support through our Leader Coaching Cohort groups. These groups run for two sessions (webinars), one in August and the other in October. The August meeting focuses on tips for running the family orientation and adapting the program to your unique setting. The October session focuses on problem solving issues you run into after you’ve started running the program. To register, visit our Webinars & Trainings page.
Samples
To get a more first-hand sense of the program click HERE to download last year's online Leaders Guide and Orientation/UU Packet.
Questions
Email our Director of Religious Education Resources, Katie Covey.
Unique Components
Crossing Paths joins the long line of visit-based UU curriculum going back 70 years. Church Across the Street was published in 1947. More recently, we’ve seen Neighboring Faiths (1997) and Building Bridges (Tapestry of Faith). Our Soul Matters versions honor these previous curricula and adds its own unique components, including an emphasis on theological grounding, a distinct take on religious pluralism ("Many Mountains, Many Paths"), and an abundance of experiential learning and a deep commitment to family-centered activities.
UU Identity Formation
While the program is built around interfaith engagement, its focus is really on UU youth identity formation. We not only lift up the core pieces of other faiths, we also compare and contrast those faith's beliefs and practices with those of our UU faith. By exploring those similarities and contrasts, youth are better grounded in their faith and clarify their own particular UU identity.
Theme Based & Non-Theme Based Options
We offer two versions/subscription options of the program:
- Theme Based: One version is tied to our monthly themes, with the material exploring both the core elements of each faith tradition as well as how that tradition relates to the theme. To give you flexibility, we pair up each faith with two different themes so you can choose which of two months to schedule your exploration of that particular faith. See our pairing and schedule chart HERE.
- Non-Theme Based: The other version and subscription option is disconnected from our monthly themes. This version contains all of our other components, such as UU identify formation, comparison with UUism and Online adaptations.
Designed for Online & In-Person Use
During this transition out of "Covid time," we are designing the packets so they can be used in-person or online. This will likely shift as the year goes one, with packets being online heavy at the beginning of the year and slowly shifting focus to in-person activities as the year progresses.
The Faith Traditions Covered
- Unitarian Universalism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Catholicism
- Christian Evangelicalism (Mega Church)
- Quakerism
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- Islam
- Paganism
- Humanism (New this year!)
Purchases Include
- Leaders’ Guide
- 11 Packets - The packets will come out in stages, giving us time to update each for online use this year. Click here for our publishing schedule.
Subscription Choices & Cost
We offer three types of subscriptions with each type having a different price depending on the size of your congregation:
Theme Based, New/First Time Subscription: $155 for congregations less than 150 members
$200 for congregations more than 150 members
Theme Based, Renewing Subscription: $90 for congregations less than 150 members
$120 for congregations more than 150 members
Non-Theme Based Subscription: $210 for congregations less than 150 members
$250 for congregations more than 150 members
Leader Coaching Cohorts
Our Leaders’ Guide and the leader tips in our packets offer robust support for leaders, but we also offer extra support through our Leader Coaching Cohort groups. These groups run for two sessions (webinars), one in August and the other in October. The August meeting focuses on tips for running the family orientation and adapting the program to your unique setting. The October session focuses on problem solving issues you run into after you’ve started running the program. To register, visit our Webinars & Trainings page.
Samples
To get a more first-hand sense of the program click HERE to download last year's online Leaders Guide and Orientation/UU Packet.
Questions
Email our Director of Religious Education Resources, Katie Covey.
PURCHASE YOUR 2021-22 SUBSCRIPTION TODAY!
Select one of our purchase options below:
Select one of our purchase options below: