Crossing Paths
An Interfaith Exploration Curriculum from Soul Matters
|
"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, MA "I 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, NH |
We are thrilled to offer Crossing Paths, a Soul Matters version of the impactful Neighboring Faiths youth programs used throughout our UU congregations.
Crossing Paths is developed for 7th-9th graders, and can be used for 6th graders with adaptations.
Ideally, Crossing Paths would come before our coming of age program, Becoming. We’ve designed them to work in partnership, with Crossing Paths focused on deepening youths' understanding of our faith and Becoming aimed at helping youth shape their own distinctive UU identity.
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 version honors 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.
Video Overview/Orientation
In addition to the information below, you can learn more about these unique components by watching our Leader Orientation Webinar by clicking HERE. The recording is also posted on our Webinar Recordings page.
UU Identity Formation
While the program is built around interfaith engagement, its focus is really on UU identity formation. We lift up the beauty and power of other faiths, but we also weave in UU values and perspectives along the way. As we compare and contrast our sibling religions with our own, youth become better grounded in their UU faith and clarify their own particular UU identity.
The Faith Traditions Covered
We have currently developed modules/packets for the 11 religions below.
Purchases Include
2026 Update
We have just finished updating the Crossing Paths curriculum for use this church year: 2026-27. This update includes such things as engagement with our new UU shared values, refined leader notes, updated links, and some new activities.
The updated packets/modules will be made available in stages and automatically posted to subscribers' online archives.
Here is the posting schedule.
Cost
We offer two subscription levels, one for larger congregations and another for smaller ones.
For brand new/first time subscribers:
Check Out the Leaders Guide
A great way to get a better feel for what makes Crossing Paths unique is to check out the Leaders Guide. Click HERE to download it.
Questions
Email our Team Lead, Rev. Scott Tayler at [email protected]
Crossing Paths is developed for 7th-9th graders, and can be used for 6th graders with adaptations.
Ideally, Crossing Paths would come before our coming of age program, Becoming. We’ve designed them to work in partnership, with Crossing Paths focused on deepening youths' understanding of our faith and Becoming aimed at helping youth shape their own distinctive UU identity.
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 version honors 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.
Video Overview/Orientation
In addition to the information below, you can learn more about these unique components by watching our Leader Orientation Webinar by clicking HERE. The recording is also posted on our Webinar Recordings page.
UU Identity Formation
While the program is built around interfaith engagement, its focus is really on UU identity formation. We lift up the beauty and power of other faiths, but we also weave in UU values and perspectives along the way. As we compare and contrast our sibling religions with our own, youth become better grounded in their UU faith and clarify their own particular UU identity.
The Faith Traditions Covered
We have currently developed modules/packets for the 11 religions below.
- Unitarian Universalism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Catholicism
- Christian Evangelicalism (Mega Church)
- Quakerism
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- Islam
- Paganism
- Humanism
Purchases Include
- Leaders’ Guide
- Orientation Session Guide
- 11 Packets/Modules on the above 11 religions
- Leader Orientation Webinar (Recording found HERE)
2026 Update
We have just finished updating the Crossing Paths curriculum for use this church year: 2026-27. This update includes such things as engagement with our new UU shared values, refined leader notes, updated links, and some new activities.
The updated packets/modules will be made available in stages and automatically posted to subscribers' online archives.
Here is the posting schedule.
Cost
We offer two subscription levels, one for larger congregations and another for smaller ones.
For brand new/first time subscribers:
- $265 for congregations of 150 members or more.
- $215 for congregations with less than 150 members.
- $85 for congregations of 150 members or more.
- $55 for congregations with less than 150 members.
Check Out the Leaders Guide
A great way to get a better feel for what makes Crossing Paths unique is to check out the Leaders Guide. Click HERE to download it.
Questions
Email our Team Lead, Rev. Scott Tayler at [email protected]
Click on a button below to purchase