​Religious Education Resources

Scroll down to check out all seven of the subscriptions,
​specialty products and support resources we offer religious educators!
​

Monthly Theme-Based Children RE Packets 

This is our core religious education resource for preschool & elementary age children and families. Here's an overview of what you get:
  • Annual subscriptions include 10 monthly packets covering September - June.
  • These packets will be updated for online church and support 4-5 weeks worth of programming each month.
  • Subscriptions come with numerous leader support services, such as a monthly "Implementation Lab" at which Soul Matters RE leaders from around the country gather to share ideas, problem-solve together and help think though implementation strategies. We also have a RE Leader support Facebook page that supports further collaboration.

What Types of Resources are in the Packets?
  • Drawn from a wide variety of UU and other child development sources, the packets are chocked full (over 30 pages) of stories, experience-based learning activities, wonder box guides, song ideas, mindfulness practices, games, craft ideas, skits, videos, parent resources and more.
  • Making our resources even richer, we've developed a system by which subscribing DREs contribute additional material via crowd-sourcing. This is a big part of why we consider ourselves a "sharing circle" not just a resource provider.

New Approach During Covid-19 & Online Church
Online is challenging us to rethink much of what we are doing. To help you adapt, we're making three exciting changes to our approach:
  1. Designed for Online: Our resources will be curated and designed for online use.
  2. Flexible Building Blocks: RE leaders are now experimenting with a wide array of programming and program models. To better support this diversity, we're shifting from a curriculum-based approach to a building block approach. So instead of offering you prescribed session plans, we will provide flexible components that support whatever programming or model you're using.
  3. Organized as Relationally-Based Ministries: We will continue to keep in mind the traditional "pillars" that RE Leaders use to build their programs. However, as Covid-19 makes it hard for us to connect with each other, it's more important than ever to make sure our RE programming focuses on nurturing the key relational networks that nourish and support our children. With that in mind, and in conversation with our subscribers, we've developed  a relational framework by which all of our material will be organized. You can learn more about this relational framework by watching the Leaning into Online RE webinar we hosted this spring, but here it is at a glance:​
​                  - Worship Ministry Building Blocks (supporting the leader to child relationship)
                  - Small Group Ministry Building Blocks (supporting child to child relationships)
                  - Home Life Ministry Building Blocks (supporting family member to family member relationships)
                  - Community Connections Ministry Building Blocks (supporting family to family relationships)

Sample
Since we're using this new online RE approach, we don't yet have a sample packet to share with you, but you can view a sample of our previous packets here.

Want Help Discerning?
We'd love to answer your questions and help you discern if Soul Matters Online RE is right for you. Contact Katie Covey, our Soul Matters DRE at soulmattersre@gmail.com

Purchase Options
  • We recommend that you purchase the 2020-21 RE packets as part of our "Full Member Subscription," which also includes our monthly small group and worship packets. This three-part full member subscription supports a whole-church theme-based model. Just click on the "2020-21 RE PACKET SUBSCRIPTION"
  • If you are not doing church thematic ministry, you can purchase the 2020-21 RE packet subscription separately. Just click on the "2020-21 RE PACKET SUBSCRIPTION" button below.
  •  Bundle your RE subscription with either our small group or worship packet subscription at a discount. 
  • Purchase individual monthly packets here. 
  • ​Past year subscription lines are also available. See the exact themes for these years here. With these subscriptions you get all 10 packets at once rather than once a month through the year. - see the buttons below.

Soulful Home - Supporting Families as They Explore the Sacred in Everyday Spaces

Soulful Home is a monthly guide that helps families create faith-full, sacred space in their daily lives. Congregational subscriptions allow you to send out the monthly Soulful Home packets to your families. The monthly packets are organized around eight distinct family "spaces" with ideas and resources to fill those spaces with UU theme-based exploration.  In this time of Covid-19 and families being overwhelmed, some RE leaders break up the 8 components in the packets and send them out separately and strategically so as to give their families bite-sized faith-based activities.

Chalice Home - A Family Ministry Program for Home Life During Covid-19

Chalice Home is a great way to help families stay connected to their church and grounded in their faith during this time of Covid-19.  Packets include a family worship and family activities that lead to building and growing a family home "altar" or as we refer to it, "Chalice Home."

A second resource comes with this subscription: a companion RE leader guide to help you weave these home activities into your online communal RE programming.

Crossing Paths - A “Neighboring Faiths” Curriculum from Soul Matters (Jr. High)

Crossing Paths is a Soul Matters twist on the popular UU Jr high youth curriculum, Neighboring Faiths.  While rooted in interfaith engagement, our curriculum is focused on helping youth develop and clarify their own UU identity. The packets are also theme-based to ensure that youth are also connected to the wider theme-conversation that is happening in their church.

During this time of Covid-19 and online church, we're doing a significant revision of the program  so that youth can learn about the various religions through videos and online zoom conversations with religious leaders, rather than in-person visits. We're striving to maintain the experiential learning components by offering games and activities that can be done together online.

On The Road Together - Monthly Youth Group Resource Packets

A monthly high school youth packet filled with creative, high quality worship, games, meditations, reflections, stories, art engagement, discussion starters, etc. Think of it as toolbox full of building blocks to help you create the experiences that are right for your youth and your setting. Each packet is is built around our monthly Soul Matters themes to ensure that your youth are part of the wider theme conversation happening all around your congregation. All of our 2020-21 youth packets will be designed to support youth meeting online rather than in person.

Collaboration Circles & Resources

We offer a number of opportunities for RE leaders to collaborate and support each other, including online Facebook groups, Pinterest pages and monthly implementation labs. Check out all of them by clicking below!

Webinars

We offer a growing number of RE related webinars. Some are fee-based but many are free. Our vision is to use our webinars to bring in outside expertise but also to make room for Soul Matters members to share their work and ideas with each other. Check out the archive of our recorded webinars by clicking on the button below.
For more information contact Susan: susan@soulmatterssharingcircle.com