Dear First Unitarian Family,
First Unitarian Church of Wilmington offers a number of rites of passage for our children and families. We offer a Child Dedication for newborns and young children. We offer Age of Reason for 2nd and 3rd graders, Coming of Age for 7th & 8th graders, and Bridging for 12th graders or those leaving Youth Group.
We are currently planning to offer the Age of Reason rite of passage and hope your family considers participating.
When a child is dedicated in our congregation, the parents and the congregation agree, together, to take responsibility for that child’s development, education, and sense of community.
While the child is very young, that responsibility rests entirely on the shoulders of the adults who have agreed to bear it. There comes a time, however, when the child can assume some of the responsibility.
Many cultures and child psychologists recognize that between the ages of 7 to 9 children enter a stage of development known as the “age of reason and responsibility.” They are starting to think for themselves and begin finding themselves in more situations in which they have to make choices based on what they think is right and wrong. They are beginning a new stage in life of logic, morality, and understanding.
As Unitarian Universalists we recognize that these children are becoming ready to begin finding their own truths.
First Unitarian Church is proud to offer a program designed to engage 2nd and 3rd grade Unitarian Universalists in a Rite of Passage at this universally recognized stage of development.
