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Religious Exploration & Faith Development
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation White Plains, NY
September 6, 2026
| | Welcome to a New Year of Learning & Growing Together | | |
Adult Opportunities
Faith development and religious exploration continue over our lifetimes. We offer adults the opportunity to learn, grow, share and deepen in supportive community. These are opportunities to be introduced to new ideas and experiences, tell your own story, deepen understanding of Unitarian Universalism and sources of our living tradition, engage with ethical and moral questions, participate in calls to faith in action as we work to build communities of love and justice, and have spiritual experiences that inspire, transform, and sustain.
Journey Groups are theme-based monthly gatherings where congregants can explore their deepest values and inner voices, and connect with others in a small group. 2026-2027 registration is available on our website.
Creating Theology Together is a class led by Rev. Danielle and Rev. Tracy where we focus on defining theology and considering our personal relationship with theology. We explore where we each come from, what we carry, and how that impacts, informs, or challenges us. Saturday, October 24, 9:00am-2:00pm at CUUC. Read more and RSVP here
Adult Coming of Age: Exploring Your Evolving Beliefs, 6 classes led by Rev. Danielle. This is an opportunity for adults to explore values, beliefs, and Unitarian Universalist history inspired by our youth Coming of Age program. Dates coming soon.
Exploring Mortality: Facing Death With Life, 6 sessions led by Rev. Tracy. This series is based on curricula written by Unitarian Universalist Association (‘Facing Death with Life’) and UU Minister, Rev. Karen Johnston (‘Date with Death’). Rev. Tracy will also share material from her Death Doula training, including important documents to convey your wishes. The goal of this series is to facilitate a process of personal reflection, learning, and spiritual growth focused on the topic of death and dying, and embrace the possibility of living a more awake life by facing the reality of our death. Let us know your interest and help choose session topics, time, and location by responding to this form
Parents and Caregivers as Sexuality Educators, 5 sessions in the spring led by Rev. Tracy. This series understands parents and caregivers as their children’s primary educators, playing a central role in their emotional and spiritual development. This program invites adults to ask themselves: How can I embody my role as my child’s primary sexuality educator in a way that expresses my UU values and faith? Adults may participate in the classes even if you do not have a young person in OWL. We will meet at the same time as the youth class: Fridays, 6:00-9:00pm on March 5 & 12, April 2, 9, & 16. Please hold Friday, April 23rd for a weather makeup class, if needed.
CUUC Committees, Groups, and Teams are a wonderful way to be involved in congregational life and practice living into our values. By supporting each other with our time, energy, and unique gifts, we have the opportunity to learn more about each other and develop new friendships while helping to sustain our beloved community. Read more here.
Parents of Young Adults is a monthly group where parents support each other in the spiritual adventure of parenting at this stage. The group meets on Zoom, second Thursdays at 7:30pm.
Conversations on Aging is a monthly support group to share concerns, fears, joy, hopes, and wisdom regarding aging, for ourselves and our loved ones. Contacts: Astrid Rogers, Kathy Williams, Karen Leahy. The group meets first Wedensdays, 2:00pm at CUUC.
Join the PlaceKeepers for our monthly outdoor gathering to explore, appreciate, improve, and care for the grounds of CUUC, our spiritual home. Join us by the Spirit Fire (near the lower parking lot) around 10:00am to give gratitude for all life. Visit throughout the day. Bring your family and friends! Contact: Cynthia Roberts, Eileen Macholl. First Saturdays, 10:00am & throughout the day, CUUC grounds.
Science & Spirituality meets to discuss books and articles that explore the relationship between science and spirituality. We are reading A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Join us! Contact: Barbara Mair, Norm Handelman. Second and fouth Thursdays, 11:30am at CUUC and on Zoom.
Find these and more on our online calendar.
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Some September Dates
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Thu Sept 10, 7:30pm: Parents of Young Adults Group
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Sat Sept 12, 12:00-3:00pm: Annual RE Family Pool Party Hosted by Catherine and Chris Kortlandt (RSVP with Rev. Tracy)
- Sun Sept 13, 10:00am: Water Service, Ingathering Worship
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Sun Sept 13, 11:30am: K-1st Grade Our Whole Lives Parent/Caregiver Orientation (required for children to join class)
- Sat Sept 19, 5:30pm: All Ages Game Night - Friends are Welcome!
- Sun Sept 20, 10:00am: K-12th Grade Religious Exploration Begins - Classes and Youth Group Meet
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Sun Sept 20, 11:30am: Community Brunch Potluck - Sign up to help
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Sun Sept 20, 11:30am: RE Family Gathering - Make a brunch plate and join us in the Fireside Area for an overview of the year, registration, meet other parents, and hear about opportunities to get involved
- Sun Sept 27, 10:00am: Classes and Youth Group Meet
- Sun Sept 27, 11:30am: Life of the Congregation Fair - Opportunites to Connect in Community
Find more dates and Zoom links on our website calendar.
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Children and Youth
Our Religious Exploration (RE) and Faith Development curricula and activities are grounded in Centering Love, to acknowledge that our world desperately needs love and affirm that our UU values and beliefs call us to live in this way.
CLASSES
The K-1st grade class will have Our Whole Lives (OWL) in the fall with Kate Colson, Bryan Cherry, and Betsy Walkup. OWL explores and supports parents in educating children about birth, babies, bodies and families with stories, songs and activities. The HomeLink resource, shared after each class, offers resources to continue the conversation at home. It's an important curriculum, offering parents and children the opportunity to begin a lifetime of open communication at an early age. The OWL curriculum for children offers accurate and age-appropriate information, in a safe environment, grounded in the values of self-worth, health, responsibility and justice. *September 13 orientation for parenta/caregivera is requried for children to join the class.
In the spring, the K-1st grade class will return to Hugs Hollow, a curriculum written and led by Betsy Walkup with Christine Haran and Sarah Carr that focuses on values and social-emotional development. Through stories, activities, and puppet friends who embody various characteristics, they learn to create community together.
The 2nd-4th and 5th-6th grade classes will use Soul Matters packets to explore the monthly themes, which we will also explore in worship and Journey Groups. The Soul Matters Sharing Circle is a network of Unitarian Universalist congregations who follow the same monthly themes in a web of support and connection. The 2nd-4th grade teachers are Norm Handelman, Laura Sehdeva, and Irene Cox. The 5th-6th grade teachers are Denice Tomlinson, Gary Press, and April Castoldi.
In the spring, 5th-6th grade Our Whole Lives meets on five Friday evenings with David Bowen, Denice Tomlinson, Kate Colson and Carolyn Hanson. The period from age nine to twelve is an exciting and potentially overwhelming time for preadolescents. Physically, it marks the onset of puberty for many. Central to the experience of most young people of these ages are the emergence and development of a concept of self and the related issues of self-esteem, competence, and independence. Our Whole Lives provides crucial affirmation for young people at all stages, as well as all sexual orientations and gender identities. Affirming and supportive community can be life saving for young people. *February 7th parent/caregiver orientation is required. Classes meet Fridays, 6:00-9:00pm on March 5 & 12, April 2, 9, & 16. Please hold Friday, April 23rd for a weather makeup class, if needed.
The 7th-9th grade class will be Coming of Age (COA) with Gail Johnston, Alex Sehdeva, Matthew Darnall and Amy Nathan. Throughout the year, youth learn about Unitarian and Universalist history, spiritual practice, justice making in our UU tradition, and gifts of our faith. They explore the ‘big’ questions by first answering many smaller questions for themselves, reflecting on areas like basic human nature, a divine presence (or not), and the possibility of an afterlife. They also have conversations that invite them to explore the various communities they belong to and the individuals who influence them, and to consider which truly support them in becoming their authentic selves. In the spring, we pair each youth with a mentor who helps them pull their thoughts together and write their belief statements, and we imagine that their beliefs will change over time, as they do for many of us.
High school youth activities with Cyndi and Daniel Tillman include spiritual practices and our new labyrinth, and we are collaborating with the Croton and Mt Kisco UU congregations for youth activities, which include learning about immigration issues and connecting with local immigrant organizations, as well as making care packages with the Interfaith Prison Partnership.
PROGRAM SUNDAYS
Social Action Sundays help our young people find their voice, and act and interact with UU values in mind. This is especially important as we live in a time when intolerance and hate are boldly visible. We respond by practicing interacting through our differences with compassion and kindness. We respond by working for justice. We respond by building beloved community that honors and celebrates the richness of diverse beliefs, identities, and experiences.Activities include making HOPE meal bags, organizing donations for Coachman, Lifting Up Westchester, 914Cares, among others. We also collaborate with neighboring UU congregations and the Interfaith Prison Partnership. Laura Goodspeed coordinates RE social action.
PlaceKeeping Sundays help us connect to the beautful land that is CUUC's outdoor sanctuary and live into our responsibility to provide a biological refuge for indigenous species of plants and animals. We respect the mutual sustainability of both animal life and plant life, and the interdependence of each upon the other. Activities include planting trees, doing the annual water study, documenting birds that live on or visit our grounds, supporting the re-wilding project, a family activity, and continuing observations about changes as we cultivate our interdependent web of existence. Matthew Darnall coordinates RE PlaceKeeping.
Music Exploration Sundays support our young people in finding their voice through the joy of singing together. Our children's choir shares music in worship and is led by Enid Press.
Spiritual Practice Sundays offer opportunities to relax, listen to our own inner voice, connect with a broader lifeforce, cultivate deeper sense of meaning, and develop practices that can sustain us through life’s moments. Rituals connect us to our aspirations, help us facilitate healing and growth, and give structure and meaning to the human experience. They also unite our bodies and hearts in different ways of knowing, connecting with our experiences in ways that are deeply meaningful and memorable. When we engage in rituals together, they can help us move from a collection of individuals into a connected and cohesive group, reminding us that we are not alone in the world. These Sundays include attending whole congregation (all ages) worship or participating in spiritual practices in RE for grounding, deepening, and resilience.
Read more about this year’s offerings for all ages on our CUUC website.
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Childcare
Sundays, 9:30-11:30am
Diane Keller, Hans Elsevier, and Salma Nasser welcome children every Sunday. We offer a safe, loving environment where our youngest build community and play outside when weather permits. After worship, please pick up your child(ren) before attending coffee hour.
Families who remain in worship are invited to make use of the family area. Please sit near your children.
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Worship
Sundays, 10:00am in Fellowship Hall, In Person & Livestreamed
To join the Sunday Worship livestream: bit.ly/CUUC-Worship or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923. Webinar: 761 321 991, Passcode: 468468.
Online worshipers may post your Joys and Sorrows at any time by visiting bit.ly/CUUC-Online-Joys-and-Sorrows. The site is available all week, 24/7.
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CUUC Google Groups
RE Families: Swap clothes, share information and invitations, and connect with other CUUC families. Request to Join here: bit.ly/CUUC-Families.
RE Parents of Young Adults: Parents supporting each other n the spiritual adventure of parenting young adults. Request to Join here: bit.ly/CUUC-ParentsYA.
Caring for Aging Beloveds: A space for conversation and support among those caring for beloveds who are aging. Write here: cuuc-caringagingbeloveds@googlegroups.com
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CUUC Online
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