At Second Unitarian, we foster the spiritual growth of our children and youth by engaging them in meaningful religious education lessons, and by inviting them to join the congregation in worship. We encourage children and youth to approach their spiritual learning with awe and wonder; to consider their beliefs and values with curiosity and reflection; and to connect with the people, creatures, and environment around them with empathy and care.

We invite you to join our Faith Development community! If you are interested in registering your child(ren) for Religious Education (RE) classes, teaching RE, providing childcare during services, or coordinating events, please contact Brittany Morse, Director of Faith Development, at dfd@secondunitarian.org.

Religious Education Curricula

  • Spirit Play, for Pre-K through Kindergarten, by Rev. Ralph Roberts, Beverly Leute Bruce, and Rev. Dr. Nita Penfold

    We see the purpose of religious education as helping children in living into their own answers to the existential questions, as: Where did we come from? What are we doing here? What is our purpose? How do we choose to live our lives? What are our gifts? How do we use them? What happens when we die? Why do we die? Why are we lonely and sad sometimes?

    We use the Montessori approach and Berryman’s morning-as-worship approach for the structure of the morning. As in Montessori, the key elements are the classroom environment and the teachers. These elements free the children to work at their own pace on their own issues. In a typical Spirit Play morning:

    • The Doorkeeper helps the children get ready to enter the classroom.

    • The Storyteller leads the circle in the story of the day, followed by wondering.

    • Children choose an art response or to use a story previously heard, helped by the Doorkeeper.

    • Children clean-up, followed by a feast (snack) with the Storyteller and Doorkeeper.

    • Leave-taking is a formal process of saying goodbye to the Storyteller and Doorkeeper.

  • The Soul Matters curriculum uses stories, games, discussion, movement, and artistic exploration to guide students to think deeply about a particular concept each month:

    • September: Invitation

    • October: Deep listening

    • November: Repair

    • December: Presence

    • January: Story

    • February: Inclusion

    • March: Trust

    • April: Joy

    • May: Imagination

    • June: Freedom

  • Through the Coming of Age program, students learn about the history and values of Unitarian Universalism within the context of other world religions. While engaging in community service, social justice projects, and in-class learning and exploration, students begin to articulate their own beliefs. Coming of Age culminates in a ceremony in which students read their statements of personal belief (credo statements) to the congregation. 

    Students participating in Coming of Age at 2U will head to Boston in the spring (June 2025) to explore UU's roots and to expand their learning and reflection.

Director of Faith Development

Brittany Morse

Brittany Morse grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, where a large Unitarian Universalist congregation helped raise her. Brittany is an experienced elementary educator, school leader, and graduate school professor. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University and an M. Ed. in Elementary Education from Boston College. 

Brittany lives in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago with her husband, Nick (who grew up in Evanston), and two young children, Nolan and Sienna. Brittany loves watching children learn, play, and explore – spiritually, socially, and academically. In her down time, Brittany enjoys yoga, biking, swimming, cats, and spending time outdoors with family and friends.