Established Two-Session Religious Education Programs

1. First Unitarian Church, San Diego, CA (RE registration: 170, children; 70 youth) Liz Jones, DRE
   This church added their second service two years ago and are finding that their third year of two services is going well. they approached their first year as a transitional year. The CenterQuest curriculum was used across the board (ages 4-12). A children's chapel was held at the beginning of each service prior to the children going to their 'individual classes. During the first year the CenterQuest story and dialogue were part of this service. In their second year they returned to traditional age-appropriate curricula. During this third year, the children's chapel has been eliminated in favor of the children being part of the whole community for the first fifteen minutes of the service time (RE including the time in the service lasts 95 minutes.) The Jr. High and Sr. high classes meet only at the I I AM hour.
2. First Unitarian Church, Richmond, VA (RE registration: 250, Rev. Bob Renjilian, Associate Minister & DRE
   The Richmond church is also in its third year of two-session programming, and is going well. In this RE program, curricula are offered to mixed age groups of children in Kindergarten through Fifth grade. One helpful change for this church has been the addition of a staff position to work with youth. Courses such as About Your Sexuality are offered at the later service only. Bob notes that when the transition is made to two sessions, and is clearly working well, the doubts and resistance in people's minds seem to disappear.
3. First Unitarian Universalist Church, Ann Arbor, MI (RE registration: 225), Laura Spencer, DRE
   When this church added its early service a year and a half ago, they hired a RE Assistant for added staff support through the transition. Here it was decided to offer duplicate RE programs at both sessions. Attendance at the early service has not allowed for a good balance yet, so some age groups are expected to be combined next year. Registration for the program is done in May, and there are preferred limits set on class size, though the limits are not strictly enforced. One difficulty experienced here is that there does not seem to be enough time between the services to feel like there is a comfortable flow to the morning; there may be a time adjustment make for next year.
4. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Stony Brook, NY (RE registration: 130), Linda Volkersz, DRE
   Easing the "space crunch" in this RE program was the issue addressed in going to two sessions. The best arrangement for this church seems to be to divide the programming by age groups. Here the classes for younger children are offered only at the early service and youth classes are only at the late service. Because of the numbers and ages of registered children, classes for grades two through six are offered at both sessions, as well as child care for infants. Linda notes that this does tend to create the feeling of two separate congregations, but with a 45-minute coffee hour between the early and late services, people do have a chance to meet.
5. Unitarian Universalist Church of Ashville, Ashville, NC (RE registration: 135), Laurel Amabile, DRE
   In this church, the early service was added one and a half years ago, with the second session of RE added as part of the second year of this transition. With this change, there has been very low attendance at the early RE session, while attendance at the established 11:00 am service has increased. There is currently a mufti-age program offered at the early session for those in Kindergarten through Sixth grade. The church is exploring options for balancing the two sessions to allow for continued growth.
6. First Unitarian Society, Madison, Wl (RE registration: 500), Rev. Ruth Gibson, MRE; Mary Hamilton, Church School Coordinator
   This church has a well-established two-session RE program at 8:45 am and 10: 50 am each Sunday. The RE program is planned with a slightly different class selection at each session. Registration for the RE program begins 'in the Spring for the following program year. Class size limits are set to ensure good balance in the program. A registration fee is charged and regular attendance is expected and closely monitored. A mid-year readjustment is done in January, so that any new children can be added to the classes at that time. Parent involvement has contributed to the success of this program.
7. Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills, Pittsburg, PA (RE registration: 115), Kathy Silver, DRE
   This church has tried two different formats for two-session RE beginning six years ago with a second session added. At that time children were divided by an age range split that did not work for adult services. Three years ago the format was changed for the better. Currently this program offers classes for its Preschool and Kindergarten children only at the 9:30 am service. Classes for their Junior and Senior high youth are offered only at the 11:30 am service. Duplicate classes are offered for grades Two through Six at both services. The registration for the sessions is self-selecting with the exception of the classes offered to the youngest and oldest children at opposite sessions. Kathy notes that mixing of the ages in the duplicate classes seems to help both the RE program and the adult services, and seems to be well received by the children 'involved. The church also runs additional social activities constantly for adults and children to maintain community connections.
8. The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Austin, TX (RE registration: 150), Ann Jacobson, DRE
   This church is in its third year of double sessions, and is finding that more assessment is needed to further balance attendance in both RE and in worship services due to space considerations. Currently, they are finding that 1/3 of their congregation is attending the newly added early service, while 2/3 of the congregation are choosing to continue with the later service. The same RE curricula and format is used for both sessions, with the exception of the Senior High class which is offered only at the later session. This is the first year that the RE program has set registration limits on their classes, based primarily on classroom size and space concerns.
9. North Shore Unitarian Church, Deerfield, IL (RE registration: 210) Gaia Brown, DRE
   This church is making the move to two sessions/services in the Fall of 1995. Growth in combination with inadequate parking and RE facilities has forced a change in this direction. The RE sessions are during the service times (9:15 and 11: l5am) and run eighty minutes in length. The early service includes nursery care and classes for children up to grade five. The later service offers a full program for nursery through high school. Between services, this church plans to offer children's choir practice so that children from both sessions may attend. Adult RE programs are held from 10:45am - 12:15pm and from 12:30pm - 2:00pm after each service, since, as a regional church, many people would rather not attend mid-week programs. An activity room is available for children during these adult programs.
10. Unitarian Universalist Society, Geneva, IL (RE registration: 124) Deann Alleman, church member
    When this congregation went to two services initially, they tried an "alternative" multi-age program during the second service. This was used primarily by parents who were teachers during the first session and the DRE, allowing them to attend the second service with child care available. There was difficulty in finding enough volunteers to staff and maintain the program. When polled, parents indicated the preference for a RE program at the earlier service, so the later session of RE was discontinued.

Best advice from those with successful two-session RE programs

1. Count on the change to two sessions to take a minimum of three years to be established:First year - Change is initiated, may take time to develop; resistance to participate may be experienced; problems are identified. Second year - Minor adjustments made to address problem areas; further interest and development to take place as people's acceptance grows. It's best not to abandon the change at this point, but to evaluate and work towards building support for the change. Third year - The full transition to such a major change is apt to take place during the third year. Success or failure can be determined during this time.
2. Whenever possible, offer an equivalent program of religious education at both sessions, using similar age/class breakdowns and course offerings at each. The exception for this is often made for youth groups who prefer to be together. If different programs are necessary at either session, look for ways that classes can be offered for best use of space and balance of age groups. Some choice in curriculum/format options at either service may add appeal to the under-attended session.
3. In dealing with two-session RE programming, some flexibility will be needed based upon the needs of the program and the families involved in any given year.
   From REACH September 1995