R.E. News
Religious Exploration (R.E.) Bundle o' News
If you are interested in being added to the RE listserv or helping with these events please contact Kinsey Moritz.
We require a new registration form for all young people (age 0-18) involved in RE each year to ensure we have correct and up-to-date information for everyone.
Update for RE for week of 12/28/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered for an RE class celebrating the winter solstice. They started the class by learning about winter solstice, and playing winter solstice BINGO. Then, they made snowflake and star ornaments with beads and pipe cleaners. It was a very fun RE class!
We hope you can join us for the pageant and Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, and for our Kwanzaa service on Sunday!
Also, CLICK HERE to see our Winter R.E. flyer with dates and details for all of our family events at ERUUF this holiday season.
Update for RE for week of 12/21/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth joined the entire congregation for the Lessons and Carols service. It was a wonderful service, and the children's choirs sang beautifully during service! Children and youth also colored snowflakes during the service, which will be displayed during the Winter Solstice service on December 20th.
High School Youth Group had a great time baking the leftover cookie dough from RE Cookie Baking during their gathering!
We hope you can join us this upcoming Sunday as children and youth gather as a large group to celebrate the Winter Solstice. They will learn about the winter solstice, play winter solstice BINGO, and make an adorable beaded snowflake craft!
Also, CLICK HERE to see our Winter R.E. flyer with dates and details for all of our family events at ERUUF this holiday season.
Update for RE for week of 12/14/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered for the annual RE event, Cookie Baking! They started by learning about Urban Ministries, and discussed how to make the cookies look beautiful.
Then, it was off to decorating! Children and youth got to decorate sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and chocolate chip cookies with sprinkles, colored sugar, chocolates, and more. It was a lot of fun, and they made well over 500 cookies to donate to Urban Ministries.
Middle and High School Youth Groups met together for their annual Cookie Decorating Contest! After sharing a lunch of pizza, taquitos, and fruit, we played a cookie-themed icebreaker game. The winners chose the contest categories: Most Dangerous Looking, Most Expensive Looking, and Least Delicious Looking. They really put their hearts into the task and came up with some atrocious… I mean… wonderful cookies!
Also, on Saturday we had 26 children and youth join us for Nifty Gifty! They crafted hundreds pf homemade gifts and wrapped them for loved ones. Some of the crafts were: picture frames, three bean soup, key chains, cork snowmen ornaments, gift bags, bookmarks, candles, and many more!
And that’s not all: This Saturday through Sunday, 13 youth attended the Middle School Youth Group Lock-In for an evening of food, fun, and fellowship before spending the night at ERUUF and leaving after breakfast in the morning. It was such a blast!
Thank you so much to all of the volunteers that made this busy weekend of RE possible! We sincerely appreciate your dedication, creativity, and kindness. We couldn’t do it without you!
Also, CLICK HERE to see our Winter R.E. flyer with dates and details for all of our family events at ERUUF this holiday season.
Update for RE for week of 12/05/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered to wrap up the November theme of the month, gratitude!
The PreK-K class had a great time introducing themselves and listening to The Thank You Book by Mo Willems. Then, they discussed some ways that we can show gratitude, and made cards for loved ones.
The 1st - 5th graders started the class by playing a fun movement game and listening to the story “The Thankful Dogs”. Then, they broke into groups based on interest. The activity group created gratitude super hero masks and shields, while the game group played an outdoor game centered around gratitude.
The middle school RE group enjoyed the beautiful weather and wrote the words “Thank You” in multiple languages on the sidewalk. They also played a gratitude memory game, and wrote gratitude letters.
High School Youth Group had bagels and cookies for lunch, then executed a youth-led lesson plan with games and discussion.
This is a busy weekend for RE at ERUUF: Saturday, December 6th from 9AM-12PM is Nifty Gifty, our annual event for kids to make handcrafted gifts for their loved ones. Registration is required.
We hope you join us this upcoming Sunday for a beloved RE winter event, cookie baking! This year our children and youth will bake and decorate over 400 cookies to donate to Urban Ministries.
Also, CLICK HERE to see our Winter R.E. flyer with dates and details for all of our family events at ERUUF this holiday season.
Update for RE for week of 11/30/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered for ERUUF’s annual Sock Hop. They began by learning about Urban Ministries, then got to work wrapping warm clothing. They decorated gift tags, made cards, and created wrapping-paper bags. We were grateful for the generous number of donations we received. Children and youth wrapped over 130 packages with socks and undergarments. The many coats, sweaters, and other warm items that we didn’t manage to wrap in the given time will also be donated to Urban Ministries. Thank you to everyone who contributed clothing and to all who volunteered their time to support this event!
Next week, we will resume regular RE classes as children and youth conclude November’s theme of gratitude.
Also, CLICK HERE to see our Winter R.E. flyer with dates and details for all of our family events at ERUUF this holiday season.
Update for RE for week of 11/23/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered to continue November’s theme of gratitude. They also enjoyed hearing the children’s choirs sing during the service.
The preschool and kindergarten class began in a circle, sharing their joys and concerns. They talked about donuts as a small symbol of gratitude, read the class favorite Thank You, Omu, decorated paper donuts, and finished with Krispy Kreme on the playground.
Update for RE for week of 11/16/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth joined the congregation for a multigenerational service focused on gratitude. Through songs, stories, and shared reflection, they expressed what they are thankful for.
After service, the High School Youth Group met for a sandwich lunch and submitted questions to be answered by NC Harm Reduction Coalition, as their guest speaker wasn’t able to attend. Then they spent some time outside and did a leaf meditation.
We hope you can join us this upcoming Sunday as we continue with our RE classes! Children and youth will continue to explore the November theme of gratitude.
Also, CLICK HERE to see our Winter R.E. flyer with dates and details for all of our family events at ERUUF this holiday season.
Update for RE for week of 11/09/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered to kick off the November theme of the month: gratitude! The classes explored how gratitude can help us notice small things in life!
The preschool and kindergarten class started the class by playing a fun game of eye spy, then they had a discussion about how magnifying glasses can help them explore small things. Afterwards, they read the book “Giving Thanks” by Jonathan London, and practiced noticing tiny things with some natural objects from nature. They wrapped up the class by decorating rocks with acrylic markers.
The 1st - 5th graders began the class together, participating in a meditation (with chocolate chips and oranges!), watched a skit about a heron, and had a discussion about gratitude. Then, they split into groups based on interest. The activity group explored the trail to find a tiny nature wonder, while the game group played gratitude four corners.
Update for RE for week of 11/02/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered to wrap up the October theme of the month: cultivating compassion!
The PreK–Kindergarten group kicked off the class with a fun game of pass the pumpkin, followed by introductions and a thoughtful discussion about how we can include everyone during trick or treating. Then they participated in a Halloween fashion show and a fun Halloween trivia game!
The 1st - 5th grade group started the class with a centering activity, then they had a discussion about including everyone during trick or treating. Afterwards, they broke into groups based on interest. The activity group made paper pumpkin lanterns, while the game group participated in a skeleton relay!
The 6th - 8th grade group was led through a short meditation on compassion for others, had a “costume contest” using toilet paper and markers, and played many collaborative variations of tag.
High School Youth Group met outside for a special wax divination ritual, then shared a big lunch of sub sandwiches and chatted until 2PM.
Update for RE for week of 10/26/2025
RENews:
This past Sunday, children and youth gathered to learn more about the October theme of the month: cultivating compassion!
The PreK–Kindergarten group kicked off the class with a fun game, followed by introductions and a thoughtful discussion about showing compassion through generosity. They then enjoyed a compassion-matching game and created heartfelt cards for their loved ones!
The 1st–5th graders began the class by gathering together to listen to a story and have a meaningful discussion about stepping outside of their comfort zone to help others. Afterwards, they split into interest-based groups—the activity group played a game about stepping out of their comfort zone to help others, while the craft group continued working on their angel wing projects.
