Religious education is a lifelong journey of faith formation that includes the cultivation of self-knowledge and working towards “making life significant.” In sanskrit, the word for faith is sraddha which means, “where the heart rests.” Religious education is the journey of finding this resting place through spiritual and ritual practices and through intellectual education and learning that cultivates our heads and hearts.
As a parent, I believe that faith formation begins at birth with children learning about themselves: their bodies, their minds, and how they make meaning of the experiences of their lives. As we grow into youth and young adults, faith formation is how our own understanding relates to the community and how the power of community can shape the justice work of our world. As adults, we continue this learning and also become guides for others, thus cultivation of leadership is also important to formation. This lifelong process is identity, connection, and transformation. It begins with our youngest children and continues through and with our elders. As minister, I believe my role is to cultivate curiosity in my members to engage this process.
Most important for me is that our religious education helps us better understand ourselves so that we can better understand and live into the values of our communities. As minister, religious education is vital to the success of a congregation as together we embark on a journey of making our lives significant.
mandi huizenga 