We believe that Connection is more important than Curriculum.

Which comes first – believing or belonging?  We think the answer firmly is “belonging.”  We learn who we are by our interactions with others.  We explore our identity by being exposed to others.  We want each of our children, youth, and adults to feel loved for who they are, just as they are.  We see curriculum as a tool to help our children and youth explore their beliefs and build true, beloved community.  But curriculum or memorizing creeds will never be our ultimate goal.  We want to help all build a connection with themselves, with each other, with their community, and with the divine (however they define it.)

We believe that Mentoring is more important than Teaching.

We believe that each child approaches life’s big questions from their own unique perspective.  It’s not up to us to dictate to children what they must believe.  It’s up to us to create a safe space to allow all ages to explore their own religious beliefs, and then help them act on their values.  We see our role more like a mentor and a coach rather than a teacher.  We don’t see faith as a set of stories or creeds to be memorized – faith is developed through experience, through being guided along the path of exploration, through being mentored by someone who has been there before.

We believe that Practice is more important than Theory.

Social Justice is a core component of our program.  When we take action from the basis of our personal spirituality, we’re doing the work of faith.  Often Religious Exploration happens more in the head than in the heart.  We are committed to not only helping our children and youth define their beliefs, we are committed to helping them learn how to act on those beliefs.  Religious Exploration without taking action on your values and beliefs leads to a Theoretical Faith – we’re more interested in helping everyone build a Practical, Relevant Faith.