First Unitarian Church of Oakland received recognition from the Unitarian Universalist Association as a 2017-2018 Breakthrough Congregation for our ground-breaking perspective on religious exploration, including our summer program – Chalice Camp. In the coming months, the UU World magazine will be doing a story on our innovative approach to children and family ministries.

Seven years ago, our Children and Family Ministries Team made a bold decision to end Sunday school and begin a worship and fellowship centered Sunday morning model. We moved traditional religious education curricular content to summer camp and short-term, high commitment courses during the church year. This model better serves the needs of our children, youth, and families in our urban, Pacific Coast context.