We believe that children are loved and blessed by God. We believe that the vitality of our faith community is critical to the nurture of our children’s faith. Through our church programming and activities, we provide our youth with language, context, and experiences to encourage them to grow their faith and religious beliefs.

Our hopes for each child who participates in the Christian Education and Spiritual Formation programming at Orchard Ridge UCC are:

1.   Our children will experience the affirmations we pronounce at baptism: That God loves them unconditionally, that Jesus is their Redeemer and Friend, and that the Holy Spirit is their Comfort and Guide.

2.   They will be nurtured and supported to grow in their faith by our church community.

3.   They will grow in their faith and understanding of God, be challenged by the teachings of Jesus and endeavor to follow in the ways of Christ.

4.   They will examine the strengths as well as the struggles of being human.

5.   They will be exposed to spiritual practices to assist them in their faith formation.

6.   They will study and be exposed to the major world religions and Christian denominations helping them to respect different faith traditions.

7.   They will learn about sexuality through the comprehensive educational program called Our Whole Lives.

8.   They will develop deep and lasting friendships through the ORUCC community.

9.   They will grow in their understanding of themselves that will help them discern their purpose and vocation in the world.

10.   They will gain leadership experiences by participating in the Yearly Mission trips, assisting and leading in worship and in the children’s programming, and in engaging in other leadership roles of the church.