CHILDREN & YOUTH
Welcome to Children and Youth Ministries at First Church!
Our commitment is to create a welcoming and inclusive space where every child and youth feels seen, heard, and valued. Whether you’re just starting your exploration of spirituality or continuing your path, our programs are designed to inspire curiosity, foster compassion, and encourage personal growth.
From engaging activities for our littlest ones to thought-provoking discussions for high school students, we strive to create an environment where questions are encouraged, friendships are formed, and the values of Unitarian Universalism are woven into the fabric of our community.
We hope your family will join us on this ongoing journey of learning, connecting, and exploring the boundless possibilities that unfold within our church community. We look forward to getting to know you.
Registration:
Visitors are not required to register prior to attending classes, however, knowing that you plan to attend helps Sundays flow smoothly. Our online registration form allows you to share important information about your child and helps us prepare for you to easily check-in on Sunday morning.
Step 1: Sign in to (or Sign Up for) your Realm Account
Step 2: Register your child for Sunday School for Nursery – to 12th Grade.
Regular Sunday Morning Classes
Programs for children and teens at First Church offer young people a supportive community in which to grow spiritually and deepen their Unitarian Universalist faith.
Our programs are based on stories. Whether sacred or secular, from long ago and far away or current; stories open minds, touch hearts and inspire us to live generous and compassionate lives. Sunday School curriculum teaches our UU principles and sources, our roots in the Hebrew and Christian faiths, and the importance of putting our values into action.
Every Sunday during 9:30 and 11 am worship
How does it work? Parents check children in at the Nursery desk before worship and classes and pick them up after.
We welcome visitors! If you have questions, contact the Nursery Staff at nursery@dallasuu.org and they will be happy to help.
Trained and carefully screened caregivers staff our well-equipped nurseries. Children have time for play, exploration, and plenty of cuddling in a warm, accepting atmosphere where trust is formed and they are comfortable and happy. Three rooms are available for active toddlers, wide awake babies, and quiet time.
Every Sunday during 11am worship
How does it work? Parents check children in at the Children’s Ministries Desk at 10:45am. Once checked in, preschool-aged children can be taken directly to their classrooms. Children grades K through 7th begin worship in Sanctuary with their families. After the children’s story, Sunday School teachers meet the children in the Sanctuary foyer and escort them to class. Parents pick up children from their Sunday School classrooms at 12:15pm.
We welcome visitors! If you have questions, contact childrensministries@dallasuu.org and our staff will be happy to help.
Preschool
Chalice Children delves into our Unitarian Universalist faith. It strives not just to teach about our faith, but also to provide experiences around the strength of community, the wonder and awe that transcend everyday understanding, and life issues we all share. Early childhood (the years between ages 2 and 5) is filled with curiosity and wonder. In a group setting, with loving adult guides, young children can engage in spiritual seeking, develop their openness to sharing, and experience the benefit of a supportive community. Their time in Chalice Children can set a pattern for the rest of their lives and bring lasting benefits.
Kindergarten – 1st Grade
Creating Home helps children develop a sense of home that is grounded in faith. Together they ask questions about the purpose of having a home and the functions a home serves, for us as humans and for other animals. The program speaks of home as a place of belonging and explores the roles each of us play in the homes where we live. The program introduces the concept of a “faith home”—your congregation—which shares some characteristics with a family home. Like a family home, a faith home offers its members certain joys, protections, and responsibilities.
Love Surrounds Us explores our Unitarian Universalist principles in the context of Beloved Community of family/home, school, and neighborhood. The Principles encompass all the ingredients of a good and faith-filled life based on equality, freedom, peace, acceptance, truth, care, and love. Participants engage in activities that emphasize the love they feel in community.
2nd & 3rd Grade
Moral Tales – Every day our children go forth into a complex world where they are often faced with difficult decisions and situations. Moral Tales provides children with the spiritual and ethical tools they will need to make choices and take actions reflective of their Unitarian Universalist beliefs and values.
4th & 5th Grade
Love Connects Us celebrates important ways Unitarian Universalists live our faith in covenanted community. Moved by love and gathered in spirit, we embrace our responsibility toward one another and the world at large. We encourage one another’s search for truth and meaning. We strive to be active in peace-making and other efforts to improve our world.
Sing to the Power affirms our Unitarian Universalist heritage of confronting “powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.” Participants experience their own power and understand how it can help them to be leaders.
6th – 8th Grade
Compass Points is a program for adolescents exploring their selves, their beliefs, their Unitarian Universalist faith, their relationships with others and the world. Participants have opportunities to sort out their feelings about themselves and their world; discover what they believe about life’s big questions; think independently and explore values; practice radical hospitality; acquire enough background in UU history, polity and theology that they can know and express what Unitarian Universalism stands for; and understand that religious liberty is a hard-won legacy that continues to need protection.
During this pivotal year, youth explore their maturing UU religious identity as they learn more about spiritual practice, the the history of our faith, and begin to clarify their personal religious beliefs and values.
Learn about our 2 programs for 9th graders (Odyssey and Coming of Age) below:
Odyssey
Meets every Sunday from 11am – 12:30pm. We welcome visitors!
If you have questions, contact childrensministries@dallasuu.org and our staff will be happy to help.
This weekly class provides teens with a foundational understanding of who we are as a faith tradition, our history, the importance of spiritual practice, what it means to be part of our church, and helps them clarify their religious identity and values. The year begins with a Weekend Retreat and ends with a Heritage Trip to Boston in June. Teens build community through engaging conversation, thought-provoking activities, collaborative fundraising for their trip, and more.
Coming of Age (COA)
Email Children’s Ministries to find out the next opportunity to join.
COA is a monthly opportunity for teens to meet with the ministers of the church, explore their faith, and reflect on their own religious identity and what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. At the end of the year, COA participants prepare a personal spiritual reflection about who they are as a UU and their relationship to their faith, inspired by a text of their choosing.
The Youth Group, YRUU, led by youth leaders and adult advisors, meets weekly for community and fellowship, worship, and spiritual growth.
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists
Meets every Sunday at 11am – 12:30pm. We welcome visitors!
If you have questions, contact youth@dallasuu.org and our staff will be happy to help.
Caring and dedicated adult advisors assist the youth as they explore what it means to be Unitarian Universalists. The program is built on the six pillars of youth ministry:
(1) Worship (2) Strong Youth-Adult Relationships (3) Community and Fellowship (4) Social Action and Community Service (5) Intellectual Growth (6) Youth Leadership
OWL (Our Whole Lives)
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curriculum developed by the Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ. Each level provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information that helps participants make informed and responsible decisions and emphasizes the three R’s of sexuality education – Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility. All OWL classes are led by trained and certified adult church members.
This class is not open to visitors.
Email Children’s Ministries to find out the next opportunity to join.
1st Grade
Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 1st Grade is an 8-week program that helps children begin the lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and values about identity, relationships, safety, and health. It supports parents in educating children about birth, babies, bodies, and families and includes a weekly HomeLink for parents and children to do together.
6th Grade
Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 6th Graders is a 10-week program designed to help children gain the knowledge, life principles, and skills they need to understand and express their sexuality in holistic, life-enhancing ways. It addresses key topics like values, body image, puberty, gender and sexual identity, peer pressure, and healthy relationships with sensitivity and inclusiveness.
8th Grade
Our Whole Lives (OWL) for 8th Graders is a 9-month program that models and teaches caring, compassion, respect, and justice and moves beyond the intellect to address the attitudes, values, and feelings that youth have about themselves and the world. Topics range from anatomy and health to relationships, responsible choices, justice, and self-worth.
sumfun!
a UU summer day camp for K-7
sumfun! is a fun-filled opportunity to make new friends, strengthen existing friendships, and discover more about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. Join the Parents of First Unitarian Church of Dallas group in Realm, our church communication app, to get updates about registration and volunteer opportunities.
Sumfun 2024 was a huge success!
Watch the video below to hear from some of our campers.
Children’s Choir
Our children’s choir is open to 5 year olds up through 7th grade. The younger children will experience the joy of music-making in community while developing their inner rhythm and finding their voice, while the older children are able to handle the more difficult parts of the piece and help mentor the younger musicians.
ENROLLMENT
Enrollment opportunities take place in the spring and fall. Join the Parents of First Unitarian Church of Dallas group in Realm, our church communication app, to receive updates about enrollment in children’s choir.
VOLUNTEER
Parents and Guardians are also an important part of the success of the choir by assisting at a choir rehearsal or performance. Join the Parents of First Unitarian Church of Dallas group in Realm, our church communication app, to get updates about volunteer opportunities with Children’s Choir.
GET CONNECTED
JOIN OUR PARENTS GROUP
“Parents of First Unitarian Church of Dallas” is a group in Realm, our church communication app, for parents and families in our congregation whose children are registered in our programs. Join us to connect during the week and to share ideas, joys, and challenges of raising UU families.
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
The Dallas Unitarian Weekly (also known as the DU) is our email newsletter and the best place to find the most up-to-date news and event information. Subscribe to be sure you get the latest updates about opportunities for families at First Church.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
We love connecting with our families on Instagram! Follow us for pics and videos of church life, information on upcoming events, and more.
DEDICATIONS OF INFANTS & CHILDREN
This ritual celebrates families, welcomes infants and children of all ages to our church community, and affirms the commitment of families and the congregation to the spiritual growth and development of each child.
We conduct ceremonies of dedication twice each year – on the Sunday preceding Christmas, and on Mother’s Day.
For more information or to participate in the next ceremony, email Rev. Beth Dana.
THE LATEST NEWS FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, & FAMILIES:
VOLUNTEER
VOLUNTEER WITH CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
Our Children & Youth programs rely on wonderful volunteers like you. What we require of our teachers is a mind and heart open to the children we serve. Our curriculum for all ages is straightforward and easy to follow. All materials and supplies are provided to you. We provide in-person training for all new and returning teachers and each teacher is supported by Children’s Ministries as well as their teacher team. This is a fun and deeply meaningful way to serve our community and its youngest members.
RESOURCES
FAMILY FAITH PRACTICES
Incorporate spiritual practices into your home life (e.g. saying grace before meals). The Family Faith Practices booklet offers guidance and resources to bridge the Sunday morning experience with your home life.
Download the booklet here.
SPIRITUAL PARENTING SERIES
Inspiration and resources for spiritual reflection from Rev. Beth Dana. This series is for parents and caregivers of children who want to reflect on the chaos, wonder, and spiritual adventure of parenting.
LIBRARIES
Our church has two libraries with thousands of resources for exploring our Unitarian Universalism faith, spirituality, and family/life issues (plus just all-around good books for children and families!)
The Tom and Charley Crow Library is located on the second floor overlooking Channing Social Hall and the Children’s Library is located on the second floor of Hallman.
