Religious Exploration for Children and Youth
A welcoming, progressive community for families
Looking for a welcoming community where children and teens can explore values, ask big questions, and feel at home? USNH is an inclusive, LGBTQ-affirming Unitarian Universalist congregation serving children, youth, and families in the greater New Haven area.
​
Rooted in Unitarian Universalism and open to many spiritual paths, our programs weave together stories, creativity, conversation, worship, and hands-on service. Young people are encouraged to be themselves, build meaningful relationships, and discover how their values can guide them in the world.
​
Families of all kinds are welcome here. Whether you’re new to church, returning after time away, or simply seeking a faith community that shares your values, your children will be known, supported, and included.
"The great end in religious instruction is not to stamp our minds upon the young, but to stir up their own."
- William Ellery Channing
What Your Child Will Experience
Religious Exploration at USNH nurtures the whole child — heart, mind, and spirit.
A strong sense of belonging in a caring, multigenerational community
Freedom to ask big questions without pressure to believe a certain way
A growing moral compass rooted in kindness, justice, and compassion
Respect for many faith traditions and ways of making meaning
Opportunities to serve others and put values into action
Confidence to be themselves — and to know their voice matters
New to Unitarian Universalism? You and your family are welcome exactly as you are.
A Years
Focus on Unitarian Universalist history, identity, and core values.
B Years
Explore the diverse sources of Unitarian Universalism, including Jewish and Christian traditions, other world religions, humanism, science, nature, and a sense of mystery and wonder.
Nursery Care
Nursery care for infants and toddlers through age 4 is available from 10 am to noon, staffed by trained and background-checked caregivers. Infants and toddlers are also welcome to remain with their caregivers during worship.
Religious Exploration for Pre-K through 6th Grade
Wonder, belonging, and love in action
At USNH, children are encouraged to wonder, ask questions, try on ideas, and discover what matters most to them—while being held in a community that honors each family’s traditions and values.
Through stories, play, art, music, and hands-on experiences, children learn about Unitarian Universalism, many faith traditions, and the practice of living with kindness, courage, and compassion. We believe spiritual growth can begin at any age, and that children already have wisdom to share.
​
Justice, community, and care are woven throughout our program. Children are part of the life of the whole congregation—learning, serving, worshiping, and celebrating alongside people of all ages. Together, we practice connecting deeply with ourselves, one another, and the wider world.
​
Our programs are designed to meet children where they are—developmentally, spiritually, and emotionally—while inviting them to grow in curiosity, compassion, and courage.
Religious Exploration by Age
Discovering the places, people, and practices that make USNH a community.
This year, our youngest children explore USNH itself as a place where they belong. Through Wonderful Home, they visit and discover the spaces of our congregation and consider how children are seen, heard, welcomed, and honored in each one.
​
As they explore, children encounter the people, traditions, and shared practices that make our congregation a community. Stories, conversation, art, music, movement, and play invite them to notice what makes a place feel welcoming and what it means to care for a community.
Our goal is simple and joyful: to help children know that they have a place here, their voices matter, and they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Exploring what it means to live our UU values every day.
At this age, children are beginning to think more intentionally about the kind of people they want to be and how their choices affect others. Being UU Every Day invites them to explore our shared values as a source of spirituality, guidance, and action.
​
Through stories, conversation, creative activities, and real-life situations, children consider questions such as: What does kindness look like in action? How do our values help us make choices? How can we make our community a better place?
​
Rather than simply learning about Unitarian Universalist values, children are encouraged to notice and practice them in their everyday lives. They have space to share their own ideas, listen to others, and discover how their values can shape the way they move through the world.
Exploring the stories we tell about ourselves, our world, and what matters.
As children grow, they become increasingly curious about what is true, what we believe, and how we know what we know. Fact, Fiction, Faith invites them to explore the different kinds of stories that have shaped humanity's understanding of history, morality, and law.
Together, children consider the difference between things we can establish through evidence and things that carry meaning in other ways. They explore how stories, metaphors, and shared beliefs can help people make sense of the world and develop ideas about how we should live.
​
Rather than asking children to accept one set of answers, the program encourages them to think critically, ask questions, recognize different ways of knowing, and develop their own understanding of what is true and meaningful.
"It has been transformative as a family to know that my children are free to learn about themselves and others in an environment where they can be who they are and learn how to be truly with and among others."
- Alissa C.
Youth Programs for Middle & High School Students
A place to question boldly, grow authentically, and make a difference
Our youth program is a space where young people are trusted to think deeply, explore openly, and show up as their full selves. Questions are welcomed, identities are honored, and no one is expected to have it all figured out.
Youth engage in meaningful conversations and shared experiences around spirituality, ethics, leadership, and justice—connecting Unitarian Universalist values with the real challenges and possibilities of their lives. Through service projects, worship, and multigenerational experiences, youth build relationships, discover their voices, and learn how to put love into action.
​
We believe young people are not just the future of the congregation—they are vital to its present. In a complex world that needs their energy and passion, we walk alongside our youth as they explore who they are, what they believe, and how they want to shape the world.
Religious Exploration by Age
An opportunity to encounter different faith traditions, ask meaningful questions, and begin to articulate what you believe.
Middle school is a time of growing independence and deepening questions about identity, values, and belief. Neighboring Faiths invites youth to move beyond learning about religion in the classroom and encounter different faith traditions in the wider community.
​
Throughout the year, youth learn about faith traditions represented in New Haven County and visit local places of worship and gathering. Along the way, they have opportunities to ask questions, listen to others' experiences, and consider what different traditions have to say about how we live and make meaning.
​
In the spring, youth turn their attention inward through a Coming of Age/Affirmations experience, reflecting on their own beliefs and values and developing a personal CREDO—a statement of what they believe and how they want to live.
​
Throughout the year, youth are encouraged to approach both familiar and unfamiliar traditions with curiosity, openness, and respect.
Youth build meaningful relationships, explore spirituality, and put their values into action.
Our high school youth group, YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists), is a place where teens are trusted to think deeply, speak honestly, and lead with integrity. Together, they explore spirituality and deepen their understanding of both their own values and the values we share as a community.
​
YRUU gathers twice a month for worship, fun, social action, and relationship-building. Youth take an active role in shaping the group and participate in service projects, leadership opportunities, and other experiences that connect their faith and values with the wider world.
​
In a complex world that needs their energy and passion, we walk alongside our youth as they discover their voices, deepen their spiritual lives, and learn how to live their values with courage and care.
"USNH is a wonderful community that embodies kind and compassionate values and supports our family’s spiritual journey."
- Nathan K.
Multigenerational Worship, Service, and Community
Children and youth are woven into the life of the whole congregation. USNH offers eight to ten multigenerational Sunday morning worship services each year, and children in Pre-K through 6th grade participate in monthly Children’s Chapel services led by the Director of Religious Exploration.
​
We also host a wide range of multigenerational activities, including U-lympics, Community Builds, holiday celebrations, and the Getting to Know U program, which pairs younger and older congregants for shared connection.
​
Service and justice are central to our Religious Exploration program. Children and youth participate in hands-on service through the Kids’ Service Team, including environmental projects, food justice efforts, and scientific research with Project Limulus. Through an annual reading-based fundraiser, we also support the education of our Philippine pen-pals through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
Questions?
Contact Jesse Greist, Coordinator of Congregational Life and Director of Religious Exploration.
You can find him most Sunday mornings, email jesse.greist@usnh.org, or call 203.288.1807 ext. 203.
Jesse looks forward to hearing from you.