Children & Youth Religious Education
Caregivers come to UU Wausau for a community that helps raise children to become kind, respectful, fair-minded, caring, and strong enough to side with love and fight for justice. We nurture truth-seeking, spirituality, and progressive moral values that will continue to shape and support our children as they grow.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE
Your Family Is Welcome Here
Welcome to our Children and Youth Religious Education program (RE)! Sometimes referred to as Sunday School in other traditions, the RE programs we hold each week are more than just a place where kids go to keep busy while their families and other adults take part in the serious business of church.
RE is about creating a community where children, youth, and families feel they belong. It is about exploring who we are and what we believe with openness to the religiously diverse world we live in, and it is about supporting each other as we learn, grow, and live our values in the world.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about the information on our RE program below or UU Wausau, in general.
I am looking forward to getting to know your family better and hearing more about how we can support your goals for your family’s spiritual journey.
Warmly,
Jessica Zimmer
Director of Religious Education

FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAYS
Children & Youth Religious Education
Religious Education (RE) Meets on Sunday mornings from September through May. Children and youth start with their families in worship and then may choose to attend RE or remain in worship with their family.
2025-2026 RE Programming Guide
Children’s RE
Our Children’s RE group explores themes like belonging, love, and interdependence through a play-based model that creates space for imagination, reflection, and joy through activities of their choice, including stories, games, art, and play!
Children’s RE is open to children in K-5th grade.
Youth RE
Our Youth RE group focuses on building relationships and helping each youth feel supported in their spiritual journey. They explore themes like belonging, courage, and resistance through hands-on activities and deep conversation.
Youth group is also an opportunity for youth to develop leadership skills and to engage in our and the wider community through service and social action projects.
The Youth Group is open to youth in 6th-12th grade, and they also schedule one-off meetups for social events and service projects.
UU WAUSAU
Family Programming
We’d love to have you join us for worship or one of our upcoming small groups, special events, or community offerings between Sundays.
All Age Worship
There are also several Sundays throughout the year, we worship as a community of all ages, and on those Sundays, our RE groups will not meet. We provide supplies (coloring & activity sheets and fidgets) and worship-related materials to help children follow along with worship. The balcony and family room are also open for families who would like more space to move.
These Sundays mark important days in our congregation and holidays. They are times for celebrating and sharing and often include interactive elements.
Family Winter Retreat
Join us at the beautiful Schwartz at Camp Manitowish for a January weekend full of sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, indoor rock wall climbing, great company, and tons of fun!
Watch our events calendar for updates about our 2026 Winter Retreat!
Family Events
We offer events and programs for families to connect several times throughout the year. This might look like a movie night, service project, or shared meal. Subscribe to our weekly emails and newsletter for upcoming family ministry programming and events.
K—5TH GRADE
Children’s Religious Education
The following opportunities are open to children K to 5th grade:
Children’s RE
Meets during worship on Sunday mornings September-May, except during all-ages services and holiday breaks. Open to children up to 5th grade
Our Children’s RE group takes a play-based approach to exploring life’s big ideas, like Community, Spirit, Justice, Love, and Compassion. Together we’ll Wonder about the Sacred and the Values we hold dear, explore the beauty of Awe, Mystery, and Hope, and talk about what Forgiveness, Generosity, Mercy, and Freedom can look like in our lives. We’ll also learn about Pluralism, Equity, and Truth, reflect on God(dess), and discover how Covenant, Reverence, Interdependence, and Transformation connect us to each other and the wider world.
Each Sunday, elementary school-aged participants will discover one of these sacred words and then explore the week’s themes in our open play spaces, including an art room, contemplation room, make-believe room, game area, nature space, music space, and makerspace.
6TH—12TH GRADE
Youth Religious Education
The following opportunities are open to tweens and teens in 6th to 12th grade:
Youth Group
This year, our Youth Group will explore the ideas that matter most to our teens. Youth will dive into themes like adventure, kindness, creativity, and fairness, asking what it truly means to live with integrity, generosity, and joy, all inspired by the values they chose as most important. Through conversation, service, games, and shared experiences, they’ll learn, grow, and discover ways to carry these values with them as they move into adulthood.
C2: Connections Cafe
C2 is an open space for youth to connect, collaborate, create, and rest. Youth can choose to play a game, make some art, sit in the quiet, enjoy a snack, and/or do something else or nothing at all. C2 is a chance for youth to disconnect from the busyness of life and focus on those things that rest and renew their spirit.
Our Whole Lives
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education program. It provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics, including values, body image, gender and sexual identity, and healthy relationships with sensitivity and inclusiveness.
The program is designed to help youth gain the knowledge and skills they need to understand and express their sexuality in holistic, life-enhancing ways. We offer OWL for 7th to 9th graders every other year and other levels in the off years. To find out more about our current OWL offering, contact the Director of Religious Education.
CURRENT PROGRAMMING
Belonging. Becoming. Being.
The Religious Education (RE) programs are more than just a place where kids go to keep busy during church. It is more than glue sticks, glitter, and crafts.
- It is about creating spaces of belonging, listening carefully, laughing wholeheartedly, caring deeply, and nurturing connections.
- It is about becoming a community and supporting each other as we learn and grow together.
- And it is about being — living our values in the world.
To learn more about our programming for children, youth, and families, don’t hesitate to contact our Director of Religious Education.
CONNECT
Grow In Mind & Spirit
At First Universalist Unitarian of Wausau, our families explore alongside one another on the journey of faith. If you have any questions about our religious education program or our public community-oriented offerings, don’t hesitate to reach out.
THE 7 PRINCIPLES
What We Believe & Teach
Unitarian Universalists have many ways of articulating our guiding seven Principles in simpler language for children. Here’s the way the Tapestry of Faith children’s programs describe them:
1st Principle: We believe that each and every person is important.
2nd Principle: We believe that all people should be treated fairly and kindly.
3rd Principle: We believe that we should accept one another and keep on learning together.
4th Principle: We believe that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
5th Principle: We believe that all persons should have a vote about the things that concern them.
6th Principle: We believe in working for a peaceful, fair, and free world.
7th Principle: We believe in caring for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things.
Family FAQs
Finding the right religious education program for your child involves asking many questions. This FAQ section is intended to help you learn if our Unitarian Universalist Religious Education program is the right fit for your family.

COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES
Stay Connected Between Sundays
We’d love to have you join us for worship or one of our upcoming workshops, small groups, special events, or community offerings between Sundays. Connect with us below for updates!