Religious Exploration
Welcome to our Religious Exploration
Each Sunday, children, youth, and families join our congregation for the beginning of the service in the sanctuary. There is a Peaceful Play area just to the left of the stage where nursery and preschool-aged children can play quietly. After a Time for All Ages, children who would like to join our classes are sung out of the sanctuary to join their age groups (Nursery and Preschool classrooms located upstairs; K-2nd and 3rd-5th classrooms located downstairs). Please sign your child/children in before service at the Family Welcome table if they will be attending classes. After the service, parents or caregivers go to classrooms to sign your child/children out. If you would like to enjoy a cup of coffee first, please do so!
Middle Schoolers join our congregation in the service until the younger children are sung out after a Time For All Ages. Youth are then invited to join us in the teen space downstairs for the remainder of the service the first two Sundays of the month.
What's Happening in Religious Exploration
Questions or Concerns? Please reach out to Leslie Harvey at msleslie@fusden.org or 720-261-2549.
Thank you to our team of dedicated volunteers! They are superheroes!
- Charlotte Braud-Kern
- Ellen Cahill
- Mary Hilken
- Michelle Weetman
- Coral Cosway
- Elisa Erickson
- Betsy Brainerd
- Noelle Botti
RE News
Youth group will meet in the teen space in the basement during the service on December 14th, so please send your middle and high schoolers our way!
Winter Solstice Eve will be held on Saturday December 20th from 4:00-7:00 this year. We will have a face painter, an all-ages coloring poster, and *new* a family friendly spiral lighting ceremony before the traditional spiral lighting. More details and link to RSVP coming soon.
Please join us for a festive Christmas pageant during our All Ages service on December 21st! This year’s interactive, no-rehearsal show invites everyone to relax, participate, and enjoy the fun. To make things extra comfy and cozy, we encourage everyone to come to church in your pajamas!
Think UU Know The Christmas Story? Experience the birth of Jesus as you’ve never seen it before—through the imaginative lens of UU storytelling. Come for a joyful, light-hearted, and participatory Christmas pageant filled with music, laughter, and plenty of audience cues. If you’re ready for a spirited service with a wink, join us on December 21st!
RE Food and Hygiene Drive! Let’s live our UU SHARED VALUE OF GENEROSITY and help local families by donating food and hygiene products to Metro Caring. Please bring your donations to the wagon near the front door.
No RE Classes will be held on Sunday December 28th.
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Interested in finding the read aloud books from A Time For All Ages? Here is the list of what we’ve read on Sunday mornings:
September 2024:
- A Cup of Light
- I Am Courage: A Book of Resilience by Susan Verde
- The Great Big Book of Friends by Mary Hoffman
October 2024:
- ABC Rise Up and Be by Annemarie Riley Guirten
- Maybe Dying Is Like Becoming A Butterfly by Pimm van Hest
November 2024:
- What Is God? by Etan Boritzer
- Many Ways: How Families Practice Their Beliefs and Religions by Sheila M. Kelly and Shelley Rotner
December 2024:
- Secret Santas and the 12 Days of Christmas Giving by Courtney Petruzzelli and Melissa B. Snyder
- Christmas Is Coming! An Advent Book Illustrated by Katie Hickey
January 2025:
- Be Who You Are by Todd Parr
- Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller
- How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
- Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Lauren Alderfer
- A World of Mindfulness From the Editors & Illustrators of Pajama Press
February 2025:
- A World of Mindfulness From the Editors & Illustrators of Pajama Press
- I Remember My Breath Mindful Breathing for All My Feelings By Lynn Rummel
Our Church Calendar
All of our events fall under the categories of Worship, Religious Exploration, Music, Social Justice, Community Events, or Other, which you can see by clicking on an event and looking under the Where option. Public Events are open to all and Private Events require prior sign-up or tickets purchased.
To gain more information and who can attend Undefined Events, please reach out to our Office at office@fusden.org.
- Nursery
- Children
- Youth
- FAQs
Sundays at FUSD
Our Peaceful Playspace
Here at First Unitarian Society of Denver (FUSD), it is important to us that families and children feel welcomed in our community. Our Peaceful Playspace is designed for families and children of all ages as well as backgrounds, filled with engaging toys, fidgets, puzzles, and craft activities to use during service.
This space is located inside the sanctuary to the left of the stage.
Time for All Ages
Each Sunday service includes a dedicated time for those who are young and young at heart to come together. We hear from our Religious Exploration Staff with an engaging story or activity that relates to our overall theme for the morning, giving our young people an opportunity to have their voices heard and included.
Living Room
Just as it's important to us that families and children feel welcomed here at First Unitarian Society (FUSD), we also want the same for our slightly older youth. Our Living Room area is designed with older youth in mind with comfy couches, a tv to still hear and see our service, and filled with fidget activities and games to use during service.
This space is located just outside the glass doors of the sanctuary.
The Nursery
The Nursery is one of our places for babies and preschool-aged children here at First Unitarian Society of Denver. Filled with loving and caring staff who have been background checked and trained by our Early Childhood Coordinator, the Nursery is filled with everything you and your little ones may need. We have all the necessities you may need during your visit with us, such as diapers and wipes, a sanitary changing station, age-appropriate toys, and more. We even have a display monitor to share our worship in real time, just in case you or your little one aren't quite ready to be away from one another.
The Nursery is located through the doors on the right-hand side of the main entrance, up the stairs on your right.
Children
At First Unitarian Society of Denver, we provide a free-choice Sunday morning experience for Kindergartners through 5th Graders. All of us start in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings and stay through Time for All Ages. Once Time for All Ages is over, children may choose to stay in-service with their families or play in our Peaceful Playspace. Through the remainder of Spring 2022, families and children may also choose to join us outside in-front of the main entrance to learn about Unitarian Universalism values and fostering community through crafts, games, and more.
Youth
Our youth programming at First Unitarian Society of Denver meets 6th through 12th graders in their spiritual exploration, helping them move through Unitarian Universalism while also fostering lifelong community. While our typical structured programming has been suspended due to COVID, our youth are are more than welcome to come in-person on Sundays to join in on worship or hang with Lena, our Youth Programs Coordinator, in the Game Central area. When we have critical mass, our youth and Lena often visit the local coffee shop or park during worship.
Multigenerational Worship
Register for RE
Parents need to enroll their children in the RE program. This helps us communicate upcoming events and changes to programming. It also helps us better manage our room resources. Our registration process is now 100% paperless. Please either register here or visit our Welcome Table on Sundays.
Religious Exploration Beyond Sunday Mornings
Family CORE Circle
Family CORE Circle is held the third Friday of each month from 6-7:30pm in the Community Room. It is part potluck, part playdate and a great opportunity to bond and share with other FUSD families of school-aged (and preschool aged) children. "Grandparents" will be on hand to guide the children in play while the parents can discuss various topics and deepen their acquaintance with each other and the church community in general.
Email bravodenver@gmail.com for more information or to RSVP.
Mark your calendars and join us for future events!
01/17/2025
02/21/2025
03/21/2025
04/18/2025
Child Dedications
Interested in enacting a sacred bond between your children and our exceptional congregation? It is a beautiful ritual, performed twice annually by Rev. Morran.
Volunteer
Love Working with Youth?
This might be the perfect experience for you. We're always seeking patient, kind, enthusiastic volunteers in the Religious Exploration area of our church. Our kids have boundless energy and we love trying to keep up!
Connect With Our Religious Exploration Staff
Director of Family Ministry and Inclusion
Leslie Harvey