Children & Youth

Our Faith Formation program offers a safe space for children to hear the sacred stories of our faith with a sense of wonder and curiosity. We are a community dedicated to inclusion, joy, and love.

UCCH VBS 2026: Superheroes of Faith will be
Monday, June 29 – Thursday, July 2, 8:30am-12:30pm.

Register your child(ren) here!
Use this form to register participants (ages 2-5th grade), helpers (middle school and high school), and/or adult volunteers. The registration deadline is Sunday, June 14.

Children should bring a full water bottle, snack, sunscreen, bug spray, an extra set of clothes, and any necessary medical supplies.

We will kick off the VBS Camp with a brief introduction during our Children’s Moment on Sunday, June 28 at the 10:30am service. Additionally, the VBS children will have the opportunity to present a song to the congregation at the beginning of the 10:30am service on July 5. (Attending these services is not mandatory for participation in VBS.)

While we suggest a donation of $20 per family to help cover costs, we welcome all families regardless of their ability to donate. You can donate here, through Venmo , or bring cash/check to registration. 

We kindly ask each family to volunteer for a total of 4 hours during the VBS program, whether it’s for set-up, assisting during activities, or helping with clean-up. Please indicate your availability here.

If you have any questions, contact Anitra Grove (agrove@unitedchurch.org).

Learn more about music ministry opportunities for children and youth.

Youth in middle and high school are invited to participate in every part of the life of the church, from worship and music to service and outreach to serving on boards and committees. In addition, special dedicated youth programming on Sunday morning and throughout the year supports the spiritual growth of young people.

“As the youth ministry of the United Church of Chapel Hill, we promise to treat each other with respect, open mindedness, compassion, and empathy while centering peace, justice, and joy.”

– The United Youth Covenant, 2025-2026

Most Sunday mornings, we offer Faith Formation classes for youth in grades 6-12. Groups meet from 9:15-10:15 AM in the youth room at United Church. All of our classes place a heavy emphasis on love, social justice, and personal faith development, but different grades engage in different curricula:

School Year	Class	Topics	Grades
2025-2026	Middle School	Introduction to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament	6-8
	Confirmation	An exploration of UCC beliefs, Christian history + theology	8-12
2026-2027	Middle School	Introduction to the New Testament	6-8
	High School	The World(s) of Scripture for the World Today	9-12

*Our Confirmation class is offered every other year. Registration for the 2025-2026 cohort is no longer available. The next cohort will be in 2027-2028. Confirmation is a process of discernment for youth in grades 8 and up. During this class, youth learn about scripture, theology, history and the core beliefs of the United Church of Christ. At the end of Confirmation, youth decide whether or not they would like to be ‘confirmed’ as members of the congregation. No matter what they decide, we celebrate their unique faith journey and their place in our community.

The youth group meets in many ways at UCCH. We gather regularly for dinner and fellowship in the youth room, but we also build our community through art classes, day trips, lunches, games, recreation, and service retreats. There is no single way to participate in our community. To learn about upcoming events, email JRingley@unitedchurch.org.

We strive to build intergenerational relationships in our community. Twice a year, we feature an entirely youth-led service in Festival Worship for all ages. Adult church members serve as mentors for youth in our Confirmation class, and our Faith Formation classes are team-taught by parents. Members of the youth group work in our nursery care, and we offer intergenerational Faith Formation activities throughout the year. Past activities include Advent wreath-making, an All Saints’ Day remembrance, building a free food pantry, and a workshop led by our Confirmation class.

Our play-based preschool is offered for 3 hours per day for children ages 2-4. We focus on child-led activities that enhance social-emotional development and ensure that children spend their time learning from one another and all that our beautiful space (both indoors and outdoors) has to offer.