Adult Programs
PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS
There are several classes, programs, and opportunities for involvement through the Adult Religious Education program including:
- Building Your Own Theology
- Great Books discussion group
- The Dalai Lama and Friends
You are invited to join in several interesting topic sessions on Sunday mornings from 9-10 AM in the RE building, room 5, to learn what the teachings of Buddhism can offer to modern Westerners. For each session there will be a reading followed by discussion.
Sunday morning schedule:
8:45 AM: Come in quietly for meditation (optional)
8:50 - 8:58 AM: Guided meditation related to the day's topic
9 - 9:05 AM: Gathering for the regular session
9:05 - 10:15 AM: Reading, then discussion
Dates, times, and locations of Adult RE offerings not listed here can be found within church announcements, newsletters, etc. If you are interested in contributing to Adult RE, please contact Marci in the church office. Ours is a dynamic and evolving program, and additions are always welcome!
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CLASSES IN THE COMING YEAR
12 Steps to a Compassionate Life
Facilitator: Beverly McCormick and Linda Horton
Wednesdays, 5:45-7:15 Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 14, Dec. 12
Room 1
Our societies are informed by the words we use and the actions we take as individuals, in our institutions, and in our communities. Expanding our understanding of compassion and discussing it with others are important steps toward activating the Golden Rule around the world, and you are key to making this happen!
This group will use the book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life to seed discussions that foster a greater understanding of compassion, identify ways to practice compassion, and make a commitment to more compassionate action. We will order the book in bulk.
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Writer's Group
Facilitator: Cliff Allred
Every other Monday night, 6:45, Conference Room of the Office Building
The VUU Writer's Group is a collection of poets, fiction, and nonfiction writers who are interested in sharing their work and improving their craft. We invite people of all ages and all skill levels, whether they are published, aspiring, or purely recreational, to come participate. The only requirement is a passion for writing!
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2nd Friday Films
Facilitator: Jim Horton
2nd Friday of every month, Room 5 in RE complex
A monthly film and discussion group that primarily uses movies about the difficulties that human beings face in their ordinary lives. We will begin at 6:00 pm. Following the film we will talk about how it affected us and what thoughts and feelings it exposed. Popcorn is provided.
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Sunday Forums
Facilitator: Roy Erickson
Sundays (dates to be announced) at 12:15 in the sanctuary
Presentations and discussion on topics that affect our lives and our world AND Global Issues movies on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
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2012 UUA Common Read - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Facilitators: Rev. Andy Burnette and Marci Beaudoin
Michelle Alexander, an attorney and civil rights advocate, asserts that crime-fighting policies and systems in the U.S., such as the "war on drugs" and the incarceration system, disproportionately and intentionally affect Americans of color. Help build community in our Unitarian Universalist faith movement by taking part in this year's Common Read.
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Cakes for the Queen of Heaven
Facilitator: Margaret Stewart
Class offered: Spring 2013
Thursday at 10am and 7 pm
A woman-honoring adult curriculum by Rev. Shirley Ranck, "Cakes" examines pre-Judeo Christian cultures that may have worshiped the female as divine. The concepts of equality and reverence for the female in a religious setting are eye-opening to many participants.
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Sharing Ministry
Facilitator: Bev McCormick and Linda Horton
Class offered: Spring 2013
How does a congregation serve the needs of its members—even in their giving and volunteering?
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Bible Study – Book of Revelation
Facilitator: Rev. Andy Burnette
Class offered: Spring 2013
Alternate Thursday evenings
The Book of Revelation is often used to scare people. We will investigate what this final book of the New Testament really has to teach us.
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UU American Roots
Facilitator: Dianne and Bill Haskell
Class offered: Spring 2013
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The Haunting Church: Owning Your Religious Past
Facilitator: Rev. Andy Burnette
Fall session filled. Will be offered again - date to be determined
Did you come to Unitarian Universalism from another religious tradition, or have you been here "forever"? In her foreword, curriculum author Bonnie H. Stauffacher writes: "The majority of Unitarian Universalists come into the denomination from other religions.. Some bring with them angry and unresolved feelings about experiences in other religious institutions, others have warm memories. Some move easily into an identity as a Unitarian Universalist; others experience a traumatic estrangement from family and from the center of their culture. This workshop is not just for 'converts.' Longtime and life-long Unitarian Universalists also experience change, sometimes profoundly, in their religious identity. This workshop is enriched by the participation of people of varying tenure as Unitarian Universalists."
