Adult Education
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Unitarian Universalists love to celebrate life and enjoy sharing the learnings that life brings. Unitarian adult education programs are gatherings which allow the participants to help build personal theology and explore the ways in which spiritual values may be applied to life.
Some of our offerings include curriculae designed by continent-wide UU programming, as well as local and individual projects that have grown from the grassroots of our church community. Art, theology, spirituality, creativity, humanism, simplicity, and sexuality have all been subjects of Lifespan Learning programs.
In addition, Lifespan Learning can encompass fellowship and social events, discussion groups, and social and political action. If you want to start an adult group, it can happen here! Below are three always-popular groups.
Build Your Own Theology Program
BYOT, designed by the UUA, consists of text and a workbook. Sessions are weekly over several weeks. Theology here means not the study of God, but rather, one's own philosophy of life. Typically, each of us develops a credo, a "What I Believe” statement, e.g., “Where do I come from? What am I doing here? Where am I going?”
The group is formed according to demand. We meet in free-wheeling, loosely-structured meetings and read each other our life stories. We examine what it means for each of us to be a human being, what God is (or might be), how we relate to God, and how we each feel about prayer. We discuss ethics: "what ought I do?" and “what in ethics, for me, is not negotiable?” Our credos written for our final meeting reflect these discussions. The course clarifies one's own beliefs.
The Hiking Group
The hiking group is an informal bunch led by Allyn Clarke that meets on the last weekend of each month to explore the various paths and trails close to the city. Trails are chosen to be no farther than a 45-minute car ride from the church, and to be less than 2 hours in duration. Hikes are held alternatively on Saturdays and Sundays. We leave from the church at 1:00 pm and end in time to have people back in the city by 4:30 pm. This is a great way to get acquainted with people if you’re new to the church. The hikers’ sign-up sheet is always on the bulletin board by the front entrance.
The Humanist Group
The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a humanist as an adherent of humanism---and humanism as: 1. an outlook or system of thought concerned with human rather than divine or supernatural matters, and 2. a belief or outlook emphasizing common human needs and seeking solely rational ways of solving human problems; and concerned with humankind as responsible and progressive intellectual beings. The group discusses these, and related ideas.