Thoughts on Adult RE from Rev. Fran
Some thoughts from Rev. Fran....
about Adult Religious Education and some potential workshops: pondering the possibilities.
The long winter months are a fine time for mining the possibilities for Adult RE.
Adult RE is of course ongoing, inescapable, and happens unintentionally—yet another growth experience at every turn!
Seminarian Helen McFadyen demonstrated last fall, how one can learn much from local resources, through the series of guest speakers on oppression and hopeful purpose that she brought together under our roof.
There is also much to be gained through an intentional study group, working with prepared materials that can guide us towards personal reflection. Through a specific course of study, one can draw upon the deep well of materials available through CUC and UUA denominational programming.
This winter, as interim minister, I’d like to offer some intentional adult religious education. Scheduling is a concern, so what I propose will be tentative, to be confirmed at some point following the January Vestry Meeting and before the February Newsletter deadline.
Also, the dynamics of any learning environment are a concern, so I would hesitate to lead an Adult RE class of fewer than seven persons. Accordingly, I will be posting sign-up sheets in mid-January to explore interest in some possibilities.
When choosing among Adult RE options, the old tried and true BYOT course is generally my default option—Richard Gilbert’s “Building Your Own Theology”, in the revised version. There are three volumes now, so the class can be oriented to newcomers, or enriched with a deeper dig into ethics.
There is also a wealth of new materials to consider, including:
- work by the Rev. Dr. Thandeka;
- a new offering entitled “Articulating Your UU Faith: A Five-Session Course” by the ministerial team of Barbara Wells and Jaco B. ten Hove;
- plus a revised version of an excellent workshop, “Owing Your Religious Past”;
- and many more, which can be surveyed on the UUA website.
As you can see, I’m beginning to fine down the possibilities around Adult RE course content. I’d be interested to hear from you regarding what you might be interested in pursuing this winter as Adult RE. It is one thing to attend services, and it is another thing to systematically develop or uncover one’s faith. What are the questions that concern you at this time?
As to scheduling, I’m tentatively looking at five alternate Tuesdays for an Adult RE series: February 7th and 21st, March 6th and 20th, and April 3rd. We might also look at an occasional Thursday for a one-off workshop.
I also intend to offer a workshop on constructing an Historic Timeline for the Congregation. Exploring the timeline of the congregation is a standard exercise for any Interim Ministry—part of sorting out where we’ve come from, where we as individuals place ourselves in that unfolding history, and maybe a bit about where we’re going. And how very timely to be undertaking such an exploration, as UUCH begins its 175th Anniversary year.?
What would that look like?
Imagine the ballroom set up with one long table down the middle, and a sheet of newsprint unrolled the length of the table. Now we ink in some known specifics, like the dates of founding, the dates for the buildings that housed the congregation, the dates for the ministries that served the congregation.
Add in historic events in the city, like the Great Explosion of 1917, and “The Year without a Summer” that followed the war of 1812-1815, when the Northwest Arm was iced over until June of 1816.
Now add in the date when you were born, or you came to Halifax (if you “came from away”), the date when you first walked in the door, and the date when you signed the book as a member.
A year of ministerial search is a good time for looking back to where we came from, as a place to stand when we look at who we are now, and where we’re going. And with enough coloured felt pens it’ll be a vibrant chart of our journey—something fun to show a ministerial candidate!
My sense is that a Historical Timeline Workshop might best be suited for a Saturday afternoon, for display and follow up the next morning, around the Sunday Service. I’m tentatively suggesting Saturday January 28th or Saturday February 11th as likely dates for this event—the date to be named at the January Vestry meeting, when we have a better sense of what’s happening in the new year.
And speaking of history, we have two new anthologies of Canadian historical writing to draw on; so there is the possibility of a workshop sometime, perhaps a Sunday afternoon towards spring, to explore those resources. I know that colleagues out west have been working with study groups and developing study guidelines, so we may be able to reap the benefit of that, later in the year.
And that’s what I know about Workshops and Adult RE, at the moment.
In time, we can be more certain of scheduling. Not everyone can be everywhere all the time, nor would we want to; but I try to avoid the more obvious difficulties, through early and ongoing communication. With so much going on, communication is always of prime importance. I am most grateful when folks keep me in the loop!
So these are my thoughts and tentative scheduling for Workshops and Adult Religious Education for the winter. To be confirmed. I very much appreciate your comments and observations.
Regards,
Rev. Fran