Religious Education
Newcomers Class; 3-part Class Zoom only Nov 2, 9 and 16 from 7pm to 9pm
Relatively new to First Unitarian Church and want to learn more about the Unitarian Universalist experience? Sign up for our Newcomers Class! In this introduction to our UU faith we will share our personal journeys thus far, look at some UU history and theology, and explore what's possible for this dynamic faith. It will be conducted via Zoom and run weekly for three consecutive weeks from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The dates (Thursdays) are November 2, 9, and 16. The class will be lead by Christine and Bill Ashworth. To register, relay your interest to .
Adult RE Book Disussion: "We Need to Talk About Antisemitism", October 29th 12:45pm
In these times when authoritarianism is on the rise around the world, so is violence against those who are marginalized in society, including our Jewish neighbors. What is antisemitism? Can we always recognize it when we see it? Join Rev. Monica for a book discussion on the subject, Oct. 29 at 12:45 in the Haven. Please purchase the book We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, by Rabbi Diana Fersko, and read it prior to the book discussion, if possible.
Adult RE Class: Resisting Fascism, 3-Part Class Begins October 23, 2023
In the 2023 Berry Street Essay, Rev. Cecilia Kingman spoke about the ways in which fascism and authoritarianism are rising in the United States and around the world. The signs are visible - IF you know what to look for. Scholars Jason Stanley and Timothy Snyder have offered simple ways to recognize the signs, and to cultivate daily practices for resistance. Join Rev. Monica for this three-part series, Oct. 23, 30, and Nov. 6, at 7pm in Eliot Hall. Registration required. Click Here for the Registration Link.
Adult RE Class Beginning October 4, 2023: This class is full...but check back after the new year for another adult RE class lead by Derek
Derek Gersdorf is leading a discussion-based class this fall on the Unitarian luminary, Ralph Waldo Emerson. As Cornell West said in his UUA Ware lecture, "Emerson may have left the Unitarian Church, but it left it's mark on him". We will mainly use primary texts by Emerson (but will add some insightful audio/visual materials) from the book The Spiritual Emerson: Essential Writings, edited by David M Robinson and published by Beacon Press (a UUA press). It includes many of the foundational essays that formed the American philosophical movement called Transcendentalism. There will be eight sessions on Wednesday evening from October 4th to November 29th (skipping Oct 11th) at 6:30 pm in Room 201 at the First Unitarian Church. If you do not wish to purchase the book, most of the essays are free online.
Join friends from South Valley UU Society for a monthly book study based on the book Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism, hosted by Rev. Lora Young and Rev. Monica Dobbins. Mistakes and Miracles tells the stories of five UU congregations who have committed themselves to becoming multicultural, anti-racist communities. Their stories can inspire our work, as well as warn us of mistakes we haven't yet made.
Participants will be expected to acquire the book Mistakes and Miracles (available from the UUA Bookstore) and read the selected chapters before the monthly gathering on Zoom.
2022-Adult Religious Education 2022 Fall Registration
Registration is now open for our fall adult education class offerings. Class size is limited. Questions? Email Derek Gersdorf at
Based on the bestselling philosophies of radical self-love, emergent strategy, and pleasure activism by Adrienne Maree Brown and Sonya Renee Taylor, this 12-week exploration gives you permission to love yourself, deeply, as you are. Journaling to these prompts will help you surrender to your body’s needs instead of forcing yourself into cramped disciplines. It will encourage you to become awed by the natural beauty of your divine self instead of being rampantly self-critical. It will aid you in embracing your shadows and accepting responsibility for your impact all while liberating you to just be.
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We are regularly faced with moral choices, big and small. Unitarian Universalism is a faith of deeds, not creeds. We believe our choices and actions matter. We believe the measure of our religion is the way we live our faith in our day-to-day lives.
But how do we decide what course of action to follow when a situation is complex, and the moral course is unclear? What must we do to follow the values of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition? Where do we turn for guidance that will help us fulfill our own wish to live a moral life?
This program invites participants to focus attention on the moral and ethical questions that arise or have arisen in their lives and explore the ethical frameworks that can help in sorting through a dilemma. The discussions will be based on stories—stories from participants' personal lives, stories of people, congregations, and organizations at moments of decision, and complex real-life scenarios. Meetings will include discussion, reflection, experiential learning, and community building that brings Unitarian Universalist religious ethics to bear in our lives.
Participants will be introduced to philosophical frameworks of different schools of ethical thought as a way to engage in exploring and expanding our understanding of ethics and morality. We will promote participation right from the start with engaging hypothetical scenarios that lead us to explore each ethical framework.
All materials will be provided.
CLASS IS FULL
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For six weeks, each Wednesday evening at 7 pm at the First Unitarian Church starting October 5th, 2022, we will together do a close reading of each source, and then we will explore on a deeper level one source within each of the six broader categories. Derek Gersdorf will facilitate the discussions using Socratic and Small Group Ministry methods. 12 spots are available.
Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote seven Principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides. We live out these Principles within a “living tradition” of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from sources as diverse as science, poetry, scripture, and personal experience. These are the six sources our congregations affirm and promote:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
- Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature
CLICK HERE FOR THE SIX SOURCES REGISTRATION
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For those interested in adding meditation to their daily lives, we will experience various meditation practices and individually design how it is possible to receive the benefits of calm and insight.
Meditation is a process that helps us understand and experience our lives from a spacious and more relaxed perspective opening our inner wisdom and compassion to enrich our relationships to the world.
Participants 8-10, Duration: 4 Weeks Dates & Times to be determined by participants; Between 25 October - 19 November
References will include books, podcasts, websites and specific teachers on the internet.Refer to Tara Brach on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeBPgmZZ8H4
Or
The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield or Why Meditate?: Working with Thoughts and Emotions by Matthieu Ricard, for what to expect.
It will be a pleasure to explore meditation and your questions together.
NEW BOOK STARTING APRIL 18TH
Having finished our exploration of Kabbalistic mystical spirituality with God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the practice of mystical Judaism by Rabbi David A. Cooper, we’ll next be discussing The Ecstasy Beyond Knowing: A Manual of Meditation by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. The author guides us in meditative practices that incorporate Sufi, Hindu, Buddhist, and Kabbalistic traditions. Please join us for some interesting discussions.
Contact John Shavers, Adrienne Splinter, or Deahna Brown if you have any questions.
More information about Mystical Spirituality is on Adult Religious Education Page on our website click here.
If you would like to learn more about Unitarian Universalism and First Unitarian Church, Colleen Bliss and Christine Ashworth are hosting a 3 session newcomer class. We will present a little taste of Unitarian Universalist theology and history by framing it in terms of "healing disconnection".
Inspired by the classic Unitarian Universalist slogan "deeds not creeds" we present UUism as a way of journeying through the world rather than as a set of beliefs to which one assents.
We will meet via Zoom on Thursday evenings at 7:00pm February 4, 11, 18.
Please email to let us know if you are interested or have questions.
We look forward to getting to know you! Christine Ashworth & Colleen Bliss
We were due to start our new journey into the Kabbalah Sunday January 3rd. However, we feel we need more time for everyone to get the book, or at least have it located and ordered. We have chosen God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the practice of mystical Judaism by Rabbi David A. Cooper.
We will have our first Zoom meeting on January 10, 2021 at 1:00 pm. Please feel free to contact John, Adrienne, or Deanne at if you have any questions or concerns. This will be an interesting dive into a very difficult subject. March forward our meeting time will be 6pm
More Information is available on the Adult Religious Education Page
The 8th Principle Project Study Sessions
As our congregation considers this year whether to adopt the proposed 8th Principle of Unitarian Universalism, our members and friends may have questions about how the principle was developed and what adopting it will mean for the work of our church. Please join Rev. Monica for a study session and bring your questions with you. (There will be another opportunity to attend a study session in the spring.)
Who and when:
- Tuesday, Nov. 10, 7pm:
- Any members or friends may attend.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17, 7pm:
- A special session for people of color ONLY (people of color may attend either or both sessions)
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/94389962053?pwd=UEx4d0ZyazdaUXE1QitTR2YyRkxtQT09