Adult Religious Education

The LUUNCH BUUNCH  - ongoing series

On the first Tuesday of each month, Rev. Michael Carter and interested congregants have an informal discussion on a selected topic of interest.  The session is from noon to 1:00 pm at the church.  Bring your lunch if you like.

Past Programs

"Gratitude, the Gateway to Happiness"
Cathy Holt, certified HeartMath coach
Sunday, Aug. 14, 1:00-4:00pm

This workshop is offered as a follow-up to the service on "Gratitude" that Cathy presented on Sunday, July 21st.  Delve deeper into this important study!
Love Offering requested.  Please email [email protected] to indicate your interest, so we'll have some idea of how many to expect.

Through partner exercises and inspiring examples, you'll learn:
- the neuroscience of happiness
- how gratitude affects the heart
- daily practices to squeeze the most juice from life experience
- why expressing appreciation is the key to healthy relationships
- transforming mistakes into blessings

Genesis Stories: A UU Workshop
Begins Thursday, April 28, 4 - 6 pm; four consecutive Thursdays
Facilitator: Bob Falanga

Every civilization has origination stories. There appears to be some human need to grasp the beginning.  In the West - for better or worse - The Book of Genesis speaks to our beginnings.

On a purely literary level this book is filled with amazing stories. It covers so many aspects of the human condition - temptation, jealousy, murder, infertility, deception, the full range of family dysfunction, dynasty and exile. The characters in these stories are flawed and raw - all rough edges. One wonders how they get the major parts in these critical tales.

Midrash is the ancient Jewish practice of searching for truth through commentary and discussion of texts. Interaction and argument are necessary to the practice. Truth is not owned by an individual but by the community - and only over time.  In this workshop we will do the work of Midrash. We will read these Genesis stories and seek new truth amidst their confusion.

In the first hour we will listen to a segment from Bill Moyers PBS documentary, “Genesis: A Living Conversation.”  In each segment Moyers gathers together eight notable thinkers from various disciplines and faith positions to listen to and discuss a single Genesis story.
In the second hour we will have our own discussion of the Genesis text. As facilitator I will provide questions and talking points to hopefully enhance the discussion.

The Thinking and Theology of Martin Luther King Jr.

October 13, 20, and 27, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm

This three week class was presented by Be Scofield on three Tuesday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30 pm at UUCSV.   Beginning with King's upbringing in the Black Church, we'll explore how his thinking evolved through college, seminary and during his PhD. Influenced by Protestant liberal theology and the African American Religious experience he searched for a faith that was both emotionally satisfying and intellectually appealing. This led King to some surprising conclusions. He rejected the literal divinity of Jesus, didn't believe in a literal heaven/hell and thought the Bible was a myth that contained many metaphorical truths. Drawing from the work of King scholars such as James Cone, Lewis Baldwin, Clayborne Carson and Taylor Branch we'll examine some of the key themes, experiences and ideas that shaped King's vision of the social gospel. His theology will also be placed in the context of his more radical views on capitalism, war and poverty. We will also explore King's relationship to Unitarianism as he and Coretta attended Unitarian services in Boston and he had expressed interest in the tradition.

John Bradshaw, "Homecoming"  film and discussion series

Rev. Carter facilitated this series which met Tuesday evenings at UUCSV, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.  At each session we view and discuss  one episode of Bradshaw's ten part series, "Homecoming:  Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child."  Mr. Bradshaw’s work examines the human growth potential lying dormant within each and everyone of us, and explores why we fail to tap into this unlimited potential. He uses several therapeutic techniques and modalities, focusing on Family Systems Theory and the wounded inner child.  The series began on May 19th and continues on Tuesday evenings through July 21st.

The Historical Jesus: Messages for UUs  - June 2015

This workshop was offered by Bob Falanga on four Tuesday afternoons in June of 2015.

Let's face it!  UUs have trouble with Jesus. But what do we actually know about the itinerant Galilean Jew from the first century? For many of us, what we know about Jesus was learned in childhood. And that most likely came from the Church. The Jesus we were taught is the Jesus of Christianity - and this is a conceptualization that was crafted over several hundred years of early church life.  No longer the rabbi Jesus -- but Christ the Savior.

In this course we will attempt to locate the historical Jesus from the many theological, philosophical and political arguments that have been attached to him over centuries. We will use contemporary historical methodology to examine New Testament documents -- our major source on the life of Jesus. Hopefully this course will provide an opportunity to see Jesus of Galilee with fresh and more mature eyes.  Is there a role for Jesus in a postmodern world? Does Jesus provide some special message for us as UUs?