Lifetime Learning
The Purpose of the Adult Religious Growth and Learning Program is to nurture and stimulate the religious and personal growth of the adult church community, and the community at large, by offering a varied and cohesive program within the context of the larger Unitarian Universalist tradition and religious community.
New classes are being added frequently to our Program Guide - updates are announced in our weekly newsletter, The Window. A variety of programs are offered. The classes are divided into three categories: Religious and Spiritual Growth, Personal Growth, and Knowledge and Skills. Classes are taught by volunteer members and friends of the congregation and by church staff.
Spirit in Practice Curricula
All of our many and varied Adult Education classes fall within the Eight Spheres of Spiritual Growth as outlined by the UUA’s Spirit in Practice curricula.
The idea of spiritual practices encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own spiritual development by spending time working on it, deliberating on its meaning and how best to pursue it, seeking to understand the sacred through reading and the counsel of others, and seeking to have contact with the sacred through personal reflection and prayer.
For further information on this curriculum, please go to here.
Coming up:
Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life Reading Groups. Using Karen Armstrong’s new book, we’ll explore the meaning, cultivation, and practice of compassion in our everyday lives. Compassion is a practically acquired knowledge, practicing diligently day-by-day. Based on the Charter for Compassion, here’s a place to start: four separate groups will meet monthly. We are taking names for new sessions starting in early 2012. Please contact Chris Christenson (619-298-9978 x 8014) or at chris@firstuusandiego.org.
Oct 26 – Jun 13 (Most Wednesdays) – Coffee House Conversations with Arvid, coffee at 6:30p, presentation and conversation 7-8p. Arvid will hold conversations and experiences for transformative spiritual growth on a wide variety of topics. Starting in 2012: Spiritual Perspectives
Feb 1— Humanism
Feb 8— Neo-Paganism and Earth Centered Religion
Feb 15— UUs and Jews
Mar 14— Buddhism
Mar 21— Putting It All Together.
Check our on-line Church Calendar, The Window, or this Catalog for up-to-date details. Or, just drop in and see what happenin’. Registration not required.
Jan 19, 26; Feb 2, 9, 16 (Thursdays) – Owning Your Religious Past; 6:30-8:30p with Rev Jim Grant, This is an opportunity to celebrate and move beyond our religious past. Unitarian Universalists come from a variety of religious as well as no religious pasts. In this five-part course, we explore how to move forward with appreciation and aspiration. Class size is limited, sign-up as soon as possible.
Jan 23, Feb 27, Mar 26, Apr 23 (4th Mondays) - The Path of Sufism: Practices, Meditation, Dance; 6:30-7:30p, South Bay, with Larry "Jamil" Sweet. A taste of the message of love, harmony and beauty through invocation, dance, readings, principles of Sufism followed by familiarization with open wazifas (the repetition of sacred words and phrases), meditations, and more dance.
Feb 9 and 16 (Thursdays) - Are We Heretics: Unitarianism and Trinitarianism?, 6:30–8:00p, South Bay, with Rev Kathleen Owens. Why is this difference between Unitarianism and Trinitarianism so important? This class will explore the beginnings of the doctrine of the Trinity, how it came about and why Unitarian Universalists are not considered Christians. (Repeat of the Nov Hillcrest class.)
Feb 13, Mar 12, Apr 9, May 14, Jun 11 (2nd Mondays) - Finances for Your Soul, 6:30-8p, with Iris Masotti and guests. Based on Suze Orman’s The Money Class, presents core information while focusing attention on major areas of group interest; it will be understandable; provide practice, useful, and interesting info on managing finances in a difficult and changing economy. It is designed for all ages (young adult to seniors) in various stages of the financial management spectrum. You will be empowered to live a life of integrity and honesty to create an enduring legacy—a New American Dream of truth, security, financial freedom, and peace of mind.
Feb 22 (Wednesday) - An Ash Wednesday Experience, 6:30-8p, South Bay, with Rev Jim Grant. You are invited to experience Ash Wednesday and Lent at this special service. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40-day Lenten period; a time of contemplation leading up to Easter. You may have seen those with a slight smudge of ashes on their forehead. In this service we will not have ashes, but we will explore the positive possibilities of Lent. The service will conclude with community-made vegetable soup.
Feb 23; Mar 1, and 8 (Thursdays) - The Christian Scriptures: A Deeper Look, 6:30-8:00p, with Rev Kathleen Owens. Over the course of three weeks, this class will explore two or three stories/doctrines within the Christian Scriptures. We will read the story for the story’s sake, learn more about the socio-political history around the story and how doctrine rose from it and then read the story again for its wisdom/spiritual teaching.
Feb 17 (Mon) – Planning a Memorial Service Workshop, 6-8p, Rm 113, with Rev Jim Grant. Planning a memorial service can be an overwhelming task. There are so many details to consider: when, where, by whom, flowers, music, readings, media, program, decorations, theme, reception; personalization of the event; meeting everyone’s wishes and desires. Participants may be considering their own memorial service or the honor of a family member or close friend. Grieving is an emotional time; not the time to make important decisions. It is best not to wait so that others will have to do last-minute planning. (Repeat of Dec workshop.)
Apr 5, 12, 19 (Thursdays) - End Times, 6:30-8:00p, with Rev Kathleen Owens. In this three week class we will study apocalyptic literature from both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and how this genre has captured our imagination and influences media today.
Apr 20-22 (Friday-Sunday) - A Spiritual Retreat: Becoming Human with Rev Jim Grant. Prince of Peace Abbey, Oceanside. “Enriching our Humanity" will be the theme of this Retreat. Come to understand the distinction between being human and being merely homo sapien. We will focus on quiet time for personal meditation, for meditative walks, for journaling, and for discussing contemporary literature which encourages humanity.
Apr 22 (Sunday) – The Life and Legacy of Forrest Church, 2-3p, Clark Chapel, with Dan Cryer, author of Being Alive and Having to Die, The Spiritual Odyssey of Forrest Church. Church’s legacy is immense – he wrote about spirituality, church-state relations, dying with dignity, and more. Appreciate this thinker who wanted UUs to be an integral part of the national religious conversation, not marginalized, not merely scoffers on the sidelines.
May 12 (Saturday) – Self-Care: Nurturing Our Whole Being, 9-3p, Common Room, with Rev Tom Owen-Towle. The key to a healthy existence is nourishing six zones of the Self: body, mind, heart, spirit, conscience, and soul. Through presentation and conversation, we will explore the challenges of each zone. We can never fully repay the Creation for the gift of our being, but we can respond through taking good (not perfect) care of our singular selves.
For more details, please check the Online Program Guide. Please pre-register using the email registration links in the Guide or the paper Registration Form in the paper catalog. We need to prepare adequate facilities and supplies. You do not need to be a member of First Church to join in our classes. Validated parking is available. We are on San Diego MTS Bus Route 3.