Adult Learning & Growth Opportunities
Adult Learning and Growth Opportunities
Follow your interests and join us in your choice of a variety of adult programs this spring. Nearly every night of the week, Sunday mornings, and some afternoons, you can choose from book discussions, video and discussions on ethics and religion, interest groups varying from dining and cooking to crafts and intentional conversations about life issues. Some of our FUS adult programs ask you to sign up ahead for a series, some ask a three-month commitment, and some are "drop-in" as you're able. You can sign up by emailing membership [at] firstunitarian [dot] org, contacting the group leader directly, or getting in touch with our Adult Programming Coordinator, Wendy Jerome. And we're always interested in your fresh ideas for programming!
You can find an abbreviated version of our winter and spring Adult Education offerings here.
MONDAYS
Women’s Awareness Group
Monthly: 2nd Monday 6:30-9:00 pm
While we consider ourselves "members" of WAG, we are an informal group (no by-laws, no officers, no dues) whose strength lies in the ongoing commitment of the participants. Meetings are usually held in members' homes, with a co-host assisting. The topic for the month may be decided by the hosts or another WAG member (volunteers are encouraged). All FUS women are invited to join us on the second Monday of each month. We begin with a potluck supper, followed by a check-in and discussion. Watch the FUS Flash and the Sunday order of service or talk to Mibs Pearson for more information.
TUESDAY
Small Group: Food For Thought
2nd & 4th Mondays 6:30 – 9:00 pm
How we eat, how we obtain and prepare the food we eat, what we eat and what we don't eat can reveal much about our values and the values of people from different countries and cultures. The book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Alusio, contains photographs of what families from around the world eat in a week. Each meeting the group will prepare and eat a typical meal from a different country and explore what such a meal reveals about the country's culture, its health, its values and the ever increasing impact of globalization. Group members will select the countries. Reading from the Hungry Planet and other sources about the selected country is encouraged. Group members kitchens (preferred) or FUS. NOTE: cost of the food will be shared among group members.
WEDNESDAYS
Small Group: Knitters
2nd and 4th Wednesdays 2:00 – 4:00 pm
All knitters and “wannabes” gather together to share skills and style ideas. Four Sessions: 9/28; 10/12; 10/26; 11/9; FUS Library. Group Leaders: Well-known TC expert knitting instructor, Jean Christensen and Jean Toll
FRIDAYS
Video & Discussion: Justice Series
Fridays at 7:00 pm
40-minute video of ethical questions presented in lively Harvard class
The college course on ethics taught by Professor Michael Sandel has become so popular that Harvard has made available videos of the best lectures - and lively dialogue with the students. Each session sparkles with lively, important, challenging ethical questioning. We'll view the lecture and class in action for 40 minutes and follow up with our own discussion. You need not have joined us for previous Friday night ethics conversations to join the conversation. Just drop in. Host: Polly Peterson.
Small Group: Finding Your Passion Through Crafts & Hobbies
2nd & 4th Fridays every month 7:00-9:00 pm
Enjoy engaged conversations while working on your favorite craft or hobby. All skill levels and craft interests are welcome. Join us to learn a new craft or come and share your hobby with us! We bring our own projects to work on and share new ideas and skills. FUS. Group Leader: Lynn Borden
Small Group: Current Events
Monthly: Every 3rd Friday 5:45 – 7:30 pm
We get to know each other around a discussion of current topics in the news. Topics are chosen at, or shortly before, the meeting. You don’t need to do any homework ahead of time unless you want to! We welcome new members. Third Friday of each month; 5:45 – 7:30 pm; Lake Street Dunn Brothers by the Lake Street Bridge. Group Leader: Polly Peterson
Small Group: The Spoken Word: Exploring Human Experience through Poetry
Monthly: last Friday of every month
9/30; 10/28; 11/25; 12/30
A good poem is like a friend, or a counselor or a teacher—and something to be shared. The creative use of language helps us better understand our lives, express the complexity of our experiences and give wings to our aspirations. We will read and discuss poetry gems together. Come explore the following themes through poetry: 9/30—Beauty and Autumn; 10/28 —Transience, Loss and Death; 11/25 —Gratitude and Transcendence (beyond self identity); and 12/30 —Family, Friends and Celebration. Bring your own favorite poem to share, if desired. Refreshments served. Facilitator: Audrey Kingstrom
WINTER OFFERINGS
SUNDAY
Adult Credo On-Line Program
Jan. 18 – April 15, 2012
A number of adult members of the First Unitarian Society regret that they never had the opportunity to write their own Credo statements, like the ones presented by our youth at the end of the Coming of Age class. To fill this gap, we have designed a process that invites adults to reflect, articulate, and discuss our ideas, and create a statement that summarizes our beliefs, to be delivered to each other. Over the summer eight daring souls experimented with an on-line conversation that resulted in a group of adult Credo writers presenting their work at a forum on October 16. This process involves short weekly writing assignments, shared with a buddy and the class leaders, that are edited and compiled by each participant into finished statements.
The next session of this course will be offered January – April, 2012. If you would like to participate, you MUST attend an orientation and start up session on Sunday, January 8, in the Dietrich Room following the Assembly. A light lunch will be provided, and we will spend about 90 minutes selecting writing buddies and learning about the process. The rest of the sessions we will work by e-mail, and have on-line discussions every other Sunday evening, so as long as you have an internet connection, the blizzards won’t stop us! Our plan will be to present the completed statements at the forum on April 15. Join us after the Assembly on January 8 to take part in this unique opportunity
THURSDAY
Class: History of Humanism
9/29-5/17/2012: 7-9:00 pm
The development of Humanist ideas has a fascinating narrative of its own, that weaves in and out of the history of liberal religion in general, and Unitarianism and Universalism in particular. Humanism has much earlier roots, long before Christianity, and a more world-wide reach. We will spend eight sessions exploring Greek antiquity, the Renaissance and Reformation, and Humanism in the Eastern traditions, as well as the impact of the scientific and industrial revolutions, the emergence of democracy, the Enlightenment and its Romantic counterparts, and the development of 20th century and contemporary trends in Humanism. It is important that those who advocate for Humanism in the present day be knowledgeable about its long and colorful history. Class Leader: Rev. Kendyl Gibbons
Note: Other Winter class/group offerings will announced at a later date.
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