Spiritual Development Groups
Adult Education & Enrichment
Bible Study: Why Christianity? [Spring 2010]
Contact: Marge Forth
442-1567; mforth@rochester.rr.com
Tuesdays: March 16 - April 20; 7pm - 9pm
Pre-registration is needed.
The topic for the Spring Bible Study Class was chosen by vote of previous attendees. Repeatedly, folks have asked "Why Christianity?" "Why did Christianity transform from what it seems to have been during Jesus' own ministry and what it became?" This 6 week series will intertwine those questions, looking at how Christianity changed and developed and why it was appealing to people in antiquity. Dr. Anne Merideth, Assistant Professor of Religion, Department of Religion and Classics at the University of Rochester, will return to lead these lecture/discussion classes. Registration fee: $30; contact Marge Forth for details.
Currents Discussion Group [2009-10]
Facilitator: Reverend Scott Tayler
271-9070; scott@rochesterunitarian.org
2nd Tuesdays, 11:30am - 1pm; drop-ins welcome
This monthly group discusses magazine articles about cultural and political "currents" and hot topics. Articles are selected by Parish Co-Minister, Rev. Tayler, who leads the discussions. This is a drop-in group, so come to as many or as few meetings as you like. No pre-registration is required; feel free to just "show up." To receive the articles prior to the meeting, please email Rev. Tayler (scott@rochesterunitarian.org).
Discovering a Sense of Place [Spring 2010]
Facilitator: Suzy Farrell
624-5914; snjnyfar@rochester.rr.com
February 25th, March 11th and 25th,
April 8th and 22nd, May 6th and 20th, 7pm - 8:30 pm
A seven-session course based on the workbook by the Northwest Earth Institute (www.nwei.org) which focuses on knowing, protecting and taking responsibility for our planet. We will challenge one another to make changes of our own by putting suggestions into practice. Workbook cost: $20. Please register by February 15th.
Dream Group [2009-10]
Facilitator: Juanita Ball
482-5419
4th Tuesdays, 2pm - 4pm
Learn how to use the hidden messages of dreams to gain new insights into ourselves and transform our lives. Newcomers are always welcome to come and share their dreams or snippets of dreams. See what each of us can discover!
LAVA Book Discussion Group [2009-10]
Facilitator: Bill Fugate
381-5393; wrfugate@frontiernet.net
1st Fridays, 7pm - 8:30pm
LAVA (Literature And Visual Arts) reads and discusses nine books per year. Our selections include fiction and non-fiction, with an emphasis on literary fiction. We visit a coffee shop after each meeting and enjoy an occasional outing to a film or other cultural event. To learn more or to see our schedule, visit our website at www.frontiernet.net/~wrfugate/lava.
Morning Book Discussion Group [2009-10]
Facilitator: Bob Hendricks
461-4913; rwhend@infionline.net
2nd Wednesdays, Coffee & Socializing at 10:30am
Discussion, 11am - noon
Members discuss books selected by volunteer presenters. Drop-ins are always welcome. Attendees can bring lunch and eat together afterwards. Meeting notices (titles and reviewers) appear in church newsletters, as well as in the Order of Service ("What's Happening") on the Sundays before each meeting.
Poetry as Spiritual Connection [Spring 2010]
Contact: Kitty Jospé
kjospe1@rochester.rr.com
Thursdays March 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and April 1st and 8th, 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Naomi Shihab Nye speaks of poetry as a conversation with the world, with words on the page in which you allow those words to speak back to you. Explore and enjoy the music and unspoken meanings of great poems. We will look at poems about everyday life, gravity points, situations that say "Pause, take note! A story is being told here". We will discuss and examine the universal condition of longing triggered by poems so as to appreciate other experiences and words imagining them and share our own. If you cannot make every week or only a few sessions please drop in when you can.
Offered by Kitty Jospé. MA, French Literature, MFA, Poetry. "I have always been inspired by the magic of words and it is my pleasure to share my enthusiasm for the power of language whether in the French or ESOL classroom, in music or in the collaborations which make relationships between words and art, dance as expression of the human heart."
Niagara-on-the-Lake Outing [Spring 2010]
Contact: Don and Alison Wilder
donwilder@frontiernet.net; awilder@frontiernet.net
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Come on a spring day trip to Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario Canada, to see "The Doctor's Dilemma," George Bernard Shaw's comic exploration of the medical establishment. Our restroom-equipped bus leaves the church at 9am and arrives in time for you to explore the town and have lunch on your own before the matinee performance, then takes you to a four-course, sit-down dinner, returning to church about 9pm.
Spiritual Drumming [Spring 2010]
Contact: Jean Bolinger
firstudrum@gmail.com
Saturdays: February 6th & 20th, March 6th & 20th,
April 3rd & 17th, May 1st & 15th, 2pm - 3pm
We focus on community building. Participants communicate and interact, using percussion instruments. This is a powerful way to learn about yourself and experience the great sense of multiple rhythms coming together to create a whole. No musical background is necessary. Bring a drum if you have one.
UUs Reading Non-fiction [2009-10]
Facilitator: Audrey Perry
244-4013; auperry066@gmail.com
Last Monday of the month, 7pm - 8:30pm
If you enjoy reading non-fiction, this Book Group is for you! Books are suggested and voted on by the group. The facilitator's role is shared among the membership on a volunteer basis. Drop-ins are welcome.
The Wider Denomination: Activity with Other Unitarian Universalist Congregations
Visit our Denominational Affairs page for more information and links
St. Lawrence District Assembly
Contact:
Sue Tabone, St. Lawrence District, 716-882-0430; smtabone@localnet.com
Suzanne McNamara, Denominational Affairs, 385-3144; shawmcn@aol.com
April 23-24, 2010
The St. Lawrence District of UU Churches in Upstate New York holds its District Assembly in Syracuse this April. Lectures, ten workshops led by professionals in the field, a new five year plan for the District will be unveiled, and the bookstore will be back. Watch the bulletin board or the District website, www.sld.uua.org, for brochures.
Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly
Contact: Suzanne McNamara, Denominational Affairs, 385-3144; shawmcn@aol.com
June 23-27, 2010
The Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this June. This is a potentially life-changing experience, the opportunity to rub elbows with thousands of fellow UUs from across the country and around the world. Hundreds of workshops, worship services, lectures, performances and social events. Help shape our Statements of Social Witness. Consider the future of our denomination. Sign up to be a delegate, or an observer.
UULTI - Leadership Retreat
Hosted by the St. Lawrence District
Contact: Jan Gartner, JanGartnerUU@gmail.com
July 25-28, 2010
A leadership development and faith-deepening experience that can transform you and your congregation, for present and potential leaders from Unitarian Universalist congregations of all sizes and situations. Held this July at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, NY. Estimated cost, $300.
GUUSTO - Genesee Unitarian Universalist Societies TOgether
Contact: Suzanne McNamara, Denominational Affairs, 385-3144; shawmcn@aol.com
Five Rochester area Unitarian Universalist congregations - Pullman Memorial in Albion, Brockport, Canandaigua, and First Unitarian and First Universalist of Rochester - sponsor joint activities and share ideas in religious education, social justice and community action. Leaders meet every other month.
February 5 2010