Learning and exploration are about the transformation of the individual, our community, and the larger society. Participation helps us grow in wisdom, compassion, and ethical living. See our upcoming activities, programs, and workshops for adults.
Community Building:
Collage Group with Stan Bemis Saturday, June 8
Do you wish to express yourself creatively in art, and yet may feel inadequate or untrained? Do you yearn to make an artistic statement, yet not sure how? Do you have too many catalogs, magazines, and advertisements, and haven’t a clue what to do with them? We welcome you to create your own collages with Stan Bemis! Stan works to bring joy and peace into people’s lives through creating art. He has taught many who didn’t realize they had creative talent, from all across the world – from California to Palestine/Israel. He welcomes any age, from youths to older adults. The goal of this group is to help foster personal worth and empowerment, entering that holy place within and having sacred fun. The objectives are: 1. to create works of art; and 2. to possibly create cards for events or celebrations. We encourage you to bring your old magazines to work with as well. We meet from 10:00-12:00 pm in the NE Cottage. Contacts: Stan Bemis or Sarah Robson.
Exploration of Ideas:
AAHS Freethinker Forum Sunday, June 23
AAHS (Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, and Secularists) is an open group that meets for lively and engaging discussion on topics of politics, science, religion, and philosophy. We also host occasional guest speakers, films, and outings. We are a home base for non-believers and questioners, but everyone is welcome. For many, atheism/agnosticism is a first step; Humanism is the thousand steps that come after. We’ll meet 12:00- 1:00 pm in the Warren Matthews Conference Room Contact: James Witker, aahs@uusm.org.
Interest Groups:
Discussion and Support for Persons with Disabilities Sunday, June 23
The Disability Support Group will be promoting a dialogue on a selected topic at each of its meetings throughout this church year. There is a different theme for each month. All church members interested in the topic are invited to attend. For May, we will be discussing Self-Empowerment. We meet the fourth Sunday of each month from 12:30–2:00 pm in the NE Cottage. Contact: Michael Young.
UU Men’s Group Thursday, June 6, 20
The Men’s Group offers a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like-minded men to join our welcoming group in provocative and stimulating discussion and to get to know others with UU perspectives in a more meaningful way. The topic for June 6 is: Decorating our homes with pictures and other objects is something we generally do for reasons other than artistic merit. What do you have on the wall or on shelves in your home, other than family photographs, that has special meaning for you? The topic for June 20 is: Even the best of relationships typically have some never-resolved subjects of conflict, disagreement, or not being in sync. What is one of yours and how do you deal with it? We meet the first and third Thursdays of the month from 7:30-9:00 pm in the NE Cottage. Contact: Richard Mathias.
Meditations:
An Enjoyable Dive into Who and What We Are Monday, June 3, 17
This ongoing class helps participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I? (attitudes and beliefs) and What am I? (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings also focus on insights gained throughout the month. It is expected that participants will develop and enjoy a regular meditation practice. This group meets on the first and third Mondays from 7:30-9:00 pm in Forbes Classroom 3. Contact: Bill Blake.
Open Meditation Monday, June 10, 24
We gather twice a month to sit together quietly for 20 minutes, to walk with gentle awareness for seven minutes, and to explore the integration of meditation with ordinary life through reading and sharing. Anyone who senses they would benefit from 20 minutes of silent, non-guided sitting is welcome to join us. We have found that this time of quiet meditation and shared exploration can be deeply nourishing – a time of simply “being” amidst all the “doing” of our lives. We meet on the second, fourth, (and fifth) Mondays from 7:30-9:00 pm in Forbes Classroom 3. Contacts: Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring.
Personal Development:
Conversations and Connections Saturday, June 15
All are invited. It isn’t necessary to have attended previous Conversations and Connections gatherings.
Our guiding intention is to provide structure and opportunities for meaningful connections between individuals in our congregation. We will break into groups of 2, offering an opportunity for one-to-one conversations with 3 different people during our time together. We meet in Forbes Hall from 10:00am-12:00pm. Contact Sue Stoyanoff or Bettye Barclay for more information.
Highlights of additional interest groups meeting in June:
- Knitters and Friends On hiatus during from May 12 until September 22, 2019, when we return to two services. Contact: Linda Van Ligten.
- Body-Mind Tune Up for Seniors This group is for seniors, superseniors, and people with physical difficulties. All Fridays 10:30–11:30 am in Forbes Hall. Contact: Bruno Lacombe. Note: Free for church members, $10 suggested donation for nonmembers.
- Fiction Reading Book Club We will be reading Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (245 pages). This book explores the effects of racism and injustice on a Mississippi family and the ways its members punish themselves for how they’ve chosen to cope. We will meet Monday, June 17, from 7:00- 8:30 pm. Contact Lucy Hahn or Melinda Ewen.
- Science Non-Fiction Book Group We will discuss “I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life” by Ed Yong. Every animal or plant is home to thousands of different bacteria and other microbes. Recent discoveries in this realm prompt us to look at life as the interconnected, interdependent web of all existence of principle seven. All are welcome. We meet Tuesday, June 18, from 7:30–9:00 pm in Forbes. Contact: Rebecca Crawford.
