Adult Religious Education

First Unitarian Church of Orlando’s (1U) Adult Religious Education programs, currently scheduled intermittently, take place on Sunday morning as well as throughout the week. These sessions are always drop-in friendly, so feel free to explore!

UU Wellspring is coming to 1U! Info Session September 29! Mark Your Calendar!

UU Wellspring is a year-long program for small groups of Unitarian Universalists to meet within their congregations to explore together through readings, spiritual practices, and sharing reflections. Rev. Samuel Schaal and Linnea Nelson will be leading groups on Wednesday nights, about twice a month, beginning in October 2019. The all-day October 5th retreat is required for all participants. Join us for an information session at 1U in the Gathering Room on Sunday, September 29 at 9:30 am. RSVP to director@uuwellspring.org. You can also get more information at www.uuwellspring.org.

Plan Ahead:  October 6 — 9:30 am in the Community Room: Movie Talk

Movie Talk is a monthly discussion group that allows us to examine our principles through shared cultural events – in this case, movies.  Join the movie discussion on The Goldfinch in the Community Room. The novel, The Goldfinch, by American author Donna Tartt, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014. The movie, The Goldfinch, opens in theaters on September 12. This tale of a stolen painting and a stolen life reminds us that in our search for truth and meaning, we may search the past for clues to our future. The painting, The Goldfinch, hangs in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands. (Note: The Community Room is the classroom in the far right corner of the Enrichment Center.)

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Here are some of the educational opportunities for adults, some of which are described in more detail on other pages of this website (see links):

BECOMING A MEMBER:If you are interested in becoming a member of First Unitarian, we have a special series for you. See our Membership page.

COMPARATIVE RELIGION (Second and Fourth Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in Room 1):  Using five major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism) as illustrations of how religions can address the same core issues in parallel and different ways, award-winning Professor Charles Kimball of the University of Oklahoma leads you on an exploration of religion’s complex and multidimensional nature in this DVD series. Syllabus is here.

GETTING STARTED IN ADULT RE (Second Sundays from noon to 2:00 pm): Whether you are an adult student, an aspiring new teacher, or an experienced Adult RE teacher, this “oldie but goodie” will help you understand the “nuts and bolts” behind the philosophy of Adult RE. Syllabus is here.

MEDITATION: Join us for eclectic meditation practice based in, but not limited to, the Mindfulness tradition. Drop in friendly. Learn more about meditation opportunities here.

MOVIE TALK: Approximately once a month on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, there are occasional Movie Talk sessions held in the Community Room (far corner of the Enrichment Center), where participants discuss current movies and how they inform and illustrate our UU principles. Information on offerings can be found in our Weekly Update  email (also called the eblast) or in the Weekend Update, which is handed out with the Order of Service on Sunday mornings.

TAI CHI: Tai Chi is a gentle group exercise open to both 1U members and the local community. Classes are offered three times a week. For more details, visit here. 

UNDERSTANDING RACISM: The study/action item selected by the UUA for 2018–2022 is Undoing Intersectional White Supremacy. We have various learning opportunities following this theme here.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST HISTORY: On May 5, 1819, William Ellery Channing delivered one of the most famous and influential sermons in our denomination’s history: Unitarian Christianity. This sermon was a clear statement of the beliefs of the religious liberals of the Congregational Church, as they moved toward forming the new Unitarian denomination. Here is a link to the Unitarian Christianity sermon, including supplemental material provided by Ken Lofgren.

In addition to all of these items listed above, Mystic Grove, 1U’s Pagan/Heathen group, offers a wide variety of classes, celebrations, and activities. See more of what’s going on here.