ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS

You are cordially invited to join our classes and activities that are of interest to you and to be part of our multi-generational Lifespan Faith Development (LFD) program, which offers education and spiritual support to those of all ages. We offer classes to deepen the understanding of our faith, our history, and our connections. They are also a great way to get to know others and to become actively involved in this wonderful church and community.

Classes are open to everyone and there are no prerequisites. There is usually a $10.00 donation requested for a class series, unless otherwise noted. There may be a charge for materials, if specific books or materials are required, which is rare and will be noted within the series description. Waivers for financial hardship are available by speaking to our Minister or our Program Coordinator.

You may sign up for adult classes and programs in the book on the table in our alcove or you may register by printing out and sending in the Registration Form. If you have any questions about our program, want more information, or want to suggest a class, please contact our Adult Education Program Coordinators, Betty Kirk or Len Bowman, or our Director of LFD, Amber Peterson.

Current and Upcoming Classes and Programs

UU101 Classes to be held Saturdays, March 18 and 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Rev. Paula, Len Bowman, and Betty Kirk will be offering two three-hour sessions on Unitarian Universalism and UUSD beliefs and values, history, and governance. The class is offered to anyone interested in learning more about the UU religion. The class is free. Lunch will be served. A sign-up sheet may be found in the Gathering Space. For more information, contact Betty Kirk at AdultEducation@uussd.org.

Exploring the UU Seven Principles in Depth:

Beginning on Saturday, April 8 from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and running for four classes, ending on April 29, Rev. Paula Maiorano, UUSD Interim Minister, and Betty Kirk will facilitate in-depth discussions of our UU seven principles. The fee for the class is $22, which includes $12 for a book on the principles.

Gardening with Native Plants, March 8, 15, & 22, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.

UUSD will host a three-week discussion series on Gardening with Native Plants to Sustain Wildlife starting Wednesday, March 8 at 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. The discussions will address the importance of planting native plants in the home garden landscape to provide food and habitat for wildlife and sustain healthy ecosystems. It will explore how to help reverse the decline in biodiversity starting in backyards.

The discussion series will be moderated by Ptery Iris, who became devoted to native plants when she was serving on the Board of the Southern Delaware Botanic Gardens and heard Dr. Douglas Tallamy from the University of Delaware speak on the importance of gardening with native plants. Iris has a B.S. in Biology and Science Education, and an M.A. in TESOL. She is a retired from teaching middle school science, foreign languages, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and elementary school Spanish.

The March 8 discussion will focus on insects and native plants: why they need each other, and why people need them. On March 15, Donna Hoyt, Habitat Steward with the Delaware Nature Society, will discuss how to ready and certify gardens as Wildlife Habitats, which provide the resources needed by birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife. The last discussion on March 22 will focus on natives, exotics, and invasives: what and how to plant, and what not to plant (instead, to actively eliminate).

Advance registration is not required. A one-time $10 donation is requested for the course. For more information, contact Len Bowman: AdultEducation@uussd.org or 443-286-3495.

Gospels as Quest:

Understood historically, the Gospels reveal a range of early Christian Communities struggling to understand who Jesus was, what he did, and how they as Christians relate to Jesus. Out of their struggle emerges a spectrum of insights into Jesus, ranging from early apocalyptic preacher to a mystical embodiment of the hidden God. This course pursues that quest. Thursday afternoons. Dates TBD. A $10 donation is suggested.

Gentle Yoga for All Levels

UUSD adults (and mature “kids”) are welcome to join us some or all Monday evenings at 6:45 pm in the sanctuary. Each class lasts approximately 1 hr. 15 mins. This is a mixed-level class suitable for all ages and experience levels and is open to the public. It is not necessary to attend every class — please come whenever you can. Please dress comfortably and bring a yoga mat, as well as a throw blanket or large towel, if you have them.

You are welcome to attend your first class for free. A $10 donation is suggested for each session. (A session includes all gentle yoga classes offered this summer – usually 4 new sessions per year. Ex. – So if you took yoga classes with us for a full year, your total donation would be $40.) If you would like to give additional donations, which is not required or expected but we have had requests, an offering/contribution box will be present in the tradition of Dāna. “Dāna” (pron. Dahna is a Sanskrit/Pali word meaning “generosity” or “giving.” In Buddhism, it also refers to the practice of cultivating generosity. Contact: Holly Piper-Smith

Previous Classes

UUSD HOLDS ITS SECOND DARWIN DAY CELEBRATION ON SUNDAY, FEB. 19, 3:00-5:30 p.m.

UUSD will hold its second Darwin Day celebration on Sunday, February 19, 2017 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Our celebration this year will feature a film and two speakers. The event is free and open to the public.
The film is “The Genius of Charles Darwin” featuring Richard Dawkins who explains why Darwin’s theory of evolution was, indeed, a revolution. Dawkins is a well-known evolutionary biologist and author, as well as a vocal atheist.

Our first speaker is Jennifer Biddle, Assistant Professor of Marine Biosciences at the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment at the University of Delaware. She received her B.S. is Biotechnology from Rutgers University and her Ph.D. from Penn State. Dr. Biddle’s research is focused on microorganisms in the environment, and understanding what they do and where they are. She examines local marine sediments, the deep biosphere, and microbialites. The title of her talk is “Maybe we are archaea: finding our start point on the tree of life.”

Our second speaker is Ronald Martin, Professor of Geological Sciences, from the University of Delaware Geological Sciences Department. He grew up in southwestern Ohio, where world famous assemblages of Late Ordovician fossils drew his attention to paleontology. He received a B.S. degree in Geology and Paleontology from Bowling Green State University (Ohio), M.S. in Geology from the University of Florida, and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of California at Berkeley. His research interests include the taphonomy (preservation) and biostratigraphy of microfossil assemblages and, most recently, the role of phytoplankton evolution in the diversification of the marine biosphere. He is the author or co-author of over 60 papers, in addition to Earth’s Evolving System, which was just published in its second edition. His presentation will focus on “Scales of Change: The Transfiguration of Experience by Historical Consciousness.”

Steps Toward Compassion Series Starts January 12 At UUSD

Dr. Len Bowman and Alex LeClaire will moderate a three-week discussion series on “Steps Toward Compassion.” The series is set for 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursdays, January 12 to 26 at UUSD. Pre-registration is not required, but if you are interested in attending, it would be helpful to let us know so we can be sure to keep you informed. A one-time donation of $10 is requested for the series.

The discussion series will focus on how to give a compassionate focus to our lives. It will be based on the book Twelve Steps Toward a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong. Armstrong believes that each of us needs to cultivate our capacity for compassion to increase the harmonic quality of life on our planet. The Twelve Steps begin with learning about compassion and suggest ways to bring compassion into your personal life starting with yourself. She proceeds from there in ever-increasing spheres of influence with suggestions to enhance and enact compassion in our everyday lives.

Bowman, a member of the UUSD congregation, holds a doctorate in theology from Fordham University. He has taught philosophy and religion for over 30 years and is currently teaching in the master of liberal arts program of Johns Hopkins University. Alex LeClaire is currently completing a Masters in Project Management and works in the Information Technology project management field for the State of Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources. A lifelong spiritual seeker and avid fiber artist, Alex has spent his life teaching and sharing in small groups many aspects of spirituality, philosophy, and fiber art, and is currently a member of the UUSD congregation.

Exploring the UU Seven Principles in Depth:

Beginning on Saturday, September 10 from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and running for four classes, ending on October 1, Rev. Paula Maiorano, UUSD Interim Minister, and Betty Kirk will facilitate in-depth discussions of our UU seven principles. The fee for the class is $22, which includes $12 for a book on the principles.

Honey in the Heart

Tuesdays, September 13 – November 22, 2016, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

This 10 week journal writing class is open to all. Journal writing uses memory and imagination as a creative force for documenting your experiences of the world. It can help to heal, inform, and inspire greater understanding of your personal history. We will be using the book Storycatcher by Christina Baldwin as a weekly map for capturing the dynamics of putting your story on paper for generations to come. The class will be facilitated by Rev. Paula Maiorano and Claire Griffith. There is a $10 class fee.

Four Spiritualities: Expression of Self, Expression of Spirit:

Sunday mornings, October 2 through November 20 from 8:30 a.m. — 9:30 a.m. Mac and Sue Goekler will conduct this class, which explores learning to understand our and other’s behaviors in a strictly non-judgmental way. This is a great way for UUs to learn to work with each other in team settings and explore why we react to situations in different ways. There is a suggested $10 donation for the class.

“What Comes Next?”— Explorations Into What May Come After Death

Thursday evenings October 6, 13, and 20 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at UUSD. This course is open to UUSD members and the public.

The course is a series of three discussions on death, and what death may mean for living. Moderators: Dr. Len Bowman and Jeff Cordiano. A strong response to this series in the spring, when it was offered during the day, prompts UUSD to offer it again, this time in the evening.

We really don’t know what comes after death, if anything. But the world’s religious traditions are rich with images of some kind of afterlife. Further, over the past forty years, hundreds of people who were clinically dead and revived have experienced something after death, something that defies explanation. Moreover, many people have experienced memories that appear to come from a prior lifetime.

So while we really don’t know what comes after death, there are some very interesting possibilities. We will explore these possibilities in three phases.

First (in our October 6 session) we will explore near-death experiences—people who have been clinically dead and revived, and who described what happened to them while they were…dead. Studies have revealed common features in near-death experiences and distinguished those from some extravagant claims made about them. A short PowerPoint review of near-death experiences will lead into discussion.

Reincarnation is the focus of our second session (October 13). The religious traditions of India speak of reincarnation, so we first turn there, especially to the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Recently, psychiatrist Dr. Brian Weiss was astounded when one patient’s hypnotherapy unearthed memories from an earlier life in the ancient Near East—leading to a new approach to healing called “regression therapy.” A short PowerPoint presentation will give us a glimpse into the Book of the Dead and a hint of Dr. Weiss’s work. Then Mr. Jeff Cordiano, a UUSD founding member, will share parts of his life-long UU path that has led him to a faith-based spiritual-construct based on reincarnation.

“You Only Live Once” is the theme of our third and final session (October 20). Western religious traditions, especially Christianity and Islam, teach that each person lives only one life and then at death faces judgment and an eternal (timeless) existence (a “heaven” or perhaps a “hell”). A short PowerPoint presentation will show images of judgment, heaven and hell—including the literary descriptions in Dante’s Divine Comedy and the provocative art of Hieronymus Bosch. Discussion of this view of “what comes next” will lead us to reflect again on that basic question and the interesting possibilities it opens to us.

For more information, contact Len Bowman by email or at 443-286-3495.A one-time $10 donation is requested for the course.

Please sign up by email, calling Len, or using the sign-up sheet in the UUSD library area.

Low-Impact Aerobics Classes

Feel good, look good, and get a good workout, as you perform low-impact, easy-to-follow routines set to the songs of Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, the New Christy Minstrels, etc. the class will be held every Thursday, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at UUSD. The first class is free. At the second class, a $10 donation is requested, which gives participants Free Access to all classes for the rest of the current session. (New sessions begin in January, April, July, and October. At the beginning of each new session, another $10 donation is requested. People may join the class any time during a current session.) If you have any questions, email Sally Crouch or call her at 410-967-1651.

UUSD TO HOLD ITS FIRST DARWIN DAY CELEBRATION
SUNDAY, FEB. 7, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

—Betty Kirk, Adult Ed. Coordinator

UUSD will hold its first Darwin Day celebration on Sunday, February 7, 2016 from 3 – 5 p.m. Delaware Governor Jack Markell has declared February 12 Darwin Day to recognize Charles Darwin’s contributions to biology and to science in general. Darwin, steeped in Unitarian roots, was born on February 12, 1809, and his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle led him to develop his theory of evolution and descent of man theories that were quite controversial in scientific and religious circles.

Speakers at this event will be:

Professor John R. Jungck is Director of the Interdisciplinary Science Learning Center at the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory at the University of Delaware and holds faculty appointments in biology, mathematics, and bioinformatics. He is a scholar of Darwin and Evolution and will discuss “Charles Darwin’s Sacred Cause” on how The Origin of Species was written as an attack on racism and slavery.

Professor Karen Rosenberg is a paleoanthropologist with specialties in human evolution, women’s evolution, and Neanderthals. She is studying how human evolution and the evolution of the human brain influenced how humans give birth compared to other species. She will address “new and wondrous findings in the study of human evolution.”

There will be a Question and Answer period after the presentations. The event is free and open to the public.

The Ethics of Laudato Si’ — Discussion Series

Thursdays, October 22 through November 12, 2015

UUSD will offer ‘The Ethics of Laudato Si’ ” — a series of discussions about the values affirmed by Pope Francis’ open letter, the ethical principles on which those values rest, and the letter’s ethical call to action. Dr. Len Bowman will lead the discussions held at UUSD on Thursday afternoons, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. A one-time $10 donation is requested for the course with proceeds to support UUSD’s mission.

On May 24, Pope Francis published Laudato Si’, (LS) an open letter “on care for our common home.” Francis said, “I wish to address every person living on the planet.” Since the message of Laudato Si’ is couched in terms that strongly reflect the pope’s Catholic context, it may be challenging for people outside that context to hear and understand the message of the letter. For that reason, this series of discussions focuses on ethics, a rational perspective open to people with diverse points of view.

The purpose of this series of discussions is to:

Tease out and examine the ethical basis of the values and concerns expressed in Laudato Si’
• Dialog between those values with their ethical basis and the ethical perspectives of participants
• Project, on the basis of that dialog, directions for collaborative action.

The focus of the four sessions:

October 22: What is happening to our planet? Examine the ecological crisis and its connection to global injustice (LS, ch. 1). Examine the nature of ethical reasoning and dialog.
• October 29: Examine and evaluate Francis’ view that the root of the present crisis is “the technocratic paradigm.” (LS, ch. 3)
• November 5: Examine and evaluate Francis’ call for an “integral ecology” to respond to the challenge (LS, ch. 4)
• November 12: Toward an adequate response: structural approaches (LS, ch. 5) and “ecological conversion” (LS, ch. 6).

Dr. Len Bowman, a member of the UUSD congregation, will moderate the course. Dr. Bowman holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University. He has taught courses in Ethics for over thirty years and is currently teaching Ethics for a Multicultural Worldfor the Master of Liberal Arts program of Johns Hopkins University.

For more information, email Len Bowman or call 443-286-3495.

The Power of Myth
Bill Moyers Interviews Joseph Campbell

A six-week course, Thursdays March 5 – April 9
1:30 – 3:00 p.m. moderated by Dr. Len Bowman

Dr. Len Bowman will moderate a six-week course starting March 5 at 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. that will focus on “The Power of Myth” – Bill Moyers interviews Joseph Campbell. Course participants will view and then discuss six interviews of mythologist Joseph Campbell with award-winning journalist Bill Moyers.

Joseph Campbell was first and foremost a scholar of world mythological traditions. Yet his work has continued to resonate in the creative arts and in personal spiritual journeys. Among those who acknowledge a debt to him are George Lucas (Star Wars), Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, and sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Campbell also recognized how closely mythology linked to psychological archetypes identified by C. G. Jung, so that the study of mythology can help people to recognize their “shadow”—hidden desires and possibilities that may be expressed in dreams and that may inspire creativity.

Course Content :
1: The Hero’s Adventure (March 5): Hero types, hero deeds, Jesus Christ, the Buddha, movie heroes, Star Wars as a metaphor, an Iroquois story: the refusal of suitors, dragons, dreams and Jungian psychology, “follow your bliss,” consciousness in plants, Gaia, Chartres cathedral, spirituality vs. economics, emerging myths, “Earthrise” as a symbol.

2: The Message of the Myth (March 12): Creation myths, transcending duality, pairs of opposites, God vs. Nature, sin, morality, participation in sorrow, the Gospel of Thomas, Old Time Religion, computers, religion as “software,” the story of Indra: “What a great boy am I!,” participation in society.

3: The First Storytellers (March 19): Animal memories, harmonization with body and life-cycle, consciousness vs. its vehicle, killing for food, story: “The Buffalo’s Wife,” buffalo massacre, initiation ritual, rituals diminishing, crime increasing, artists, the Shaman, the center of the world.

4: Sacrifice and Bliss (March 26): Chief Seattle, the sacred Earth, agricultural renewal, human sacrifice, sacrifice of the Mass, transcendence of death, story: “The Green Knight,” societal dictates vs. following bliss, “hidden hands” guiding life’s work

5: Love and the Goddess (April 2): The Troubadours, Eros, romantic love, Tristan, libido vs. credo, separation from love, Satan, loving your enemy, the Crucifixion as atonement, virgin birth, the story of Isis, Osiris and Horus, the Madonna, the Big Bang, the correlation between the earth or mother Goddess and images of fertility (the sacred feminine).

6: Masks of Eternity (April 9): Identifying with the infinite, the circle as a symbol, clowns and masks, epiphanies and James Joyce, artistic arrest, the monstrous as sublime, the dance of Shiva, that which is beyond words.

Dr. Len Bowman, a member of the congregation, has taught philosophy and religion for over thirty years, and he currently teaches in the Master of Liberal Arts program of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Bowman’s undergraduate major is philosophy. He holds an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Detroit, and a Ph.D. in Religion and Literature from Fordham University. He has a certificate in Educational Management from Harvard University. Dr. Bowman taught undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy, religion, and literature for over thirty years. He has published three books and edited a fourth, and has published many journal articles. He served as Vice President for Academic Affairs in three institutions, including the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. Among his teachers are Ewert Cousins, William Richardson, Thomas Berry, Wilfred Cantwell Smith, and Huston Smith.

A one-time $10 donation is requested for the course. A sign-up sheet is in the back of the sanctuary, but no preregistration is needed; simply pay at the door. For further information, contact Len Bowman at 443-286-3495.

Religious Traditions With and Without “God”

— A seven-week course, taught. by four UUSD members

In our time—now that we have seen the earth as “a single globe of remarkable beauty and unity,” we are experiencing “the convergence of disparate cultures and the emergence of global consciousness.” So said Prof. Ewert Cousins, known as “the Prophet of the Second Axial Age.” Religions likewise are converging, he said, in “a new and complex form of religious consciousness,” where “partners enter into the structures of consciousness of the others and return enriched to their own.” Crucial is the capacity of people to “meet each other in center to center unions, discovering what is most authentic in each other.”

A crucial first step in understanding different religious traditions is to address the question, “What is the sacred or divine in this tradition, and how does that sacredness or holiness affect the lives and spirituality of adherents to the tradition? What would we say is the ultimate truth in this tradition?” Perhaps the greatest difference among the world’s religious traditions is that some worship a God or gods, and some do not identify a “divine being” as ultimate reality or truth.

This course addresses that crucial question in relation to several diverse religious traditions, and reflects on each tradition (initially) from four diverse perspectives. The traditions studied include the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Earth/goddess, Judaic, Christian, Religious Humanist, Muslim, and Sufi. The initial reflection is by a panel of four UUSD members:

• Len Bowman, Christian (RC) and academic;
• Ron Schaeffer, Religious Humanist;
• Beebe Frazer, Creation Spirituality and Earth/Goddess devotion;
• John Sykes, Buddhist.

Reflection will then be enriched by the perspective of all participants in the course.

Each session begin with a brief (20-30 minutes) presentation on what is divine or ultimate in the particular tradition(s) addressed that week. The presentation is followed by a brief (20 minutes) reflection by the panel, and then by open discussion.
Course content:

1. Introduction: the crucial question, the panel, the context, the concepts.
2. The Hindu tradition with many gods in harmony
3. The Buddhist ways without a “god” figure
4. The Confucian and Taoist traditions, ultimate value/reality (with folk gods in the background)
5. The Goddess and the Earth
6. The God of Israel to the Christian Triune God to the rise of Religious Humanism
7. Islam proclaims Allah is God and thence Islamic mystics (Sufi) seek insight across all religions.

“In Ancient Times” from “Cakes for the Queen of Heaven”

A Five-Week Course, Tuesdays, February 10 – March 10
2:00 – 4 p.m. conducted by Beebe Frazer

UUSD member Beebe Frazer conducted a five-week class from the UU Women and Religion curriculum “Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” beginning Tuesday, February 10, 2015 from 2 – 4 p.m. at UUSD.
“Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” is a program in feminist thealogy (Greek word meaning the study of Goddess) for adults and older youth. The title comes from Jeremiah 7:17-18: Yahweh speaks, “…in the streets of Jerusalem …children gather wood and fathers kindle fire, and women knead dough to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven …in order to anger me!”
Rev. Shirley Ranck designed the program for women to explore the Goddess, her presence in our lives, and women’s contributions to art, literature, and spirituality. She asks, “How would your life have been different if, when growing up, the divine had been imaged as female?” Hence, this course reclaims our forgotten, suppressed, rewritten history. Our purpose is not to replace a male god, but to restore balance and equality between masculine and feminine.
The first five-week series, “In Ancient Times,” examines the archeological and anthropological evidence of Goddess worship in prehistoric cultures of the Ancient Near East and Old Europe. It presents pre-patriarchal societies in which women and men revered a female divinity, equally shared power and respect, and lived in peaceful civilizations for thousands of years. Each class includes a simple ritual, DVD slides, art, song, poetry, reflection, and optional sharing.

Course objectives for the first series, In Ancient Times:
1. To raise the consciousness of participants to the religious myths and symbols of the ancient world where female images and experiences were central.
2. To engage participants in an exploration of the psychological and social importance to women today of reclaiming our female religious heritage.

Session Plans:
1. The Sacred Female
2. In the Name of the Mother and the Daughter
3. Womanpower
4. The First Turning—the Shift from Goddess to God
5. Reclaiming Women’s Heritage of Peace

In addition, “On the Threshold,” is a six-week series that will be offered at UUSD in the fall. This series explores stories of powerful women in ancient Judaism and early Christianity, the oppression of women in patriarchal religions, current forms of feminist spirituality, and our hope for the future.

Beebe Frazer is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Creation Spirituality (which includes goddess studies, the Aramaic Jesus, and sustainable stewardship of creation) from Wisdom University. She facilitated the 13-week UU Rise Up and Call Her Name course on 13 goddesses from around the world in 2002. She is a member of the international Association for the Study of Women and Mythology.

A sign-up sheet is in the back of the sanctuary. The class is open to women only.For more information (or to register for planning purposes) contact Beebe at 302 -645-6133.

UU History Class

The series is entitled, The Long Strange Trip. Ron Schaeffer, our in-house UU historian, offers this exciting new class which traces 2000 years of UU history for six consecutive Thursdays. The class consists of a one-hour DVD hosted by Ron Cordes followed by a discussion. The first class is entitled In the Beginning. Contacts: Ron Schaeffer or Betty Kirk.

Famous Unitarian Universalists (UUs)

This class met bimonthly for one year. Members took turns facilitating discussion of a famous Unitarian or Universalist such as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, or Horace Greeley. The class was open to the public. Facilitator: Betty Kirk

Articulating Your Religious Faith

How do you explain your religious faith to your family, your friends, and yourself? Do you have an elevator speech about Unitarian Universalism? How do others in our community explain their faith? Reverend Smith leads a course that allows you to consider and discuss your religious faith and maybe even come up with an elevator speech. Facilitator: Reverend D. Michael Smith

World religion: Seeking the World’s Wisdom

If we take the world’s enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race.” So said Huston Smith, renowned scholar of world religions and pioneer of interfaith understanding. In five interviews with journalist Bill Moyers, Smith reviews his lifelong search for ever deeper wisdom in the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. “This course will view each of the five interviews followed by a discussion. The first session is an introductory presentation of primal religions and the quirks of religious language. Facilitator:Len Bowman, who holds a Ph.D. in religion and literature and counts Huston Smith among his teachers. Len is a professor at Johns Hopkins University.

A six-week course:

Week 1 – Introductory: description and discussion of primal religions (sacred space, sacred time) and quirks of religious language.
Week 3 – Confucianism and Taoism
Week 4 – Judaism and Christianity
Week 5 – Islam and Sufism
Week 6 – A Personal Philosophy, summary of the world’s “distilled wisdom.”

Great Decisions Class

UUSD and the League of Women Voters will begin the fourth season of Great Decisions classes on the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month beginning on January 9, 2015, from 6:30 until 8:00 pm at UUSD. A short DVD will be shown with a discussion following.
The series is organized by the Foreign Policy Association. It covers eight key foreign policy topics: Russia and the Near Abroad, Privacy in the Digital Age, Sectarianism in the Middle East, India Changes Course, US Policy Toward Africa, Syria’s Refugee Crisis, Human Trafficking in the 21st Century, and Brazil’s Metamorphosis. The book is available through the Foreign Policy Association website at http://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/.

There will be a one-time donation requested for this series. Register by signing the sheet in the church alcove. Contact Anne Riley at 301-441-1311 or 302-436-2211 if you have any questions.

Facebook 101 Class

This is an introductory class for those who want hand-on training. If you have a laptop, please bring it with you. There is a $5.00 administrative fee for handouts and supplies.

Tai Chi Short Yang Form Class

Deb Davies, certified t’ai chi instructor with the T’ai Chi Foundation, will teach the Short Yang Form as taught by Professor Cheng Man Ch’ing. The T’ai Chi Short Yang Form is a succession of 32 postures with each posture leading to the next and therefore this is a progressive class. T’ai Chi has been found to lower blood pressure, improve balance, and support overall well-being.

A free introductory class and registration was held Saturday, January 31 from 10 – 11:00 a.m. in the UUSD sanctuary. Classes for the first session began Saturday, February 7 from 10 – 11:00 a.m. and run through the end of March and cover the first half of the form. A second session will begin in April through May and cover the second set of postures.

A signup sheet will be at the back of the sanctuary starting Sunday, January 4. A minimum donation of $10 per session per person is suggested. Contact Deb Davies at 302-396-0433 for more information.

Introductory Zumba

Zumba is aerobic dancing to Latin and world music; it’s having fun without realizing you’re getting a good workout. This class is taught at a very basic, introductory level. Steps are introduced slowly and at a very low impact level. Wear loose fitting clothes and shoes that have support but allow you to move easily. Led by certified Zumba Instructor, Sally Crouch.

Immigration

In March 2013, Facilitators Kris Acker and Peggy Smith led a three-session class where members learned about the Doctrine of Discovery, the impact of our immigration policy on various sectors of the community, how our immigration policy is broken, and how immigrants affect our economy just as our country is enacting immigration reform. Some participants also read Death of Josseline by Margaret Regan.

UU History Class Starts January 16, 2014

The new Unitarian Universalist history class is here and open to everyone! The series entitled, The Long Strange Trip, begins on Thursday, January 16, from 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. at UUSD. Ron Schaeffer, our in-house UU historian, will be offering this exciting new class which traces 2000 years of UU history for six consecutive Thursdays.

The class consists of a one-hour DVD hosted by Ron Cordes followed by a discussion. The first class is entitled In the Beginning. Please join us for something new about being UU.

There is a sign-up sheet at the back of the sanctuary. There is a one-time $5 fee for this series. Contact Ron Schaeffer or Betty Kirk if you have any questions

ADULT EDUCATION
UUSD TO HOLD ITS SECOND DARWIN DAY CELEBRATION ON SUNDAY, FEB. 19, 3:00-5:30 p.m.
Betty Kirk, Adult Education Co-Coordinator

UUSD will hold its second Darwin Day celebration on Sunday, February 19, 2017 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Our celebration this year will feature a film and two speakers. The event is free and open to the public. The film is “The Genius of Charles Darwin” featuring Richard Dawkins who explains why Darwin’s theory of evolution was, indeed, a revolution. Dawkins is a well-known evolutionary biologist and author, as well as a vocal atheist.

Our second speaker is Ronald Martin, Professor of Geological Sciences, from the University of Delaware Geological Sciences Department. He grew up in southwestern Ohio, where world famous assemblages of Late Ordovician fossils drew his attention to paleontology. He received a B.S. degree in Geology and Paleontology from Bowling Green State University (Ohio), M.S. in Geology from the University of Florida, and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of California at Berkeley. His research interests include the taphonomy (preservation) and biostratigraphy of microfossil assemblages and, most recently, the role of phytoplankton evolution in the diversification of the marine biosphere. He is the author or co-author of over 60 papers, in addition to Earth’s Evolving System, which was just published in its second edition. His presentation will focus on “Scales of Change: The Transfiguration of Experience by Historical Consciousness.”

For more information, contact AdultEducation@uussd.org.

SEARCH | DIRECTIONS | CONTACT US | CALENDAR | MEMBERS | DONATE

SUNDAY SERVICE 10:00AM

SUNDAY SERVICE 10:00AM

ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS