Adult Religious Education is offered at Unity
Temple through the Center for Spiritual Development.
Our Mission is to encourage the spiritual and personal development of
interested members and friends of our congregation, and the greater Oak Park and
Chicago community.
We offer a variety of opportunities for growth and exploration.
Courses, workshops, and other events are typically held at Unity Temple, in Unity House (across the foyer from the Sanctuary),
at Gale House (next door to Unity Temple), or at course leaders' homes.
Our schedule of classes for Spring 2007 is below.
Courses are still being added. Please consult the recent edition of
The Beacon, our
congregational newsletter for late additions.
Registration is open now!
For more information or questions about the Center For Spiritual
Development please email us
at adultre@unitytempl.org.
Click here to see some of the courses we
have offered in the past.
Spring 2007 - Schedule
TO REGISTER FOR A COURSE: Send an email to
adultre@unitytemple.org.
Be sure to mention the name of the course you are interested in attending. You
will receive a reply confirmation via email.
UU Social Action, Then and Now: A Workshop
Instructor:
Consulting Minister Ana Porter
Dates:
Sundays, April 22 – May 20
Description:
Join us for a brand new workshop on social justice. In the World Cafe we identified social justice as a high priority for our congregation.
The purpose of this workshop will be to bring together our "thinking" and "doing" sides by learning about our historical record of
social justice work and formulating a plan for how to move forward in this work today. This workshop will help us to undertake
informed (and therefore effective) social action as a congregation.
Sun, April 22nd at 1pm -- Introductory session Sun, April 29th at 1pm -- David Bumbaugh, Professor of History at Meadville-Lombard will lecture on the history of UU social justice work, followed by a discussion.
Sun, May 13th at 2pm (date tentative) -- Panel of Unity Temple members will discuss our own congregatonal history of engagement with social justice work, followed by discussion. Sun, May 20th at 1pm -- Discussion and planning session: Where do we go from here? Those who wish to continue will join Ana in phase two of this workshop: the undertaking of our newly-hatched social justice project. For the full syllabus or to register for this class, email Ana at aporter@unitytemple.org.
The
Adult Religious Education Committee
has started planning the Center for Spiritual Development course catalogue for
the 2006-2007 year. Now is the time to give your suggestions for classes,
request repeats, or offer to teach. You may email your suggestions or desire to
teach to adultre@unitytemple.org, 708/848-6225, extension 157, or you may also
talk to one of the committee members: Jamie Boyce, Greg Nosan, Rosalyn
Lutz, and Myriam Renaud. We would like for the Center for Spiritual Development
to be your guide towards spiritual awareness.
Courses We Have Offered in the Past
Some of these courses may be
offered again in the future, if there is demand for them. If you are interested in seeing these courses offered again,
please email us at
adultre@unitytemple.org.
Articulating Your UU Faith
Do you have difficulty talking to other people
about Unitarian Universalism or explaining what is at the core of our liberal
religious tradition here at Unity Temple? This course provides hopeful inspiration and
resources for all who want to be able to declare oneself religiously or
illuminate some angle on Unitarian Universalism.
Birth and Legacy of Unitarianism in Europe
An exploration of European Unitarian movements,
with a focus on Transylvanian Unitarianism. Topics will include the Radical
Reformation, why Transylvania has the only surviving Unitarian churches, modern
Unitarian figures such as Norbert Capek, and the current sister-church movement
among UUA congregations. The recommended text is Faith and Freedom by Charles Howe,
available through the UUA Bookstore.
Building Your Own Theology
This series is a soul-searching discussion process for examining your own
personal beliefs and values. The course was developed by UU minister emeritus
Richard Gilbert and has been used by UU congregations all over the world.
Participants will purchase the Building Your Own Theology manual from Ex Libris.
Cakes for the Queen of Heaven
This is a UU Women's Federation curriculum developed in the late '80s by Rev. Shirley
Ranck, our interim minister in 1990-1 and others. The course resurrects the
feminine "divine goddess" from ancient times through the present. The aim is to
reinstate a spiritual balance of feminist and masculine influences in religion,
largely discarded under the influence of the Judeo-Christian patriarchy. All
are welcome to participate!
Cherokee Peacekeeping Teachings
Peacekeeping teachings from the wisdom fire of the Cherokee
will be shared as it has been passed to me through venerable Dhyani Ywahoo.
These are teachings of mindfulness, that each of us is weaving a dream and
determining our reality. Basic peacekeeping teachings will include the practice
of smudging and the Dance of the Directions.
Claim your Power: Choose to Bless the World
So, have your New Year's Resolutions been written into your personal planner for
this year? Have you noticed that some are the same as last year's? Sometimes we
just need a little support to turn a talent, a gift, a dream into reality! One of
the participants in an earlier session of this workshop who had
"a dream" of organizing a group for senior women at UTUUC. Following the
sessions, in which she felt encouragement and support for her plan, the senior
women's group, the Purple Sages came into being! The goal of Claim Your Power:
Choose to Bless the World is to bring our attention to our individual
gifts/talents/ideas and plans and to discover ways to make these talents and
ideas actually happen.
The Gospel of Mark and the Synoptic Problem.
This class will studied the gospel of Mark from a literary perspective. It was
not focused on the historical Jesus, nor on implications for Christian faith.
The synoptic problem, which is the study of the relationship between the first
three gospels, their common and disparate sources and styles, will be also be
studied.
History of the Hebrew Bible: Current Academic Understandings
Through reading and discussion, we will focus on the development
of the Hebrew Bible from its beginnings in oral tradition to the forms that
exist today. This is a history course, not an attempt to understand "divine
inspiration."
Inner Disarmament: The Practice of Deep Democracy
This course will be a four part series of classes on Inner Disarmament:
the Practice of Deep Democracy. Each class will present specific communication skills that can help
participants work more effectively with others. The four steps of Nonviolent Communication as taught
by Marshall Rosenberg will be presented, along with the Three Tenets of a Peacemaker. Learn about
the destructive nature of judgments and the healing power of empathic listening.
Inner Pathways To Awareness
This workshop is designed to use experiential exercises
to explore and clarify inner motives, self-limiting messages, and issues of self confidence. This is not
therapy but heightened awareness. Without awareness, choices are arbitrary and outside of your control.
With awareness your choices reflect your responses to your wants, needs and desires. This will include
individual reflections and group sharing.
Introduction to Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Why don't they see it my way? Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a
tool, this workshop will illuminate the affect of your personality preferences
on your own choices and relationships. You will also gain awareness of how
others may respond in identical situations. And what you discover may surprise
you! The MBTI is based on Jungian theory, organized into a "forced choice"
format over a lifetime of research by Katherine Briggs and Isabel Briggs-Myers.
The MBTI is not meant to diagnose serious personality dysfunction. Instead, the
tool is useful for shedding light on why people respond differently. The
workshop is interactive and will involve self-discovery and sharing.
Participants will complete the MBTI.
Introduction To Process Theology
The class will explore what led Whitehead, the founder of Process Theology, to
think as he did.
Introduction to Sufism and the Divine Feminine in Sufism
This will include discussion of Sufism and its origins, the mysticism of
sound, the metaphysics of light, walking meditations, sacred dance, healing
practices, and merriment. If you have favorite poems of Rumi, or Hafiz, bring
them to share.
Jesus and Christ
A six-session look at Jesus of Nazareth as both a
historical person and a mythic figure. The focus will be on concepts that seem
to be most fruitful for religious liberals. We will use the books Jesus: a
Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan and Jesus Through The
Centuries by Jaroslav Pelikan.
Now That You've Read The Da Vinci Code...
A look at The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown’s
theology, a conservative Christian response, and discussion of the Gnostic
writings discovered at Nag Hammadi.
Our American Roots
This course is an overview of the history of Unitarian Universalism in America.
Parents as Spiritual Guides
This is the second in the UU parenting trilogy and will
offer ways to help your children (and yourselves) build their spiritual base
aided by you, their first teachers.
Past Life Journey
This three-hour workshop will explore your personal beliefs
utilizing past life regression. This program is not meant to imply that the
theory of reincarnation is either fact or fiction. It is offered as a tool to
those desiring to search their beliefs in this area. Carol will describe and
explain the process of hypnosis. You will experience the power of your inner
conscious mind through demonstrations and suggestibility tests. During the
hypnosis process, you may safely travel back into a past life and experience
yourself in another time and place. There will be time for sharing your
experiences after returning to your outer conscious awareness. All persons using
this past life regression program do so at their own risk, and only those
possessing the appropriate maturity level should take part.
Post-Modern Polytheism
Many contemporary intellectuals seem to consider Western religious history as a linear progression from
animism to polytheism to monotheism to atheism.
In this class we will explore the relevance of polytheism in a time when having even one deity can
sometimes seem like too much. Participants will be challenged to define at least a few of the many faces
of the divine in their lives, learn how to create their own ceremonies to honor these aspects,
and explore the many possibilities of polytheism in the post-modern age.
Preparing for The End - A Course in Celebrating Life as We Anticipate Death
We all have two things in common - the inevitability of losing a loved one
to death and our own mortality. Yet, it is often difficult to discuss
end-of-life issues and to prepare others for our own passing.
This two-session course will approach death from both an emotional and
practical perspective. We will explore what happens as the body approaches
death, common issues loved ones face and the nature of grief. We will
discuss important documentation to complete before we face a medical crisis
(ie: medical power-of-attorney, a living will, etc.) We will also consider
the crafting of your own memorial service. (Ideally, this course will be a
catalyst towards communicating your memorial wishes to the Temple, to
remain on file for when the information is necessary.) Collectively, we
will take some of the mystery out of death in a supportive setting, towards
living lives - and deaths - with dignity.
Religions of the World
The class will introduce some of the major faith
traditions alive today. Sessions will be: 1) Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism; 2) Buddhism;
3) Islam; 4) Native American and New Religions. Handouts, mini-lectures, and question and
answer sessions will be used.
Re-Inventing Christmas
Are “the holidays” just a synonym for stress? Does the uber-consumerism of
Christmas get you down? How do you create rituals and traditions that have
resonance for you? Whether you’re young or old, partnered or single, parent or
not, this workshop of engaging exercises and thought-provoking discussion will
help you transform Christmas into a simpler, more meaningful time. Childcare
will be provided.
Rise Up and Call Her Name
This Woman-honoring Journey into Global Earth-based
Spiritualities provides a unique format for learning about goddesses from a
variety of traditions, hearing and telling personal stories, creating your own
sacred art, participating in creative rituals, dialoguing about questions key to
feminist spirituality, and engaging in personal discovery. As we journey through
the curriculum, travelers create their personal Sacred Bundles of meaningful
experiences that will strengthen our ability to build bridges to a variety of
communities. Both women and men are encouraged to participate in this journey.
Spiritual Autobiography
As UUs, we often talk about our own spiritual
journeys. This book group will explore the spiritual odysseys of notable
philosophers and activists as told in their own words. Participants will help
determine the reading list in advance based on their own interests. Topics
might include works by Saint Augustine, Dorothy Day,
Black Elk, M. K. Gandhi, Malcolm X, and others.
Spiritual Friendship
Spiritual friendship is a discipline that is an
offshoot of spiritual direction where people learn how to be “companions on the
way” with one another. Spiritual friendship can help us discover what we really
want, help us to be as real as we can before the holy, and help us bear the
pain of self-knowledge and self-revelation. We will work together in a process
that respects our integrity.
Spirituality around the World
A seminar in how to read the worlds greatest spiritual
texts with discussions on how to use them in ones own spiritual practice and
daily life.
Story Theology
This class explored ways in which we can
re-imagine the stories of our own lives as personal scripture. Just as in
Judeo-Christian traditions theology is derived from Biblical tales, we UU's can
learn to develop our theologies from our own and each other's tales. This class,
helped us to investigate the hidden spiritual meanings, mythic archetypes, values,
and symbols found in our life experiences. Each member of the class had
the opportunity to present a true story from his or her life and, with the help of
the class, seek the deeper truths it teaches.
Unitarian Universalist Theologies
What is the nature of our relationship with the universe and the
divine? Is there a God? If so, how can we with integrity conceive of or relate
to God? This class will present a multitude of ways that Unitarian Universalists
understand God, drawing from the ideas of theologians of the past 60 years, and
challenge people to reflect on their own experience so as to cultivate or deepen
their own theology. This class will include theism, pantheism, atheism,
religious humanism, and paganism. Outside reading will be made available for
participants.
UU Parenting
This class is ideal for helping UU parents
clarify their own religious beliefs, increase their understanding of Unitarian
Universalism, and put their UU values into better practice at home. Not only
does the set curriculum provide information, but it also offers a sort of parental support group
discussing child-rearing questions and challenges
and how they might be answered from a UU perspective. Some topics for
exploration include family life, holidays, celebrations,
and redefining religious terms such as prayer, sin, heaven, and hell.
Voices of Islam: Understanding Islam and our Moslem Neighbors
This series was designed to inform about the beliefs and practices of Islam as
well as acquaint us with the cultures and lifestyles Moslems.
