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Adult Education

The Adult Education Program of the OUUC seeks to foster life-long learning and spiritual growth through a variety of classes, workshops, and events. Some specific purposes are to expand and deepen understanding of Unitarian Universalism, to facilitate the search for truth and meaning in all spheres of human knowledge, to explore the many sources of spirituality, and to promote sharing ideas and experiences among the participants.

Registration for classes, workshops, and events is open to anyone interested, including members and friends of OUUC and members of the larger community. If you would like a paper copy of this brochure mailed to you, please call the church office at 360-786-6383. YOU CAN ALSO REGISTER ONLINE.

A single registration fee of $20 covers as many classes as you may wish to take. Exceptions to this fee are noted in the class descriptions. The fee will be waived if it creates a hardship for you, if requested on the registration form. Please feel free to invite your friends within the broader community to use this website to register for classes, but kindly remind them about the fee. If you need a ride to a class, please call Sara Lewis (OUUC 360-786-6383); we will try to arrange a ride for you. On-site child care can also be arranged by Sara.

Unless otherwise noted, all class leaders are members of the OUUC community. They have put a lot of work into developing their course material (for free!) Please make every effort to attend all sessions of each class for which you have signed up or let the class leader know ahead of time if you can’t attend. Newcomers to OUUC can find classes of particular interest identified with a chalice logo.

Download the Winter-Spring 2013 Program Guide (pdf).

The Adult Education Program is coordinated by the OUUC Adult Education Committee, whose current members are: Nancy Brickell, Tom Joldersma (Chair), Donna Killelea, Sara Lewis, Martha Nicoloff, Roger Nielsen, Ann Rockway, Bernie Steckler, and Billie Williams. The committee invites proposals and suggestions for future classes. Please direct proposals or inquiries to the Adult Education Committee, c/o the OUUC Office, or contact a committee member directly.

The Luci Phillips Collection

Our OUUC library now contains the collection of Teaching Company DVDs and tapes that longtime member Luci Phillips recently bequeathed to our congregation. The collection covers a variety of subjects, including many major religions, comparative religion, science, medicine, history, philosophy and literature.

You are invited to check out any of the materials, either for your own independent study, or even better, for facilitating a class through OUUC’s Adult Education program.

Click here to download a complete list of the courses, with detailed information on the materials available.

If you would like to use any of the materials to facilitate a class through our Adult Education Program, please contact committee chair Tom Joldersma.

Adult Education Classes for the Winter/Spring 2013

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ADDICTION: THE SILENT DISEASE AMONG US

Date & Time: (Attend 1 session)
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Saturday, April 13 OR
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Monday, April 15
Place: OUUC
Leaders: Tess Schulze & Dave Verbon

Addiction impacts every one of us, either physically, emotionally, financially or spiritually. This three-hour seminar, part of the new OUUC Addiction Ministry, gives a clear layman’s explanation of all major aspects of addiction and its impact on our lives. Learn what addiction really is, how it truly affects our society and what a wide array of help there is for those who need it. Join us in discovering a new awareness of this silent, stunningly destructive disease.

Dave held executive marketing positions in Las Vegas in the hotel-casino industry. A career change came when he realized the impact his casino work was having on the lives of compulsive gamblers and their families. He and his wife Toni formed their own company, Help Yourself, Inc., to create programs on addiction education.

Tess has been clean and sober since 1988 and has continued to be active in the recovery community. For three years she moderated a 12-step support group for over 350 multi-addicted men and women around the world. A native Washingtonian, she has found the community of her heart at OUUC.

ALGERIAN CHICKEN, COUSCOUS DEMO & DINNER
(Back By Popular Demand)

Date: Monday (1 session) April 29
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Place: OUUC kitchen
Leader: Mohammed Bentlemsani
Class Size: Limit of 10 persons
Cost: An additional $5.00 fee payable with online registration or directly to OUUC Administrator, Darlene Sarkela

If you wanted to take this class in the fall session but missed out because the class was full, here's a second chance to learn how to prepare an authentic Algerian couscous dinner. Mohammed will give you a step-by-step demonstration of the process, will show you how to prepare the couscous properly, using the steaming technique, how to make a vegetable sauce, and how to prepare the chicken in the Algerian style. Upon completion, you will dine on a North African taste treat.

(Please note: If you were on the waiting list for the class in the fall, enrolling in this class by January 15 will guarantee your place. After January 15 the class will be open to all on a first-come, first-served basis.)

Mohammed grew up in Medea, Algeria and acquired his cooking skills from his mother. As a student in France, he improved these skills by necessity of survival and nostalgia. He also worked as an assistant to the chef at several restaurants in France.

BEING LIBERAL IN AN ILLIBERAL AGE: Why I Am a Unitarian Universalist

Dates: Tuesdays (4 sessions) January 22, 29, February 12, 19
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Arthur Vaeni
Participant range: minimum six; maximum 12.

Using the late Reverend Dr. Jack Mendelsohn’s book of the same title, we will discuss the meaning of religious liberalism to help better understand this religious tradition as well as ourselves as religious liberals. Please read the chapters designated for each session before coming to class. At the first session on January 22 we will discuss chapters 1 and 2, entitled “A way of Walking and Acting in the World,” and “A Human Being, No More or Less.” Books are available from the UUA bookstore (new) and amazon.com (new and used.) After recently reading and discussing Mendelsohn’s text, several OUUC members reported that it’s a knockout!

The Reverend Arthur Vaeni is Minister of the OUUC.

BOOK GROUP

Dates: 3rd Thursday of the month, January through May
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Facilitator: Mary Anne Trause
Costs: Registration is free and not required: purchase or borrow the books on your own. Selections are always paperbacks.

The OUUC Book Group is open to all who love reading and enjoy the camaraderie of discussing the universal and personal themes elicited by the fiction and non-fiction we read together. Please join us for any or all of the selections that pique your interest.

In January, we will read The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett, published in 1998. This novel is a gripping adventure story which attempts both to solve the mystery of the disappearance of a massive marine expedition in 1845, while seeking the Northwest Passage, and also to explore the main character's inner discovery of his own heart and feelings. We see the themes of the book through the eyes of the various characters, including, most interestingly, the Eskimos, who can tell the truth, if they so choose, about what happened to the original expedition.

Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) is the choice for February. Partly autobiographical, heartbreaking, funny and beautifully written, this story chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he tries to break away from the Spokane reservation and grapples with questions about what constitutes one's community, identity and tribe.

The selection for March is the 2012 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction and of the 2011 National Book Award for Non-Fiction: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. The author, one of the world's most celebrated scholars, tells a thrilling story of the discovery 600 years ago of the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic with dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions. The ancient book fueled the Renaissance, inspiring its artists, thinkers, scientists and writers in ways that become evident to us as we delve into its mysteries.

In April, we will read and discuss Will Schwalke's The End of Your Life Book Club, which was published in 2012. This is the inspiring true story of a mother and son who started their own book club as her life was coming to an end due to pancreatic cancer. For two years, they shared their passion for reading, which led them to wide-ranging and deeply personal conversations prompted by the eclectic array of books they chose. In addition to the memories elicited, they discussed issues like courage, faith, gratitude, and learning to listen, while at the same time, experiencing their deepening relationship despite their imminent separation.

Mary Anne Trause is a long time facilitator of this class and a psychologist with a private practice in Olympia.

CENTER OF DETENTION: The Human Cost of US Immigration Policy

Dates: Thursday (1 session) February 28
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Frances Tanaka

This class will be based on the special report on the NW Detention Center that ran in The Olympian in September. The Detention Center, located in Tacoma, is the fourth largest detention center in the United States and can house up to 1500 people awaiting possible deportation if they are out of compliance with current US immigration laws. It is privately owned and operated and was built on the Tacoma Tideflats to replace a similar facility in Seattle. The series of five articles reveals how it got built and how the lives of one family have been disrupted by one of its members being detained there. Participants will also learn how Northwest Unitarian Universalists are joining local organizations and other faith communities to assist those affected by our national immigration laws.

Class participants are encouraged to read the articles in advance. They may be found at The Tacoma News Tribune website under the name “Center of Detention.” Hard copies will also be available. Contact Frances Tanaka by email or at (360) 570-0102 if you’d like to borrow one.

Frances Tanaka is a retired English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher who coordinated and taught in the ESL program at Centralia College for 23 years. She has worked with immigrants and refugees from 35 different countries and has been privileged to hear hundreds of personal immigration stories over the years. She is currently a member of the board of CIELO (Centro Integral Educativo Latino de Olympia) and helps train volunteer English tutors there.

CLASSISM IN OUR SOCIETY AND OUR FAITH TRADITION

Dates: Thursdays (4 sessions) May 9, 16, 23, 30
Time: 7:00 –9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leaders: Zahid Shariff and Jill Severn

This class will examine classism in our faith tradition, economic inequality and its consequences in our society, and our role in combating prejudice and poverty. The class will use Mark Harris’ text Elite: Uncovering Classism in Unitarian Universalist History. (New or used copies are available from Amazon Books.) Reprinted articles from The Nation and Atlantic magazines will be provided. Please read chapters 1-3 of Elite before the first session.

Topics of discussion will include: how we experience class differences in our own lives, exploring poverty and its impacts, comparing American society to our global neighbors, and what America looks like from the bottom up. Three Camp Quixote residents will report on how mainstream America treats the very poor.

Zahid Shariff is a retired professor of political science at The Evergreen State College. Jill Severn, a semi-retired journalist and speechwriter, is also a member of Panza, a non-profit organization that mobilizes community support for Camp Quixote.

COMMUNICATING/CAREGIVING WITH A LOVED ONE EXPERIENCING DEMENTIA

Dates: Tuesdays (3 sessions) May 6, 13, 20
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: David Robinson

The first session will include the changes that occur with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, in terms of stages and what to expect. The second session will present information on managing the behavioral aspects of care and how to communicate with your loved one with the least conflict and tension for both persons. The third session will describe the impact of caregiving on the caregiver and also present information on useful resources available in the community.

David Robinson has worked with older adults in Olympia for the past 30 years as a geriatric care manager. He currently has grants with the South Sound Alzheimer's Council to provide consultations and assessments to families challenged by the care of someone with dementia. He regularly provides trainings for the University of WA, DSHS, LMT Area Agency on Aging and various facilities. His primary work is helping families resolve their long-term care issues. He provides practical solutions that work to maintain the highest degrees of independence, autonomy and quality of life.

CREATING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Dates: Saturdays (2 sessions) January 19 (Maureen), January26 (Fritz)
Time: 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leaders: Maureen Fitzgerald , Fritz Wrede

Given the recent issue that has confronted our congregation involving internet child pornography, we have learned that many of us could benefit by being better informed both about the issues raised by sexual abuse of children as well as how to better maintain security on our personal computers. Hence we present these two offerings. The two sessions of this class can be taken independently of each other.

The first session will present “Stewards of Children” a nationally recognized training designed to help adults better understand the incidence and impact of child sexual abuse and provide them with the tools they need to actively protect children from harm. Participants will hear from experts in the field, as well as from adults who were victims of child sexual abuse, and learn about grooming techniques used to gain access to children, the impact of sexual abuse, and seven easy steps they can take to protect children. The three-hour workshop includes live and video presentations as well as time for questions and discussion.

The second three hour session is structured to give you the opportunity to seek answers to those questions that have baffled, bugged or stymied you in relation to computer security and communicating through the internet. How can you protect yourself and your computer from malicious or criminal use by others? We will address the basic settings and processes for managing risk in the cyber world. This is not a deep techy-speak session but it will touch on the concepts and functions that control access to automated systems. This is a very large and growing area within which we will explore several of the trends occurring in computer access control. Those registering for the class will be asked to submit, ahead of the workshop, those vexing questions and issues that you would like to have addressed. We will work to mold the subject matter around these topics as much as possible and offer resources in areas we can’t address fully in the session.

Maureen Fitzgerald is certified by a national prevention organization, Darkness to Light, to facilitate the Stewards of Children training and has conducted this training for a variety of organizations, including several faith communities, in Thurston County. Ms. Fitzgerald has extensive expertise in the field of sexual abuse and child maltreatment and was the founding director of Monarch Children's Justice and Advocacy Center in Lacey. Children's Advocacy Centers, such as Monarch, coordinate a multidisciplinary team of professionals involved in the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of sexual abuse and provide a child-focused location to assist child victims and families access to services designed to reduce trauma and facilitate healing.

Fritz has been working with PC’s and computer networks since the early 1980’s. He has managed small networks for King County government as well as large system and desktop workstation security and communication for Washington State since 1992. As manager of the tech staff he is the one who stands in the gap between the deeply machine oriented technical staff and the people oriented clinical and policy staff of the public substance use disorder and mental health service systems. This means translating concepts and language between the complicated technological realm and the human feeling world.

CREATING A “THIS I BELIEVE” SERVICE

Dates: Tuesdays (4 sessions) April 9, 16, 23 & 30
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Arthur Vaeni
Participant range: minimum six; maximum 12.

During several Sunday services, particularly in the summer, members and friends of the congregation have an opportunity to help lead worship, sharing some of the grounding beliefs of their lives. These are beliefs that derive from their understanding of the nature of life and thereby inform their way of being human. This spring our minister, the Reverend Arthur Vaeni, with members of the Worship Arts Committee, will offer a program to help those interested in preparing for the possibility of offering a “This I Believe” service. This class is open only to OUUC members and friends.

The Reverend Arthur Vaeni is Minister of the OUUC.

FROM AGE-ING TO SAGE-ING

Date: Thursdays (5 sessions) January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7
Time: 10 a.m.-noon
Place: OUUC
Leader: The Reverend Carol McKinley

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi's book, From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older, proposes a new model of late-life development called sage-ing, a process that associates old age with self-development and spiritual growth. Class participants are invited to deepen their understanding of aging and the process of maturing into wisdom that we can all engage in as we age.

Each participant will need a copy of From Age-ing to Sage-ing, which is available from the UUA Bookstore or your favorite bookseller.

The Reverend Carol McKinley is an affiliated community minister with OUUC.

A HIDDEN WHOLENESS

Dates: Thursdays (2 sessions) March 7, 14
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leaders: Jonathan Nowitz & Anatha Attar

In his book A Hidden Wholeness, Parker Palmer describes how many of us become estranged from the life of integrity and meaning that we could be living, and the impact this has on our selves and our communities. He goes on to describe ways in which individuals can participate in groups whose sole purpose is to provide a safe space in which participants support one another in their journeys to reconnect with that life of integrity and meaning, through practices including deep listening, open and honest questioning, and respecting silence.

Attendees should read A Hidden Wholeness prior to the March 7 meeting, where we will discuss the book. On March 14 we will explore ways to integrate these practices into our community.

Anatha Attar has a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Saint Martin’s University. She is a personal coach with a private practice.

Jonathan Nowitz is a member of OUUC. He first became aware of the works of Parker Palmer through a quote read at small group ministry at Seattle's UUC. A Hidden Wholeness struck a chord with him, and he would like to share it with others and bring some of the practices it describes to this community.

INFANT ATTACHMENT

Dates: Tuesday (1 session) February 5
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Dr. Mary Anne Trause

How do infants become emotionally attached to their caregivers? How is the brain involved? What are the functions of attachment once it develops? How do attachments change through the lifespan? Is the attachment different to moms than to dads? Come learn what is known about this powerful concept of emotional attachment and how the baby's attachment fuels development in all parts of his or her life. Although attachment has been studied for six decades through observational and experimental psychology studies, it is only in the last decade or so that that these findings have been substantiated by research on brain development. Let's discuss together whether “attachment parenting” is consistent with the attachment literature.

Dr. Mary Anne Trause is a licensed psychologist and member of this congregation, who has been involved with work on attachment for all of her career.

INTRODUCTION TO OUUC FOR NEWCOMERS

Dates: A one-hour single-session introduction offered the 3rd Sunday of each month
Time: 10:45 a.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Diana Finch
Cost: Registration and fee not required

Learn more about Unitarian Universalism and about this congregation. Sessions last about an hour with opportunity for questions and answers. Childcare is available.

Diana, Finch, past chair of the Membership Committee, has led this class for several years.

MATH IMPROV

Dates: Thursdays (4 sessions) January 24, 31, February 7, 14
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Jonathan Nowitz

Is there something you learned about math in school that you wish you could remember? Or something you didn't learn but wish you had? Do you want to encourage mathematical thinking in your children, but feel you don't know enough math? Do you know what it really means for something to be infinite? Do you know how many golf balls it would take to fill the Tacoma Dome? What's yellow and equivalent to the Axiom of Choice?

In this unscripted offering, we'll explore whatever aspects of mathematics move us! From my experience learning and teaching extracurricular and recreational math, I've got some favorite topics, but it's always more fun when somebody asks something I don't already know the answer to!

Jonathan Nowitz is a member of OUUC. Once a practicing computer scientist and engineer, now a tutor in Olympia, he has taught and/or tutored math, computer science, economics, and games to middle school, high school, and college students. How many different possible ways are there for him to have done so, if he has worked with each age group at least once, worked in each subject at least once, taught at least once, and tutored at least once?

MEDITATION - Ending Your Week In Stillness

Dates: Every Friday beginning January 11
Time: 6:00 – 7:15 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leaders: The Reverend Arthur Vaeni, Barb Carey, Sydney Cogburn & Eric Trimble
Cost: Registration and fee not required

Meditation sessions are held at the church every Friday evening. You are invited to participate whenever you are able to do so. During the first 15 minutes a reading is shared. This is followed by 20 minutes of sitting meditation, 15 minutes of walking meditation, and another 25 minutes of sitting meditation, ending by 7:15 P.M.

The Reverend Arthur Vaeni is Minister of the OUUC.

OUUC — THE PATH TO MEMBERSHIP
Membership Class Series 2013

Everyone (newcomers, longtime friends and members) is encouraged to participate in these offerings. The following four classes are offered in two separate series this spring. For newcomers considering UU membership, attendance at all four classes is mandatory. However, attendance at all four is not a commitment to join the congregation. Those who were UU members elsewhere need attend class #4 only. Participants who are unable to attend all four offerings in one series may substitute one or more from another series.

Place: OUUC
Leaders: Lorrie Eaton, Diana Finch, Michele Hendrickson, Rich Kalman, Sara Lewis, Jan Spiller and The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Cost: No registration fee required

Please see the dates and times at the end of the class descriptions.

THE NEW JIM CROW: UU Common Read

Dates: Mondays (2 sessions) February 18, 25
Time: 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Molly Gibbs
Assistants: James McNeil, Andrew Taylor

Please purchase or borrow a copy of Michelle Alexander’s book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. This powerful work is the UU Common Read for 2012-2013. Reading this book in advance of the class sessions will greatly enrich our discussion. Questions to prepare us for dialogue will be emailed to class participants two weeks in advance. You will be invited to submit your own questions when we meet for the second evening's dialogue.

Join Molly Gibbs and her guest for this challenging book discussion, based on the commitment to listen respectfully and respond thoughtfully and openly to each other. Molly's interest in this issue stems from her reflections on the connections between racism and classism in the US. As we move into an era marked by fear and scarcity thinking, our community response to increased racial tension could make a powerful difference in all our lives.

Molly is a social justice activist, working currently with wives and family members of soldiers and veterans. She is studying a new, effective form of healing for those who suffer from PTSD. She is also helping fund a program that includes several groups focused on suicide prevention, as well as healing programs. She is active in the climate crisis, putting together community radio programs on coal trains resistance. She helped fund Coffee Strong, was a member of Port Militarization Resistance, and is a member of WA Community Action Network.

SANDEL ON JUSTICE

Dates: Thursdays (6 sessions) March 28, April 4, 11, 18, 25, May 2
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Evelyn Greenberg

This class on the theme of justice is based on a very popular ethics course from Harvard University, taught by Professor Michael Sandel. “Justice” is one of the most popular courses in Harvard's history with nearly one thousand students packing Harvard's historic Sanders Theatre to hear Professor Sandel' s lectures. Its aim is to help participants become more critically minded thinkers about the moral decisions we all face in our everyday lives.

Over 12 lectures (six to be seen during this winter-spring session), Sandel challenges us with difficult moral dilemmas and asks our opinion about the right thing to do. He then asks us to examine our answers in the light of new scenarios. The result is often surprising, revealing that important moral questions are never black and white.

Each week we will meet to view a one-hour video of Sandel’s lecture, followed by group discussion, facilitated by Evelyn Greenberg. The six topics include the following:
1. The Moral Side of Murder / The Case for Cannibalism
2. Putting a Price Tag on Life/How to Measure Pleasure.
3. Free to Choose / Who Owns Me?
4. This Land is My Land / Consenting Adults
5. Hired Guns? / Motherhood: For Sale
6. Mind Your Motive / The Supreme Principle of Morality
Note: These videos can also be viewed at the iTunesU website and the Harvard website.

Evelyn Greenberg has long tried to see all sides to an issue. As a former reference librarian, she knew it was important to find ALL sources so research would show all sides of an issue. A Jewish family loves to argue to get to the bottom of things and still love each other. As a rebellious part of such a family Evelyn always asked “Why?” She loves to hear new ways of looking at something; it's how we learn. This course promises to explore all sides of issues, all having a piece of the truth, of course.

SPIRITUAL HEALING

Dates: Mondays (6 sessions) January 7, 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leader: Don Murphy

Spiritual healing (“energy” healing) will be explained and practiced. Self- and group-healing methods will be taught. We will employ “image cycling” (IC) derived from the Bengston Healing Method (BHM). BHM is the only healing method that has clearly demonstrated meaningful clinical significance, and IC is the feature that distinguishes this method. Participants seeking a meaningful experience are expected to have read Bengston’s book, The Energy Cure prior to the first session. They will also read a modest amount of supplementary material to be provided by the instructor and undertake daily, at-home practice of techniques taught. Participation is appropriate for persons with prior training, those with no prior training, “believers,” and open-minded skeptics. If you are unsure about participating in this workshop, consider reading the book before making a decision. An opportunity for continued instruction and practice will be available on completion of this class.

Don Murphy is a biologist who spent most of his scientific career at the National Institutes of Health. His life-long interest in the martial arts, in particular Japanese and Korean Arts, led to his personal journey to understand Ki (aka chi, qi, prana, etc.). This progressed readily to an inquiry into energy healing or spiritual healing. He has trained in and practiced a number of healing arts and has pursued a parallel interest in healing research. He believes that there is much yet to discover about spiritual healing, a belief that motivates his ongoing exploration of ways to achieve physical and spiritual healing.

SPIRIT IN PRACTICE

Dates: Wednesdays (3 sessions) February 6, 13, 20
Time: 10:00 a.m. - noon
Place: OUUC
Leader: Sara Lewis

Spirit in Practice was created to help Unitarian Universalists develop regular disciplines, or practices, of the spirit—practices that help them connect with the sacred ground of their being, however they understand it. Spirit in Practice affirms religious diversity while seeking unity in our communal quest for meaning and wholeness. Whether participants follow a path they identify as Humanist, Jewish, Christian, Pagan, Theist, Atheist, Agnostic, Mystic, and/or any of the other paths we follow in our diverse congregations, the Spirit in Practice workshops offer a forum for learning, sharing, and growth that can enrich their faith journeys.
In Everyday Spiritual Practice, an anthology of writings by Unitarian Universalist clergy and laity about their own spiritual practices, the Reverend Scott Alexander wrote, “In our faith every individual is expected, with the help of clergy and community, to nurture and tend the garden of his or her own religious life each and every day.”

Spirit in Practice helps Unitarian Universalists tend that garden. It helps our congregations offer support and challenge to members along their spiritual paths. It is one way to provide the practical support and guidance Unitarian Universalists need for spiritual growth to blossom.

Sara Lewis is Director of Religious Education at OUUC.

SPIRITUALITY, FAITH AND PERSONAL MEANING

Dates: Wednesdays (4 sessions) May 8, 15, 22, 29
Time: 10:00 a.m. - noon
Place: OUUC
Leader: Dale Sturzenegger

In this course we will explore the development of faith and spirituality through reviewing ideas put forth on this subject by a number of thinkers, among them Ken Wilber, Heinz Streib, James Fowler, M. Scott Peck, David Rico and Gordon Allport. We will also explore the heroic quest as a journey of spiritual development and the influence of our personal style on how we pursue our spiritual life. Participants will be provided with extensive handouts that outline the writer’s main thoughts, along with worksheets for personal use.

Dale has recently retired as a curriculum designer/trainer and has experience in career guidance and coaching, ministry and social work. His personal spiritual journey evolved from graduate training and experience as a minister in a conservative religious community to an inclusive spirituality that includes his affiliation with the beliefs of UU.

TIBETAN BUDDHISM - THE ART OF LIVING: Part I

Dates: Tuesdays (3 sessions), March 5, 12, 19
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Instructor: Jim Dawson

We long for meaning, for an effective way to bring insight and heart to the ordinary circumstances and inevitable challenges of our daily lives. On the basis of Gelek Rimpoche's book Good Life, Good Death, this course will explore pragmatic methods to bring depth, meaning and joy to our lives.

This course offers a discussion-group format and includes concentrated meditation, presentation and guided analytical meditation. Participants are expected to read the book Good Life, Good Death during the class. Copies will be available for purchase or for borrowing at the first session.

Jim Dawson has been studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism for the past 18 years. He has found it to be an invaluable practice during his career as a community organizer, as a parent, and through personal struggles. Jim is excited to lead this discussion group on the book written by his teacher, Gelek Rimpoche.

Gelek Rimpoche is one of the last incarnate lamas educated in Tibet before the Chinese invasion in 1959. He was trained by the same teachers as the Dalai Lama and has been teaching Tibetan Buddhism to western students since the 1980s. Gelek is founder of Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhist Center. You can learn more at www.jewelheart.org.

TIBETAN BUDDHISM - THE ART OF LIVING: Part II

Dates: Tuesdays (5 sessions) May 14, 21, 28, June 4, 11
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Instructor: Jim Dawson

Our lives are often filled with suffering. When we are happy we worry about losing the source of our happiness (job, partner, etc.). When we experience pain it can be magnified by anger, depression, and obsession. In this five-week class you will be introduced to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and meditations for becoming free of these negativities and cultivating the source of lasting happiness.

This class is based on the text The Three Principles of the Path, which is a condensed summation of the path to enlightenment. No prior reading or experience is necessary to attend this class.

Jim Dawson has been studying and practicing Tibetan Buddhism for the past 18 years. He has found it to be an invaluable practice during his career as a community organizer, as a parent, and through personal struggles. He is excited to share this practice that was taught to him by his teacher Gelek Rimpoche.

Gelek Rimpoche is one of the last incarnate lamas educated in Tibet before the Chinese invasion in 1959. He was trained by the same teachers as the Dalai Lama and has been teaching Tibetan Buddhism to western students since the 1980s. Gelek is founder of Jewel Heart, a Tibetan Buddhist Center. You can learn more at www.jewelheart.org.

A WORLD OF HEALTH

Dates: Mondays (6 sessions) March 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Place: OUUC
Leaders: Elisabeth Long & Ann Butler

A World of Health is a six-session discussion course that explores good health, the connections between human health and the environment, and how we can sustain both. Each session includes readings, video clips, short assignments and accompanying group discussion questions. The course discusses limitations of the current medical model and its approach to health, then addresses the places where our personal health intersects with the environment -- from our food and homes, to our communities and society. Throughout the course you will find individual actions that promote good health and, in turn, promote a healthier environment. Please purchase the readings in advance of the class from the Northwest Earth Institute website at www.nwei.org. (One copy of the readings will be available for loan from OUUC.)

Ann Butler has worked in the fields of environmental education and protection for many years. She is currently working on an initiative to provide professional development for teachers and environmental educators.

Elisabeth Long has her Masters in Public Health. She currently works for the Washington State Dept of Health, managing a grant for injury prevention activities.