"Give Light and people will find the way." -Ella Baker

The Adult Religious Education program encourages and supports the spiritual, social and intellectual growth of our UUFP congregation through educational classes, activities, and focused discussions on topics of interest. These opportunities allow participants to learn from one another and from active members of the broader community.
Always illuminating are the weekly Sunday Morning Forums that occur in the UUFP Office Building from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Check out below the poignant topic that tomorrow’s (10/7/18) guest speaker has prepared for us, and scroll through the snippets of prior LIGHT-exuding summer classes.

Join us in being Givers and Receivers of Light!
"Moving Beyond Words - How to Establish a Sanctuary Congregation"
Presented by Denise Woods
October 7, 2018

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington, D.C., featuring Sunday mass.

Every week brings a new attack on immigrants. UU congregations nationwide realize that standing on the sidelines is not an option and many are choosing to become Sanctuary congregations as a way of fighting back. If you are interested in understanding more about what a Sanctuary Congregation is - and how UUFP can become one - then this is the session for you. Denise Woods, one of the leaders of All Souls Sanctuary Movement in Washington, D.C., will join us to share their story and then lead a working session for us to make our own plan.​

"Our Blue World"
Presented by Kathryn Ozyurt - September 30, 2018

Our captain led a discussion about pollution in the ocean: how it happens, how it affects us and what we can do to make it better.

Haven’t been to a Sunday Morning Forum yet? Come test the waters!​

The Stranger Among Us"
Facilitators Pam Luke and Kathryn Ozyurt

​A joint presentation by
the UUFP Adult Religious Education and Social Justice Committees
September 23, 2018

The Luke-Ozyurt duo facilitated a discussion of issues surrounding immigration to the U.S. and the current crisis on the border. Please join us on October 27, 5:00 p.m., in the UUFP Sanctuary for Who Is Dayani Cristal?, the story of an unidentified man found dead in the Arizona desert.

"Report on General Assembly"
Presented by Sandra Engelhardt, Judy Remsburg, ​& Pat Sloan
September 9, 2018

The three UUFP Delegates to the 2018 General Assembly, Sandra Engelhardt, Judy Remsburg and Pat Sloan, provided highlights and impressions of their week in Kansas City.

​General Assembly is the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend; congregations must certify annually to send voting delegates.

"The Tolerance Paradox"
Presented by April Kelsey
September 2, 2018

Tolerance is a shared value among many at the UUFP, but is it possible to take it too far? In this session, we explored the philosophy of Karl Popper, who theorized that to maintain a free and open society, one must become intolerant of intolerance. As the saying goes, "So much for the tolerant Left!"

"The Legacy Society of the UUFP Endowment"
Presented by Judy Remsburg, Mason Moseley, & Roy Schilling
August 26, 2018

From a vision of a stable future for the Fellowship in 2006 to a healthy, functioning endowment today. The UUFP trustees (Judy Remsberg, Roy Schilling and Mason Moseley) manage the funds that are designed to last forever.

Attendees gathered to learn about what is happening at present and the plans for the future. The Legacy Society belongs to the members so this is your vision, too.

"Socrates Café"
Presented by April Kelsey
August 9, 2018

We got our thinking caps on that day with a lively discussion at the Socrates Café. Discussion topics were collected from and voted on by the group to choose the most popular ones. Past topics have included "Is happiness important?" and "How can we best support the Parkland shooting survivors?" The Café if offered periodically, so watch our promos for the dates of these future enriching experiences.

Socrates Café are gatherings around the world where people from different backgrounds exchange thoughtful ideas and experiences, while embracing the central theme of Socializing; the idea that we learn more when we question and question with others. Using the Socratic method, the facilitator will pose questions and challenge statements to stimulate critical thinking about the subject and elicit logical conclusions.

"Loss of Dreams - A Special Kind of Grief"
Presented by Kay Braguglia
August 12, 2018

Loss of dreams is likened to: the experience of losing an emotionally important image of oneself, losing the possibilities of “what might have been,” or abandonment of plans for a particular future. Grief is one of our most common of life experiences. With separations, endings, or major changes, it is normal and appropriate to react with sense of loss.
Our culture helps people deal with conspicuous losses such as a death but there are no ceremonies for dealing with a shattered dream. When we experience a loss of a dreams about how life is supposed to be, the loss can be as devastating as the loss of a beloved person. The dying of a dream needs to be acknowledged and grieved before we can move forward.

"Living Interfaith Network (LINK) of Hampton Roads"
Presented by Lynne Finding
August 5, 2018

The Living Interfaith Network, LINK, ​was founded in 1990 in Newport News by leaders from the interfaith, civic and business community with a vision to break the cycle of poverty. This nonprofit volunteer organization exists to help people help themselves through education, direct services, advocacy and outreach program. To date, more than 100 organizations work collaboratively to provide unduplicated, coordinated services.

The UUFP makes a monthly contribution to this interfaith group. LINK Executive Director Lynne Finding discussed how this organization came to be, what they do today, and their vision for the future in Hampton Roads.

Visit Sunday Morning Forum for the upcoming presentation and
Sunday Morning Forum Archive for a library of previous topics.
Have questions or would like to facilitate a forum?
Contact the Adult Religious Education Committee.