Life-Long Exploration and Learning

The term “Adult Education” may bring back memories of being in school and perhaps for many, if not most of us, this is an unpleasant thought. However, education is so much more than sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture and taking tests. At its core education is the idea of learning, and learning is what keeps us young and alive. For when a person stops learning, it is as if that person has stopped living fully. As Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick once said, “Nothing else matters much … without this gift: the spiritual capacity to keep zest in living.”

We, the members of UU Community Church, place a high value on learning for all ages, including adults. We offer a variety of curricula:

• Building Your Own Theology (BYOT): Dedicated to those who have come from other faiths to Unitarian Universalism, BYOT gives us lessons and exercises to help us discover what we believe about the nature of reality, our mortality, human nature, the meaning of our lives, etc. In other words, it helps us learn about ourselves such that we can develop a strong and abiding faith.
• Forums: The Social Justice Team frequently sponsors the Sunday service by bringing in a local organization to speak to a social justice issue. These services are usually coordinated as a “Generosity Sunday”  designating the funds collected in the offering to go to the organization selected, and there is often a Q&A forum following coffee hour.
• A Chosen Faith:  For those interested in learning more about Unitarian Universalism or our UU Community Church, this six week class is offered yearly. Based on the book, “A Chosen Faith” by John Buehrens and Forrest Church, this class provides and excellent introduction to Unitarian Universalism for newcomers. 

Finally, as implied above, Adult Education is not just the structured events or the curricula that stimulates our imagination, rather is all the encounters we have with each other as friends and fellow spiritual seekers. We do this over breakfast, book discussions, music events, going to museums, dinners, and yes, even committee and board meetings. If you have any questions about our Adult Education, please do not hesitate to call our Office Administrator at 269-324-7262 and they will connect you to one who can answer your questions.

We welcome your eagerness to learn so that you may have that spiritual capacity to keep zest in living!