ADULT ENRICHMENT
Welcome from the Minister of Religious Education and Congregational Life
Members of River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation and the wider community are offering you the opportunity to learn more about yourself, spirituality, and the society in which we live. I encourage you to explore, meet new people, engage in new insights, find yourself challenged, and enjoy!
Rev. Ginger Luke
Minister of Religious Education and
Congregational Life
If instructors are charging a fee, please pay them directly at your first session.
Childcare will be offered during class sessions if requested when you register.
Cancelled: Cakes for the Queen of Heaven in Ancient Times
Women are invited for the updated religious heritage class by Rev. Shirley Ranck. In the series we will examine: pre-Judeo Christian cultures that may have worshiped the female as divine; important elements of contemporary women’s lives-personal, interpersonal and societal; and how our culture has been influenced by Judeo Christian values.
Convener: Helen Popenoe
Dates & Times: 5 sessions, 7:00pm, Tuesdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Cost: free
Covenant Groups
Covenant Groups are small groups that meet monthly with the intention of strengthening our connections with each other and with RIver Road as well as deepening our spiritual lives. The small group setting is a way for new and long-term members to be a part of a smaller community and, hopefully to feel more connected to the whole community. Trained facilitators help members to explore a variety of themes such as joy, friendship, loss, fear and spirituality. From group members’ deep listening to one another, strong friendships can grow and a spiritual discipline can develop for seeking what’s of ultimate worth for living one’s life.
Program Coordinators: Rev. Ginger Luke, Nancy Henningsen, and Linda Winter
Dates & Times: Groups typically meet once a month at RRUUC for periods of at least eight-months. You’ll be able to choose a day and time that best fits your schedule.
Cost : free
Films That Make You Think
Dale and Jon Hill will show 4 pre-screened films followed by discussion. The themes of the films vary and include moral dilemmas, inspiring stories, documentaries with social (not political) themes, and the occasional thoughtful comedy. Good quality but lesser known films are shown, increasing the likelihood that participants have not yet seen them.
Convener: Dale & Jon Hill have led this series for the last several years and are avid film enthusiasts.
Dates & Times: 4 sessions, Fridays, 7:30-9:30pm, January 8, 15, 22, 29, in the Fireside Room (except January 22-Fellowship Hall); Doors open at 7:00; popcorn at 7:15pm. Films start 7:30 sharp.
Cost: no fee; contribution for popcorn
Films:
- January 8 (Fireside Room): Frozen River (2008): On a Mohawk reservation near Canadian border, two women from different worlds take risks to make ends meet. Melissa Leo nominated for best actress academy award.
- January 15 (Fireside Room): The Band's Visit (2007): Cross-cultural comedy unfolds as Egyptian police brass band lost in Israel finds a cautious welcome. "Uncertain Regard prize" at Cannes.
- January 22 (Fellowship Hall): Normal(2003): Shown in sequence with Lars and the Real Girl to show how different communities react when a member they thought they knew changes in ways they don't understand. This drama, painful at times, shows "sometimes, love is enough." Nominated for Golden Globe TV awards. Jessica Lange, Tom Wilkinson.
- January 29 (Fireside Room): Lars and the Real Girl (2007). What appears as a "quirky film" goes much deeper to be a "touching and heartfelt film" which "delivers one of the most effective messages of patience and tolerance ever seen". Ryan Gosling nominated for Golden Globe "Best Actor" award.
Gentle Yoga
A “gentle” class for beginners as well as those who have tried yoga focusing on the benefits of practicing simple poses. We will open ourselves to the quiet, listen to our bodies, and explore the benefits of a calming simple yoga practice. Please join Debby Peck for an hour of decompression and relaxation. Bring a yoga mat and an eye bag, if you have them.
Convener: Debby Peck, in the process of becoming a certified yoga instructor, developed her own home practice and reaped the benefits of better balance, flexibility, and a sense of calm. She’d like to introduce you to such a practice.
Suggestions: Do not eat within two hours of the class; wear loose comfortable clothes; be prepared to have bare feet. Please be on time; sessions begin with centering ourselves which is difficult with interruptions. Latecomers must wait for a break to join us.
Dates & Times: 8 sessions, Mondays, 7:30-8:45pm starting February 15-April 5
Cost: $104 (50% to RRUUC)
Labyrinth Walk Series: The Labyrinth –
An Ancient Meditation Tool
Labyrinths have been used for thousands of years as non-denominational tools for meditation, relaxation, healing, enlightenment and more. Using an indoor labyrinth, participants will receive brief instructions for walking, a guided meditation, journaling materials and time to walk the labyrinth at their own pace. Walk this ancient path to reflect, relax and find your center. More information can be found on www.seeking-peace.com.
Convener: Joyce Rains
Date & Time: Monday, February 25, 7:30–8:30pm, RRUUC Fireside Room
Cost: $15 (25% to RRUUC); Limit 8 people
Life and Estate Planning
Everyone should have an estate plan, even if it is a basic one. In this interactive program, we’ll discuss:
- What you need to know
- What you should think about in preparing an estate plan;
- What you absolutely need in, and should do to implement, your estate plan.
Convener: Aidan D. Jones, Attorney at Law, specializing in estate and trust planning and administration and non-public corporate law. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Wesleyan University, he is a member of the DC and MD Bars and is active in DC Estate Planning Council, the DC Bar Tax and Estates Trusts & Probate Sections and the American Bar Association Real Property, Probate & Trusts Section. Aidan has served on the RRUUC Board of Trustees and Endowment and Leadership & Nominations Committees. He is also a 2002 recipient of Wesleyan University’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
Dates & Times: Saturday, January 30, 10:00-noon
Cost: free
Living a Better Life with Chronic Health Conditions
This class is for persons who have chronic health issues, such as Asthma, Arthritis, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Parkinson's, and Pulmonary conditions. The purpose is to help people manage their health conditions so that they can learn health self-management skills, increase their independence, and enjoy a more satisfying life. (This is not intended as a substitute for appropriate conventional medical care.) This is the class described in the January/February AARP magazine (page 40).
Conveners: Peg Harrison is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who was associated with the Stanford University Medical School Patient Education Center in the development of this program, and has taught the class over 30 times. Jo Lamoureux was a researcher at Case Western Reserve, doing research on polio, and for the last 29 years at NIH in the National Cancer Institute.
Dates & Time: 6 sessions, 1:00-3:00pm, Wednesdays, February 24 through March 31
Cost: no fee for class; $15 for the textbook
Moving Through Life
(Changed to one session - Wednesday, Jan.27)
When was the last time you really let go and moved your body to all kinds of music? Come join an exploratory dance class for people of a certain age who want to reconnect to their rhythm, their grace, their flexibility, and their spirits.
Convener: Joanne Huskey has been a professional mask performer, mime, clown and dance instructor. For ten years she developed dance programs with people who have disabilities. She also has taught ballroom dance in China, Kenya, and India.
Dates & Time: 1 session, Wednesday, 10:30–11:30am, January 27
Cost: $7 per class/per person (50% to RRUUC)
The New UU
This half-day seminar introduces newcomers to our congregation in a small-group setting. You’ll meet some of our members and ministers, get a lesson in the history and beliefs of Unitarian Universalism, and get an overview of our many activities, from social action to family worship. This is also an excellent opportunity for you to consider what you’re looking for in a religious community and to get answers to questions you may have about the denomination or this congregation. Morning coffee and lunch are provided, as is childcare as long as you register in advance. Please contact Sheri Blanchette, sblanchette(at)rruuc.org or 301-229-0400, ext. 102, with questions or to request childcare.
Conveners: Sheri Blanchette, Director of Communications & Outreach; Scott Sherman; Rev. Scott Alexander, Senior Minister; and RRUUC Leaders.
Dates & Times: 1 session; 8:45am – 2pm; Winter/spring dates:
- Sat., Feb. 27, 2010
- Sat., Apr. 17, 2010
Cost: free
Resonance, Being and Becoming—New Perspectives on Ancient & Emerging Cycles
This will be a continuation of the explorations begun in last year's CC&C's and adult enrichment. We'll explore the role that resonance plays in the universe, in society, and in our lives; identify ways in which resonance acts and can be used as a source of energy and leverage for ourselves and the people with whom we live and work; and identify ways each of us can use resonance to enhance and enrich our own lives. Each session will combine exposition, discussion, participation, and experiences. Sessions are scheduled to coincide with solstice, equinox, and cross-quarter days of the year.
Convener: Brock Holmes is a musician and survivor of severe cardiovascular disease. In the course of his diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, he came to recognize the deep and inextricable connections between well being and resonance.
Dates & Times: 3 sessions, Saturdays 1:00-4:00pm; Weekdays 7:30-9:30pm. Tentative dates are:
- Wed., Feb. 3 - Rhythm and Music: Pythagoras, harmony, and all that Jazz
- Sat., Mar. 20 - Electromagnetics, Atoms, and Beyond: The role that resonance plays in the sciences
- Wed. May 5 - Subtle Energies: What is Chi, or Qi, or torsional energy? How does it work through resonance?
Cost: free
Tai Chi and Qigong
Tai Chi, described as "meditation in motion," focuses on breathing and flowing gestures. Tai Chi and Qigong movements and postures are intended to balance the flow of qi, which helps to quiet the mind and give balance to one's life. The slow movements use the whole body, with a deep meditative concentration on breathing and inner stillness. Wear comfortable clothing and flat shoes.
Convener: Marc Kaplan has been instructing students in the art of Tai Chi and Qigong in the DC area for over five years.
Dates & Times: 10 sessions, 7:00-9:00pm., Tuesdays, January 5-March 9.
Cost: no fee. Contributions to RRUUC in lieu of compensation.
Transgender: Learning More About What It Is and What It Means
We will be exploring the transgender topic through the story of a mother and son as we read What Becomes You, by Aaron Raz Link and Hilda Raz. Hilda and her then daughter, Sarah, were Ginger’s close friends in Lincoln, Nebraska. Find meaning and more understanding of what transgender is and how their discovery of this may help our discovery.
More about the book What Becomes You: “Being a man, like being a woman, is something you have to learn,” Aaron Raz Link remarks. Few would know this better than the coauthor of What Becomes You, who began life as a girl named Sarah and twenty-nine years later began life anew as a gay man. As he transforms from female to male and from teaching scientist to theatre performer, Link documents the extraordinary medical, social, legal, and personal processes involved in a complete identity change. Hilda Raz, a well-known feminist writer and teacher, observes this process both as an “astonished” parent and as a professor who has studied gender issues. All these perspectives come into play in this collaborative memoir, which travels between women’s experiences and men’s lives, explores the art and science of changing sex, maps uncharted family values, and journeys through a world transformed by surgery, hormones, love, and . . . clown school. Combining personal experience and critical analysis, the book is an unusual—and unusually fascinating—reflection on gender, sex, and the art of living.
Convener: Rev. Ginger Luke, Minister of Religious Education & Congregational Life
Dates & Times: 3 sessions, Wednesdays, 7:00–9:00pm, April 7, 14, 21.
Cost: free
Writing Re-creatively: A Spiritual Quest for Women (Winter Session Cancelled)
Based on Gail Ranadive’s work, winner of a Feminist Theology Award from the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Federation, this women’s writing workshop series will be conducted for six consecutive sessions. Through specifically designed writing exercises, we will name, honor, and explore the images, symbols, metaphors, and truths of our lives. When we hear ourselves and others read aloud what we have written, we re-awaken to what we don’t always know that we know. Through writing we will tap into what is hibernating within and waiting to be given voice.
Convener: Sara Adams, RRUUC member, participated in this workshop conducted by Gail Ranadive in Georgetown University’s Continuing Education Program. She has her Masters in Psychology, is a member of the Washington Society for Jungian Psychology, and is an avid reader of psychology and literature. Sara has facilitated this workshop for women for more than ten years. An alumnae group continues to this day.
Dates & Times: 6 sessions, Tuesdays, 7:00–9:00pm, January 26-March 2.
Cost: $30/RRUUC members; $45/non-member (100% donated to RRUUC)