News from Lifespan Religious Education: Upcoming Offerings
By Stephanie Kimball, Director of Lifespan RE
Winter can be an ideal time for learning and reflection. And this winter, there are many opportunities to engage in this type of growth while enjoying the warmth of community at UUCB! Please read below and sign up for many opportunities to explore UU values and how to put them into practice.
I hope that you will also find time for rest and contemplation amidst the hubbub of the holidays. Whether that comes in the form of our Winter Solstice service, Parents’ Day/Night Out, or something else, I wish everyone moments of peace and stillness and a growing sense of connection to self, community, and the universe.
With love and gratitude,
Stephanie
kimball@uubloomington.org
Upcoming Offerings
Parents’ Day Out: Saturday, December 9, 1-4 p.m.
Register here by noon on Friday if you’d like to drop off your child(ren) for a fun play date at the church from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 9 while you... do some holiday shopping? Take a nap?... Imagine the possibilities!...
Suggested donation: $30 (pay what you can)
Parents’ Night Out: Friday, December 15, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Register here by December 13 for this second amazing special childcare opportunity of December. Let our childcare staff hang out with your kiddos while you... do whatever you want! Suggested donation: $30 (pay what you can)
OWL (Our Whole Lives)
Our Whole Lives (OWL) is a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education program. We are fortunate to have a strong team of volunteer facilitators who have undergone extensive training in preparation for leading these programs at UUCB.
This year, we offer classes for children (grades K-1 and grades 4-5) as well as adults. Next year we will offer a class for youth (grades 7-8). Additional courses are available for grades 10-12, Young Adults, and Older Adults but are not currently scheduled. Please contact Stephanie Kimball if you are interested in any of these additional programs.
Our Whole Lives (OWL) Grades K-1
Sundays, Feb. 4 - March 10, 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Facilitated by Cara Snyder and Margie Schrader
Register now for the January 14 orientation meeting
Our Whole Lives (OWL) Grades 4-5
Sundays, Feb. 4 - March 31, 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Facilitated by Emily Phelps and Pat Slabach
Register now for the January 21 orientation meeting
Our Whole Lives (OWL) for Adults
12 sessions spread out between January 10 - May 8
Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Facilitated by Abby Gitlitz and Matt Stonecipher
Learn more and Register here
The Inner Work of Age
Every other Wednesday, 10 a.m. to noon, Starting January 10
Facilitated by Stephanie Kimball
Register here
In this program, participants explore the gifts of aging and the process of becoming an elder. We look at how retirement and other transitions of late life call us to shift from “role” to “soul,” and discover the wisdom available when these transitions are undertaken as opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation. In the words of Connie Zweig, “Aging is our next frontier - a physical, emotional, moral, cognitive and spiritual frontier. Its mysteries and its terrors need to be faced consciously and mindfully, and this book offers the inner tools we need to do just that. We can only truly reinvent late life from the inside out.” Together, we will work through Zweig’s book The Inner Work of Age: From Role to Soul, taking time to do the work ourselves and support each other in the process.
You are invited to join Jill Courtney for a group sound “bath” experience, offering the opportunity to relax, look within, and listen deeply. Don’t know what a “sound bath” is? Here is a clue- you don’t get wet! Think more like a yoga/meditation class, except all you have to do is be present, settle in on a mat or blanket, and enjoy the profound benefits of sound healing, including stress reduction, emotional well being, balanced energy and clarity of mind. Lie back and receive the healing vibrations of the sounds of instruments such as crystal singing bowls, Himalayan singing bowls, gong, buffalo drum, voice and more.
Article II Study & Reflection
January 22 & 29, February 5 & 12
Monday evenings, 6:00 - 7:30
Register here
Last month, I wrote about the background and next steps for the proposed changes to Article II of our UUA Bylaws. But what about the content? What does this new version say, and what does that mean for each of us? How well does the proposed version express our shared Unitarian Universalist outlook and priorities?
I hope you will join me in a 4-week deep dive into the proposed Article II ahead of the vote at General Assembly next June. The first series will take place in person on Monday evenings, 6-7:30, on January 22 & 29, February 5 & 12. The second series is tentatively set for Thursday evenings, 6-7:30: March 21, 28, April 4 & 11. Additional series may be scheduled depending on interest, so if you’d like to attend but neither of those sets of dates work for you, please contact me at kimball@uubloomington.org.
Wills and Financial Planning
Sponsored by our Planned Giving Committee
January 28, 12 - 2 p.m.
Register here
Planned Giving is sponsoring a class about wills, trusts, and estate planning, including end-of-life planning. The class will focus on how to avoid a court guardianship should you become incapacitated, choosing your decision-makers, and how to make sure your wishes are carried out in the most efficient way possible. There will be a discussion about the differences between Wills and Trusts, what probate is and how it might be avoided, and other related topics. Attorney Lance Like from the Like Law Group will be our speaker. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Handouts will be provided for all attending put together by the City of Bloomington which contain information about the Like Law Group and other Estate Planners as well as other kinds of end-of-life resources.