UUCSV Lifespan Faith Development Program

To Register for an LFD Class Listed Below: Please sign up on the clipboard provided for the class at the LFD table in the narthex. Each class or presentation is dependent on meeting a minimum number of participants, set by the facilitator.

Coming events from the Lifespan Faith Committee:

Is War Rational...? Lecture and Discussion
Lecturer: Mark Lore
Date: February 7; 9:45 - 10:45 am in Library

This lecture is an examination of the mistakes and faulty assumptions that nations typically make when they resort to war to try to realize national objectives. This lecture was awarded the International Torch Club Paxton prize for best paper in 2006-7 and is based on two years of teaching experience in the Strategy and Policy Department of the U.S. Naval War College.

Articulating Your UU Faith
Co-facilitators: Deirdre Cochran and Nancy Ticknor
Dates: February 17, March 3, March 17, March 31; 7:00 - 9:00 pm

The focus of this curriculum is on articulation--practicing how and what to say in various settings where you might be called upon to declare and explain yourself religiously. Many of us struggle to adequately describe our unique religion to others. This course provides very practical experience that will make you increasingly effective when answering questions about our faith and wonderful UU denomination. This curriculum is also a fun and great way to get to know some folks in our congregation better! So whether you are new to UUCSV or been around for a long time but still at a loss for how to explain our religion, sign up and join us!

Meditation/Nature Hikes
Facilitator: Bill McShea
Dates: February 28; March 14; April 18; April 25 -After church

For those who need a walk to clear their mind and rest their souls. Led by an ecologist who knows a lot about a few things but mostly knows how to keep quiet. Will take place on Sunday afternoons after church in nearby public forests. Each hike will last about 3 hours. We will caravan from church. Feb. 28: C&O Canal or AT in Clarke County; Mar. 14: CRC in Front Royal; Apr. 18: Signal Knob near Strasburg and Apr. 25: Shenandoah National Park. Alternate dates if the weather does not cooperate. Minimum of 4 participants.

Healthier Environments for Children: What You Can Do
Facilitator: Carol Stroebel
Date: February 20, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Learn how you can protect children from the most common environmental hazards. This two-hour session will give you tools and resources to help you provide a healthier environment for your family. For this session, Carol has modified the DCD- and EPS-approved training that she gives to child care providers. Go to www.cehn.org for more information. Cost: $5-$10 for handbook. Childcare during the session will be provided with advance notice.

Older Caregivers Discussion and Support
Facilitators: Blue Ridge Hospice Care Group
Date: February 21, 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Presentation will cover various aspects of support for the older caregiver, including methods of coping, community resources, burnout and prevention, and family dynamics. This may become an on-going support group.

Book Discussion Group
Facilitator: Joyce Badanes
Dates: March 14, 9:45 - 10:45 am - Darwin's Fish room

The book chosen for this discussion is The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by Erin Gruwell. This will be of particular interest to those in the Darwin's Fish RE group as well as to adults in our congregation. "Erin Gruwell became a teacher at a high school rampant with hostility and racial intolerance. For many of these students–whose ranks included substance abusers, gang members, the homeless, and victims of abuse–Gruwell was the first person to treat them with dignity, to believe in their potential and help them see it themselves. Soon, their loyalty towards their teacher and burning enthusiasm to help end violence and intolerance became a force of its own. ... The Freedom Writers Diary is filled with astounding vignettes from 150 students who, like civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders, heard society tell them where to go–and refused to listen."

What Part of "A Welcoming Congregation" Don't You Understand?
UUCSV Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transsexual Celebration
Date: March 21, after 11:00 am church service

An all-congregation potluck lunch, speaker, informal discussion groups, and children's activities to celebrate our church as a "welcoming congregation" and what that means. Our Unitarian heritage calls us to recognize the inherent good of all persons, while the Universalist part of our tradition encourages us to extend love and acceptance to all people. Join us and bring a friend as we learn more about the issues surrounding our neighbors' rights and have fun while we stand on the side of love!

Planning Your Memorial Service
Facilitators: Jim Peters, Oak and Kathy Winters, Rev. Henry Ticknor
Dates: March 24, March 31, April 7; 7:00 - 9:00 pm

This workshop will help participants develop an initial plan for his/her memorial service. Included are views of services we have experienced as well as a look at life review as preparation for writing our own service. End -of-life issues and components of a memorial service are presented. Information on UUCSV's Memorial Garden.

Movie Night: 'Arranged' movie screening
Co-sponsored by The Magic Lantern Theater
Date: March 26, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Two young women--one an Orthodox Jew, the other Muslim--meet and become friends as first-year teachers at a public school in Brooklyn. Over the course of the year they learn they share much in common, not least of which is that they are both going through arranged marriages.

Retooling for the 21st Century
Facilitator: Liz England
Date: April 18, 2:00 - 4:00 pm - Library

Current and future U.S. and world economic conditions and other factors demand that we revisit and analyze our professional and personal skills and knowledge in an effort to find new employment opportunities. This presentation will provide participants with tools for drawing together what each of us has and does, and to find new ways of structuring those skills in ways that will make us more available for and better at competing for jobs in the new economy.

Feminine Spirit VI: The Child Within
Facilitators: Elaine Lederman, Heather Davis and Deirdre Cochran
Date: May 8, 5:00 - 9:30 pm; Sanctuary

A special evening of female discussion, support, laughter, music, poetry, readings, and yummy food and drinks. Bring a journal to write in, a pillow or blanket for writing time, and a dish, salad, or dessert to share. Beverages and appetizers will be provided. Quote from a recent participant: "Each of the five Feminine Spirit events have enriched me in ways far beyond my expectations." Cost: $7

Book Discussion Group
Facilitator: Joyce Badanes
Date: May 16; 9:45 - 10:45 - Darwin's Fish room

Discussion this month is of Etta, by Gerald Kolpan. "In this exhilarating and provocative story of the life of the mysterious figure known as Etta Place [outlaw and paramour of William Sundance Kid Longabaugh], Gerard Kolpan creates a richly conceived, passionately rendered, and wonderfully imagined novel that leaps off the page with its daring." Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife

The Lifespan Faith Development Committee would like to extend many thanks to the UUCSV folks and others who have offered to contribute their talents and time to planning and facilitating a class or group in our wonderful LFD program this coming year:
Dr. Charles Leeper, Sandy Lore, Larry Yates, Holly Hewlett, Chris Lingle, Cindy Frenzel, Joyce Badanes, Nancy Ticknor, Jeff Patton, Rev. Henry Ticknor, Rich Bonskowski, Dave Miller, Deirdre Cochran, Bill McShea, Elaine Lederman, Katie Mack, Jim Peters, Oak and Kathy Winters, Mark Lore, Carol Stroebel, Liz England, Heather Davis, Leslie Patten and Blue Ridge Hospice.

Consider Leading a Class or Group for Our LFD Program!

If you would like to offer a class (one session or several), a structured group discussion, or a presentation for our church community, start by generating a workshop description using the prompts below to ensure information needed is complete and organized in a uniform way. (Hint: Just copy the prompts below, paste in a new file, complete with your information and continue with next direction.)

Class/Group Title and # of Sessions:
Course Description:
Facilitator:
Email address: Phone #:
Co-facilitator (if any):
Email address: Phone #:
Preferred Dates (submit at least 2 options please):
Preferred Times (list first and second choices):
Space Requirements:
Registration Cut-off Date (typically no more than a week before):
Minimum Number of People Required:
Maximum Number of People Accepted (if relevant):
Any Materials Presenter Needs Assistance with from LFD Committee:
Materials Cost to Participants:

Email or hand-deliver your course description to Nancy Ticknor, (neticknor@gmail.com) or anyone on the LFD Committee: Leah Robinson, Rich Bonskowski, Leslie Blackburn, Marilyn Dugan, Leslie Patten, or Zelda Zadnick. Once your class/event offering is received, it will be reviewed by the LFD Committee for inclusion. Know that the approval process is about being consistent with our LFD mission statement, space availability, and church resources - not you. Once dates, rooms and logistics have been worked out, you will be contacted by an LFD "point person" to begin the publicity and sign-up process, usually a month before the event. The LFD Committee will look to you to direct the type/amount of support you may need from us. Please be sure to include your email address and phone number in your write-up. The LFD Committee places a clipboard with each course sign-up sheet on the Welcome/LFD table.

Feel free to make a copy of the registrants who signed up. It is suggested that you email the group (or call anyone w/o an email), reminding them of the date for the class's first session and anything they need to bring or do beforehand. This information is also important if a class cancellation or postponement must occur.

**** Thank you so much for volunteering to share your time, interests, and experience with others in our spiritual community. Your efforts are deeply appreciated!****