Religious Exploration for Adults
Join us for Adult Religious Education
Sundays at 10:00am
Childcare begins at 9:30am
Adult Religious Exploration (RE) at First UEvery Sunday in the Library 10-10:45 am
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Sundays after Church
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First Unitarian Book Club
We usually meet the 2nd Monday of each month. All are Welcome!!!
We meet in the church library (the room behind the sanctuary organ) at 6pm. Members nominate books twice a year and if their suggestion is selected, they will be the discussion leader. Half of our choices are fiction, half non-fiction. We put emphasis on selecting books of social relevance including race issues, reproductive choice, acceptance of differently enabled people and ageism. We often use discussion book kits from the Louisville Free Public Library, taking the expense of buying books out of the equation. Join us, even if you haven’t read the book!
We’re taking a brief hiatus in August 2026, then we’ll be back on September 14 to discuss The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. (This one does have a book kit; copies will be available in August — contact [email protected] to find out how to get a copy.)
Then for the rest of the year (order to be determined, but typically alternating fiction and non-fiction):
Fiction:
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Non-fiction:
Life Behind a Veil: Blacks in Louisville, Kentucky, 1865–1930 by George C. Wright
Custodians of Wonder by Eliot Stein
Recent past books:
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson
Black AF History by Michael Harriot — read in conjunction with the West Louisville Math & Science Project Summer Read
Autocracy, Inc. by Anne Applebaum
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, written with Alex Haley
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
New to First U
This class meets occasionally upon request. If you are interested in requesting a class, contact the Connections Ministry.
This workshop is designed to introduce newcomers to Unitarian Universalism (and to First Unitarian) or to reacquaint those who may be returning after an absence. Led by several different First U members and professional staff, this class will provide information about Sunday services, theology, history, social justice, religious exploration and governance, and will equip participants to make an informed decision about membership.
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Past Adult Religious Exploration programs:
June 21: Gender Inequality
Pete Webber will lead our conversation on Sunday by taking time on Father’s Day to consider how the patriarchy does lots of harm, and how it most explicitly and persistently spits out gender-based inequalities across our society, to the detriment of all.
There are other connections that make this topic timely. This coming week is the anniversary of Title IX (June 23,1972 – 54 years ago). Also, on June 23, 1977, the UUA General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on “Women and Religion” summoning all UUs to critically examine the ways that, in each of our lives, traditional religious beliefs have devalued women and calling on all of us to “avoid sexist assumptions and language in the future.”
January 25: All We Can Save – Climate Justice Wisdom (Library at 10 am – 9:45 to check-in with one another)
January 18: Open Discussion (Library at 10 am – 9:45 to check-in with one another)
January 11: Viola, Renee and We, the People of Movement (Library at 10 am – 9:45 to check-in with one another)
We are meeting the moment of news out of Minneapolis to consider its connection to Viola Liuzzo and UUs and how we, the people of First U can celebrate movement work by understanding our role in movements and the heroic work of unnoticed people who ought to be celebrated without first being murdered for the small, extraordinary acts they perform to change the world in magnificent, imperceptible ways. (Jim Hennigan will lead the conversation.) ALSO: January is an Anti-Racism Challenge month, so at 9:15, join us in the Library for a 30 minute early-bird Adult RE experience featuring an anti-racist practice or wisdom.
Sunday, December 28: My Art Therapy Journey
Jane Martin-Buckley will share her entertaining story into the field of art therapy, using her own impressive and imaginative portfolio as a launching pad.
Sunday, December 21: Abolition around the Dinner Table
Our mini-series on abolition continues to explore the things we can do, within our own spheres of influence, as we move from thinking about abolition to practicing abolition. We will start with some ideas borrowed from Ijeoma Oluo, consider what Metro Council is doing, and brainstorm from there.
Sunday, December 14: Racketeers and Rapists of Renown
We resume our mini-series on abolition by looking back to the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) and the thugs, gangsters, smugglers and other villains back then and now who walk among us, heads held high, celebrated as our heroes and leaders, as Alexis and Jim reveal how the prevailing views of crime and carceral punishment in America have always been defined through a lens of racism and classism.
This morning (11/30) in our Sunday a.m. Adult Religious Exploration (RE) session, our topic was “What is Abolitionism? – Collective Liberation 101.”
Louisa May Alcott – Transcendentalism for Today
One of the notable dates coming up next week will be the birthday of Louisa May Alcott (November 29, 1832) so that’s as good an invitation as any to consider her literature, her place in the Transcendentalist movement — a part of our UU heritage encompassing Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau, her neighbors in Concord, MA — and why her literature and philosophy are as relevant as ever today.
November 9: Cues for Gratitude
We’re going to share stories of gratitude, taking our prompts and cues from Mary Oliver’s questions posed in Gratitude and from the knit hat thought experiment proposed by Robin Wall Kimmerer. What happens when we take the internal sense of gratitude and voice it? How does it feel to be a witness to gratitude? We’re going to find out on Sunday!
November 2 – We will discuss the prospect of forming a standing Anti-Racism group: how can we utilize what we have learned from the past two instances we have participated in the Anti-Racism Challenge and branch out into doing those things at all times?
October The Anti-Racism Challenge (ARC) returns. We will explore ways we can lean into anti-racist practices and thinking collectively…and we will also come together to process together our individual efforts and explorations. We’ll poke at the racism all around us, from food deserts to incarceration and beyond. You can subscribe to the four weekly ARC e-mails via Listen. Learn. Act. at this link. If you have suggestions for our own First U ARC activities, share them with Alexis, Jim and Matt.
Month of October: Return of the Anti-Racism Challenge (ARC).
We will have a short ARC session from 9:15 to 9:30 each Sunday.
The ARC is sponsored by Listen. Learn. Act. – Register here to get the e-mail information about ARC activities for the next four Fridays (Oct. 3, 10, 17, and 24).
– During every week of the ARC we will begin at 9:15 – 9:30 to watch a short video and discuss one item of the ARC
– Check-ins will begin at 9:45
– Our session will begin at 10:00
October 26 – Week 4 – Environmental Justice and Water – Presented by Alexis McFadden
October 19 – Week 3 – Following the Money: Immigrant Detention in Kentucky – Presented by Kyle Ellison
October 12 – Week 2 – Food Insecurity and Sustainable Farming – Presented by Dawn Riley and Rhona Kumar (founder of Feed Louisville)
October 5 – Week 1 – Ethically Engaging in Anti-Racism – We’ll explore what it means to practice anti-racism without causing or amplifying harm; making our efforts for the benefit of all people, not for some people, and safe for Black people and others, and definitely not frame our efforts to ensure the comfort of white people – Presented by Jim Hennigan
September 28 We will get down to our Belonging brass tacks this Sunday as we examine what “belonging” means in a faith community – or at First U specifically. What are the experiences that you’ve had in the past where you felt like you belong? What are ways that you help create an atmosphere of belonging at church? What are some needs you have that would make you feel more like we all belong together?
September 21 We are continuing our deep dive into the monthly theme of “Building Belonging” as we consider the ways we enter different community or group spaces and feel expected to change or conform. What does it mean to have to deny or hide part of who we are to be accepted? Have you had to modify who you are to be part of a larger group? What does it feel like for a group to change itself to meet you where you are – and who you are?
Sunday, September 7: Paganism Primer for First U and Louisville, hosted by Lady Vanessa and Ron Zorn.
Sunday, August 31: To kick off the start of the church year, we’re going to consider what we are trying to do in Adult Religious Exploration (RE) at First U. We have some ideas, but you probably have some ideas too! Let’s discuss what we’re doing and hoping to accomplish, and poke at the ways our adult religious exploration experiences are (hopefully) different from adult education classes. Adult RE is the Topic of Today’s Adult RE.
Sunday, August 24: With the new Chalice Circles groups forming, we’re offering a change to “kick the tires” and take the Chalice Circles experience out for a brief “test drive” as we explore August’s worship theme, “Coming Together.” Chalice Circles Sampler Session – Coming Together.
Wednesday, August 6: The final debrief/celebration/community connection for our Anti-Racist Challenge (ARC) will be a meal at First U – which we’re calling “FUUD.” Kitchen and Social Hall. 5 pm to 9 pm.
Sunday, August 3: We will reflect back to the past week and to our anti-racism journey, plus prepare for our “First U After ARC” community time: First UU Dinner (or FUUD).
Sunday, July 27: We will reflect back to the past week and our anti-racism journey, plus have sign-ups for small gatherings related to items in the Anti-Racist Challenge (ARC) Week 4 e-mail.
Sunday, July 20: We will reflect back to the past week and our anti-racism journey, plus have sign-ups for small gatherings related to items in the Anti-Racist Challenge (ARC) Week 3 e-mail.
Sunday, July 13: We will reflect back to the past week and our anti-racism journey, plus have sign-ups for small gatherings related to items in the Anti-Racist Challenge (ARC) Week 2 e-mail.
Sunday, July 6: We will discuss the Anti-Racist Challenge (ARC) Week 1 activities and have sign-ups for small gatherings related to items in the Week 1 e-mail. ARC info and sign-up is here: https://listenlearnact.org/new-page
We’re exploring and diving into the Anti-Racism Challenge (ARC) in RE and outside of RE through our August 3 session. The 10 am Sunday morning experience is designed so you can swoop in and dip out without having to do anything ahead of time, and with no obligation to do anything afterwards. Each Sunday, through August 3, we will be talking about the Anti-Racism Challenge, sponsored by Listen. Learn. Act.. You are welcome to join us without having to engage in the ARC. We’re committed to make Sunday mornings in Adult RE interesting and relevant to everyone.
If you wish, you can sign up for the Anti-Racism Challenge here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/aFSkju2 Shortened link: https://bit.ly/4nhjdvU Signing up will ensure you receive the list of suggested experiences/activities for each of the next four Fridays, beginning July 4.
If you are not able to show up for Sunday AM RE but you wish to opt-in for e-mails specifically about small groups that meet for ARC activities, please reply to me and let me know.
June 1, 2025 – Robert’s Rules of Supremacy Culture
What better time to consider the European colonialism and supremacy culture that’s baked into Robert’s Rules of Order (RRO) than the day before our congregational meeting? We’re going to consider the cultural and ethnic barriers that get thrown in the way of progress and healthy decision making when we create processes that are supposed to bring about order and fairness to our meetings. We’ll also talk about alternatives to RRO and how they connect to our UU values.
May 25, 2025 – The Kids Are (Not) Alright: Mental Health for Gen Alpha
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we’re going to have a conversation this morning about the mental health challenges that young people – and their parents, their grands, their teachers, and other caregivers – face in a life mediated by tech, a world that’s in permacrisis, and a general sense of overload. We’re going to learn about destigmatizing the act of seeking help, and consider how this is not the same world many of us have navigated – as kids or as caregivers.
May 18, 2025 – Central Louisville Community Ministry and First U (Linette Lowe)
First Unitarian is one of the 11 member congregations that support Central Louisville Community Ministries (CLCM), and our membership is one of the many ways this congregation lives out its values in the world. Linette Lowe, Executive Director of CLCM, will invite us to examine how First U helps meet the needs of our central Louisville neighborhood, what community ministry is, and how CLCM and the many First U members involved there are resisting the cycle of need in our community.
For Mother’s Day, we’re exploring the sacred feminine. When we call God (Goddess) “she” are we merely placing a woman at the apex of a patriarchal system? Putting a woman at the top of the hierarchical power is “gynarchy” or “patriarchy in drag.” Shouldn’t we expect more than a “girl boss?” Dr. Judi Jennings, former Executive Director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women, will lead us in an examination of what it truly means – theologically and politically – to refuse the concept of presumptive male leadership at the apex of the universe’s hierarchy.
May 4, 2025 – Chalice Circle One-Time Sampler (Imagination)
Are you still curious about our small group ministry program, “Chalice Circles,” and don’t know enough about it to commit to it? Are you uninterested in commitments but would still like to take it out for a test drive? If you have any curiosity about small group ministry and are not already active in a Chalice Circle, join us for a one-time, no obligation 45 minute small group experience as we explore May’s worship theme of Imagination. (If you’re in a circle and want to join, you’re welcome as long as there’s room.) Write to Nancy M. and Jim H. at [email protected] if you wish to connect with a circle.
April 27, 2025 – Nerd Morning, A Nerd Nite Recap
April 20, 2025 – Seventh Principle: An Earth Day Experience
The Seventh Principle team at First U is going to help us honor Earth Day and our UU values by exploring why, in a world full of political turmoil, we cannot afford to disconnect from our values that emphasize the environment, our planet, our ecosystem, and the entire interconnected web of existence.
April 13, 2025 – Central Louisville Community Ministry and First U
First Unitarian is one of the ten member congregations that support Central Louisville Community Ministries (CLCM), and our membership is one of the many ways this congregation lives out its values in the world. Linette Lowe, Executive Director of CLCM, will invite us to examine how First U helps meet the needs of our central Louisville neighborhood, what community ministry is, and how CLCM and the many First U members involved there are resisting the cycle of need in our community.
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Emotions in Motion:
Navigating Everyday Feelings (and Big Ones, too)
This interactive workshop explores the power of emotions, helping you identify, understand, and manage your feelings effectively. Through engaging activities and discussions, you will gain practical strategies for emotional awareness, regulation, and communication, fostering personal growth and healthier relationships.
A Year to Live: Death and Dying Class 2024-2025
Reverend Mary Ann Macklin and 30 class members
Thirty participants meet on the first Sunday of each month for three hours of didactic teaching, experiential learning, and small group discussion. Two field trips were made to a crematorium and a funeral home. Texts utilized are Stephen Levine’s A Year to Live (1997) and Kel McBride’s The Death Changing Experience: An Oddball’s Guide to Creating a Life and Death Plan (2023). The participants’ final project will be a worship service in 2025 to share gifts and challenges from the class.
SPRING RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION ADULT offerings:
The Principles of Ghandian Nonviolence as a Foundation for our Practice:
Martin Luther King Jr’s vision of Beloved Community was largely inspired by his understanding of Gandhian Nonviolence. This class will provide an in-depth exploration of Gandhian Nonviolence, and the 6 principles that provide the core for building beloved community. Each week, we will examine one of these principles and explore ways to live in accordance with these principles.
This class is designed to be interactive & participatory, one in which participants will help create an environment that supports us all to take action as a result of our conversations and learnings.
Attendance at all classes is preferred, but not mandatory- come if you can! Bring a friend! Please register here so that we can get an idea of numbers for planning.
Class Schedule: Sundays following the Service 12:15-1:30
Presenter: Rus Ervin Funk, MSW, CSE, is the director of the Justice Center at All Peoples. He is a long-term UU, and has been engaged in justice activism and community organizing for more than 30 years. He has focused on racial and gender justice efforts, and has experience in Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; and Louisville, KY.