Adult Ed Classes 2024-2025

Music and Community: A retreat to explore how we can weave more music into our UUFHC community

Facilitator: Brenna Kupferman
Date: Saturday, November 9
Time: 9 am - 12:30 pm
Locations: UUFHC Sanctuary

If you love music and want to have more of it in our church life, this retreat is for you! Join us as we deepen our connection with one another, explore how music affects us and our community, and share ideas for bringing more musical opportunities into our congregation. You do not need to be a musician to take part in this retreat: it is open to musicians and music lovers alike!

Refreshments will be provided.

Musical Activities for All Ages

Facilitator: Brenna Kupferman

UUFHC presents many opportunities for people of all ages to make music together!. If you sing or play an instrument, you are welcome to join in the music-making fun! We are always looking for new musicians and singers who can take part in services (solo or group), perform in concerts, and share music during social events. And all of these can be done either in-person or online, live or recorded! New Members are always welcome!

UUFHC House Band

Facilitator: Ami Silberman

The House Band Homemade Jam rehearses most weeks on Thursday night 7pm-9pm in the sanctuary. They participate in about one service per month, plus more extended concerts a couple times per year. All singers and instrumentalists are welcome!

OWLS Circle (Older Wiser Loving Souls)

Facilitator: J. Sue Henry
Dates for both groups: 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month
Time: UUFHC Sanctuary: 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Time: UUFHC Zoom: 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Exchange: $15 for the year

The topics focus on unique issues of those over the age of 55 years and their spiritual journey as an elder. This includes:

• the challenges and opportunities of aging;
• experiencing practices and processes that enhance intention and passion for life;
• sharing ways of serving the greater good in family, church and community.

This group has subdivided to better meet the needs of the members. The group is open to members and friends of UUFHC as well as the community. An individual may join at any time. Both groups will follow the same process and usually the same topic.

Qigong

Instructor: James (Marty) Martin
Dates: Wednesdays and Saturdays
Time: 9:00 am
Place: UUFHC Sanctuary
Exchange: $10 per month

Qigong is an ancient form of self-healing through gentle movement. It is a movement practice focused on health, longevity, stress management and mental clarity. Marty will be teaching the Hauxia Zhineng Qigong (Chi Lel) system, which was the world's largest medicine-less Qigong. The Chi Lel Qigong center in China had 180 different diseases and had a 95% success rate. James Martin (Marty) has been practicing Qigong for 30 years. He has taught Qigong in many different locales and will be teaching this beneficial healing practice at UUFHC.

Tai Chi is another ancient form of self-healing. Marty's Tai Chi emphasizes physical development, self-defense, aspects of meditation and breathing exercises. He will take you slowly through each movement which can be adjusted for each individual's ability. He'll draw on 60 years' experience in the martial arts.

Restorative Sound Bath at UUFHC

Facilitator: Bess Hutt
Dates: 2nd Wednesdays of the month, December through February
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: UUFHC Sanctuary
Exchange: Free event! Donation suggested if able & desired.
Registration required: 410-459-9935 | gaiasdaughterbess@gmail.com

The group will be guided into a gentle and restorative sound bath including instruments such as Native American style flutes, handpan, crystal and metal singing bowls, voice, frame drum, rainstick and more. After the sound bath, there will be time for integration, reflection and journaling, if desired, before we part ways.

Things to bring:

• Water bottle, if needed
• Journal, if desired
• Yoga mat/blanket/pillow for laying on the floor
• Anything else you need to feel comfortable
• An open heart

Please arrive a few minutes early to get settled and honor our start time.

Gaia's Daughter Reiki Circle

Facilitator: Bess Hutt, Reiki Master Teacher (RMT)
Dates: 3rd Fridays of the month
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Location: UUFHC Sanctuary
Exchange: Goodwill donation to instructor if able
Registration required / limit 10

Gaia's Daughter Reiki Circle at UUFHC is a free monthly healing practice, open to anyone, regardless of Reiki knowledge or experience!

About Reiki:
Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that promotes relaxation and stress reduction. In short, Reiki works by channeling energy through the practitioner's hands, promoting balance and harmony within the body, mind, and spirit. A Reiki Circle provides participants with a supportive space to experience this gentle and transformative energy.

Possible benefits for participants include: stress reduction and relaxation, increased energy and vitality, emotional and mental well-being, and enhanced overall sense of balance.

Overview of what participants can expect:

• Introduction: Short introduction of Reiki and a time to introduce ourselves.
• Guided Meditation: Brief meditation to create a relaxed & receptive atmosphere.
• Energy Healing: A few minutes will be spent channeling Reiki to each participant.
• Sharing: As time allows, we will share our experiences before closing.

Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a light snack if needed. Herbal tea will be provided.

Creativity Circle

Facilitators: Brenna Kupferman and Beth Wood-Roig
Dates: 2nd Monday of each month, starting Oct 14
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 pm Location: UUFHC Sanctuary

We begin with the premise that everyone is creative. We believe that each of us brings our own unique creativity into this world, whether through one of the more traditional creative arts or perhaps by the way we decorate our home, design a garden, cook a meal, raise a child, or facilitate a meeting. . . the possibilities are endless.

This year, we will be exploring Creativity, in all its various forms, and the ways creativity can encourage spiritual growth, together in a monthly circle group. We will meet on the 2nd Monday of each month, from 7 – 8:30pm at UUFHC to share with and learn from each other.

The format for our circle gatherings will be similar to the Soul Matters Sharing Circle. Participants will be given Creativity Matters packets that will help engage our monthly themes and explore spiritual growth through creative expression. It's all about allowing our intuition and imagination to guide us, not just our logic and reflective minds. Think of it as making room for your right brain to dance with your left brain.

The project options include such things as: collage, storytelling, scrapbooking, sketching, photography, creative writing, watercolor painting, fabric arts, sculpture, movement, music, and more. Again, all projects are designed for everyone: no technical expertise or honed artistic skill required!

UUFHC Book Circle

Have you wanted to join the Book Circle to discuss Brené Brown's book, Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience, but just couldn't seem to fit it into your schedule? Well, here is one last chance!

The UUFHC Book Circle is offering a one-time book discussion during the February 9th potluck after church. Due to spotty attendance at the two book circle groups this fall, the two separate book circle meeting times are canceled. There seems to be a lot of interest in the book, but also a recognition that people have limited time in their schedules, so we will gather one time to talk about the book and reflect on how all of this is related to our UU values. Join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion!

Journaling for Spiritual Growth

Facilitators: Cindy Curry and Beth Wood-Roig
Date: Begins October 7, 2024 and ends May 19, 2025
Time: 1st and 3rd Mondays, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Place: Meets on private ZOOM

Our focus this year will center around selected works of contemplative poets and writers, including Mary Oliver, John O’Donahue, David Whyte, Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, Thich Nhat Han, and more. Each month, we will focus on the poetry and writings of a particular author or poet and listen deeply to the messages we each are receiving from the poems and writings. Our journaling practice will include reflective and responsive journaling as well as some creative journaling practices, such as found poems, dialogue journaling, character sketches, and more.

In the Journaling for Spiritual Growth group, we covenant to support each other as we share from our writing experience, listening kindly, without judgement or advice. We invite you to journey with us as we move ever more deeply along our individual spiritual paths together.

Soul Matters Sharing Circle

Facilitator: Sara Brinkerhoff and Laura Paligo
Dates: 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm in the Board Room & via Zoom
Exchange: None

Soul Matters is a small group circle that follows the same theme of the month as the services. The first meeting of the month we focus on provided questions that particularly call to each of us. We share what we learn about ourselves. And we listen deeply, then share what gifts we gain from listening. We choose spiritual exercises to practice until our second meeting when we share what we gained from the exercises, again with deep listening and sharing appreciations of what we’ve heard.

We gather at 6:30 pm for chat and start the program at 6:45. For January and February, due to potential inclement weather, we are meeting on the church Zoom channel. Beginning in March again, we will meet in the Board room at the church.

New Members are always welcome!

UU Christian Fellowship

Facilitator: Steve Thompson
Dates: 2nd & 4th Wednesdays Time: 7:15 pm via Glenn Brown's Zoom

We welcome newcomers!

The UU Christian Fellowship is a group of moderate and liberal Christians who support UUFHC and find it to be a good environment to further their Christian faith. The group is led by Steve Thompson, who identifies himself as a Unitarian Christian.

Wait! Aren't Christians supposed to be Trinitarian?! Aren't they supposed to believe that Jesus is God, that God wrote a perfect Bible, that Jesus died to save people from their sins, and that only Christians go to heaven?! While many people do believe these things, and, sadly, they are the more vocal, there are many of us who reject these beliefs. Instead, we believe in a Christianity that is far more positive, loving, and inclusive. So how can we deviate from these beliefs that others consider to be fundamental and claim are based on the Bible? Answer: we don't wave the Bible around—we actually study it! Come to UUCF and see an enlightened understanding of God and Jesus.

This year UUCF will study the Gospel of John.

• The Gospel of John Part 1
• The Gospel of John Part 2
• The Gospel of John Part 3
• The Gospel of John Part 4
• The Gospel of John Part 5

Free Health and Wellness Programs at UUFHC

Diabetes Prevent T2
(National Diabetes Prevention Program)

Facilitators: Kathy Kraft or J. Sue Henry
Dates: 9/23, 10/7, 10/21, 11/18 12/16, 1/20/25, 2/17/25, 3/17/25 (Last Class)
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Location: UUFHC Sanctuary

This lifestyle change program uses education & group support to help you adopt a healthier routine which can prevent or delay the development of Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Self-Management: This 6-week program provides education, skills, & support to help you better manage your diabetes and improve overall health.

For registration and further information contact UM Upper Chesapeake Health 1-800-515-0044

Free Health and Wellness Programs at UUFHC

Matter of Balance

Facilitators: Kathy Kraft or J. Sue Henry
Dates: Every Monday from Jan 6 to Mar 3, except for Jan 20 Martin Luther King Jr Day
Time: 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Location: UUFHC Sanctuary

Matter of Balance – This 8-week program offers safety, movement, and confidence-building activities to reduce the risk of falling and increase activity levels. This program emphasizes practical strategies to manage falls.

You will learn to:

• view falls as controllable
• set goals for increasing activity
• make changes to reduce fall risks at home
• exercise to increase strength and balance

The course is provided without charge by the University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health: Community Health Improvement. Registration is required: contact Kim Sterling at 800-515-0044 to reserve your spot as class size is limited.

. . . Retreats . . .

Within each of us there is a silence—a silence as vast as the universe. We are afraid of it. . . and we long for it. ~ Gunilla Norris

A Day Around the Medicine Wheel

Facilitators: Native American Grandmother Fireheart and teachers of the Buffalo Trace Society
Dates: Saturday, November 16, 2024
Time: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Place: UUFHC Sanctuary

November is Native American Month. We as a congregation have honored and incorporated the attunement practices of Native Americans for many, many years. We will be blessed this year with members of the Buffalo Trace Society coming in for a one-day retreat to teach us about the Medicine Wheel. Grandmother Fireheart, a Cherokee Metis teacher, will teach how this can help us with challenges in our lives and to reconnect to earth-based practices. Weather permitting, we will visit the medicine wheel that is on the grounds of UUFHC and we will have the opportunity to create a wheel of our own.

Circle of Stones A Day Around the Medicine Wheel with Grandmother Fireheart Native American teacher And teachers of the Buffalo Trace Society The day is dedicated to learning about a Native American Medicine Wheel and the Native American systems of attunement. The Medicine Wheel, created out of stones, helps to give you insights about yourself and your loved ones. The knowledge you gain from using the Medicine Wheel and the different attunement energies will enable you to overcome some of your personal blockages in your everyday life. The Wheel is based on earth-based astrology. You will learn how to create a Wheel, a basic understanding of how to utilize it and how to disassemble it. Grandmother Fireheart, a Cherokee Metis teacher, has studied the earth honoring traditions of both the old and new world for over 30 years. As a teacher and workshop leader, she is vitally interested in unleashing the potential for growth in each person. Fireheart works to rebuild peoples' connection to the circle of life by experiencing the Native Ways and philosophies of the Earth people. She has studied with many teachers and, with permission, is passing this information to others.

A Day of Practice: Exploring Zen Buddhism

Facilitators: Sue Knause and Allison Ehrman
Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025
Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Place: UUFHC

Join us Saturday, January 25 from 10 am to 2 pm for a Zen Buddhist retreat where we will step aside from our busy schedules to enter the new year mindfully. This will be a day of silence as we practice sitting and walking meditation, accompanied by brief instructions and a short video dharma talk. Tea, coffee, and light snacks will be provided.

• Please bring a packed lunch.
• If you have a zafu and zabuton (Zen meditation cushions) please bring them as well.
• $30 donations for the Retreat Scholarship fund are requested.

Emptying and Filling Our Cup: a metaphor for life

UUFHC Spring Overnight Retreat
May 16–17 (18), 2025

For our 2025 Spring overnight retreat, we will use a favorite cup as a metaphor for life to examine how we continually need to empty and fill our cup to meet the moments of our lives. This idea comes from a book called, The Cup of Our Life, by Joyce Rupp. As the seasons of life change, so does the need to empty from our cup that which no longer serves us and fill it with those things that will help us meet the next season more fully. Throughout this process, we must discern what to keep, what to let go of and what to add to meet ourselves in the fullness of our lives. Join us for a time apart to explore these cycles together and build our awareness of our own life rhythms through the metaphor of a favorite cup.

This year's Spring Overnight Retreat will be held at Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville. As in past years, the formal retreat will begin on Friday evening after dinner at the Center and conclude on Saturday afternoon at 3pm. Breakfast and lunch at the Center are also included.

We invite participants who can stay on for a second night to join us for continued informal fellowship and retreat time at Bon Secours. Dinner and the next morning breakfast and lunch will be included for those who stay on Saturday evening.

Costs:

• Single occupancy: $189 for one night; $378 for two nights.
• Double occupancy: $253 for one night; $506 for two nights.
  Please note that the rooms only have one queen size bed.