Adult Programs for Winter 2012

Welcome to Lifespan Learning!

“Gathered to nurture the spirit and help heal our world.”

About Our Programs

This guide outlines some of the ways to nurture your spiritual growth, to find community, and to actively participate in the varied programs we offer.

We welcome all, members, friends and visitors, to engage in all of our programs. Come and learn, explore, and experience the many groups and activities here at First.

To register for the programs, call the program leader of the group you are interested in. Unless otherwise specified, all programs take place at 175 St. Clair Avenue West.

For those programs with associated fees, please make cheques payable to “First Unitarian Congregation” and write on the memo line “Adult Program” and the activity covered. A sliding scale recognizes differences in ability to pay. If you are unable to pay the stated fee for the program, talk to the program leader and adjustments will be made according to your needs.

If you need childcare, please discuss this with the group leader who will contact the adult program committee about childcare requests.

We also actively encourage anyone who has an idea for a group or workshop that they would like to lead or develop to contact us to discuss it.

Belonging and Congregational Life

Newcomers’ Orientation

For those who want to learn more about our congregation, a brief Newcomers’ Orientation is held the first Sunday of every month, at 11:45 in the Board Room. It’s a casual conversation, with an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have, learn more about Unitarian Universalism, and about what First Unitarian has to offer.

New Member Ceremonies

On February 12 and May 27, we will welcome new members into our congregation. To take part in this ceremony, please contact Keith Gawronski, our Membership Convenor This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Prospective members are encouraged to attend the six week “UU & You” course being offered this spring.

Afterthoughts

An occasional gathering with Rev. Shawn Newton or Fiona Heath to discuss the topic of the day’s sermon. 12:15-1:00 pm. All are welcome.

• January 29 - Sustenance (Fiona)
• February 12 - Keeping Sabbath (Shawn)
• February 26 - A Cup of Stars (Fiona)
• April 22 - Common Ground (Fiona)

Congregational Conversations

This year, we will continue, as a congregation, a series of important conversations vital to our identity as Unitarians and the future of our congregation.

These sessions will begin with lunch in Sunderland Hall at 12:15 pm. A donation for the cost of the meal is appreciated. The sessions will end by 2:00 pm. Please save the dates and plan to attend!

• January 22: Honouring and Increasing Our Diversity: Bridging the gaps between us and beyond us
• April 15: Location, Location, Location!: Considering questions of real estate and our future at 175

UU and You

Explore what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. Learn about our traditions of worship, social justice, religious education & governance. Examine your own theology and how it intersects with the UU tradition. Connect with newcomers and seasoned members alike.

Tuesdays, March 20 - April 24, from 6:30-9:00 pm. Dinner will be provided on a cost recovery basis. For information and to register, contact Diane Wagner This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Regional and Denominational

Annual Midwinter Retreat

Held February 10 - 12 at Cedar Glen Conference Centre, Bolton

On our theme of “Contemplating Our Essential Nature” you will hear from a number of people who will share what is essential to them. Our Keynote Speaker is Ken Hoyle from First Unitarian Congregation of Waterloo. He will share the tranquility he has found through the “Ancient Art of Stoic Joy”. Ed Bennett (also from Waterloo) and The Gospel Refugees will demonstrate how music can feed the soul, and Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed will explore racism and diversity in UUism. A labyrinth will be available Saturday and Sunday for those who wish to be in a quiet space to consider what they have experienced, and an outdoor walk or two for those who find sustenance from nature.

Pick up a brochure in the foyer at First or contact Kathy Thompson at 416-766-4931 or Susan McLeod, Registrar, at 416-368-4014.

OPUS

Held August 8-12 at Unicamp

Opus is the annual spiritual retreat of the Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network. We are an intentional community of seekers exploring liberal religion, social justice and diversity. The UU young adult event of the year will be at Unicamp next year, approximately 1.5 hours northwest of Toronto. Please invite other UUs age 18-35 or those who can connect with them - this opportunity for spiritual growth and loving community is well worth it.

More information is available on Facebook.

UU Pilgrimage Trips: Journeys to Stir Your Soul

Two specially designed trips facilitated by the non-profit UU Partner Church Council (UUPCC) Pilgrimage Service which has more than a decade of experience organizing UU visits to this part of Europe.

• Transylvania: April 14-26
  Two life-changing weeks in Transylvania beginning and ending in Kolozsvár/Cluj, this tour will visit the most significant of the Unitarian holy places including Torda, Mészkõ, Gyulafehérvár & Déva. You will also visit the frescoed Unitarian churches of Székelyderzs (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Karácsonfalva, the spectacular 13th-century castle at Vadjahunyad, the medieval walled city of Segesvár/Sighisoara, and the Saxon fortress church at Biertan. Registration closes January 14. More information is available from the UUPCC.
• Transylvania & Hungary: June 4-18
  Visit historical Unitarian sites and places of general interest including Kolozsvár, Torda, Gyulafehérvár, Segesvár/Sighisoara, Sibiu, Déva, & Mészkõ in Transylvania. In Hungary you will have 3 days/nights in Budapest and 2 nights in the beautiful river city of Szeged. Beginning in Kolozsvár/Cluj, Romania and ending in the lovely Hungarian capital city of Budapest, the trip will include three days in a pastoral Transylvanian Unitarian village. Registration closes March 3. More information is available from the UUPCC.

New Programs

Cakes for the Queen of Heaven – Part II

“On the Threshold” is a series of 7 workshops in feminist thealogy. This woman-honouring, adult UU religious program examines how women’s lives would be different if, when growing up, the divine had been imaged as female.

Come join us. Together we’ll take a journey into the past to reclaim the stories of powerful women in ancient Judaism and early Christianity. We’ll look at the global silencing and brutalization of women that accompanied the rise of patriarchal religion and society. We will celebrate the exciting new world-view and thealogy that has emerged in our time, and explore the personal and social changes they may suggest.

Mondays, January 9, 16, 30, February 6, 13, 27, March 5 from 6:45-9:30 pm.

Registration cost - $30 (Sliding scale available. Please make cheques payable to First Unitarian)

Facilitators: Debbie Kirkland and Patricia Klein. For full course description and to register please contact Debbie Kirkland at 416-275-8359 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Honour the Light: Spiritual Practices for Unitarians

The Rev. Ray Drennan calls for Unitarians to be reverentially engaged with the world. In this course we will explore how regular spiritual practice can contribute to a sense of reverential engagement.

Together we will sample and explore spiritual practices such as contemplation, prayer, meditation, journaling and more. We’ll consider how spiritual disciplines can help us develop as people of the chalice.

Tuesdays, February 7 to 28, 7:00-9:00 pm. To register, contact Fiona This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

“Radiance, Reflection, Revelation” - Our stained glass windows

“Radiance, Reflection, Revelation” is the theme of the stained glass windows of our tower, and the title of a talk by Sarah Hall, the renowned glass artist who created them in 1993.

Sarah will speak to us about her sources of inspiration for glass that evokes the presence of the sacred, and her range of techniques - sandblasting, painting, screen printing, glass mosaic, airbrushing, fusing and embedded solar panels.

Her studio’s solar projects are the first installations of their kind in North America - a bold innovation for the 21^st century. Her work has been commissioned by embassies, museums, public buildings, parks and sacred spaces throughout North America and internationally. Sunday, March 4, time TBA. Her work can be seen at www.SarahHallStudio.com

Sunday, March 4, 2:00 pm

The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith (A Bill Moyer’s Special on PBS)

Huston Smith, author of the ground-breaking book, The World’s Religions first published in 1958, introduced North Americans to the notion that one can learn from another’s faith it has sold more than 2 ½ million copies. He also proposes that all religions, at their core, are the same. In these conversations, Smith provides thoughtful insights into the world’s largest religions-Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. After each episode, we will discuss Smith’s insights and views on the world’s largest religions.

Beginning Wednesday, March 28 for 5 sessions ending April 25, 1:00-3:00 pm.

Registration: minimum of 7 people. Contact Nancy Kasper at 416-783-8810 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to register and for additional information.

Soul to Soul

Check out the “Small Groups” page  for a new series of meetings using the session guide recently released by the authors of “Heart to Heart”. Soul to Soul will be offered in three different series throughout the coming year. Topics include compassion, boundaries, trust, play, prayer, resilience, addiction, shadow, calling, aging, blessings, and after death.

Soul-O-Theatre: Personal Story Telling from Page to Stage

Through writing and theatre exercises you will explore stories from your life relating to your spiritual journey. Gain insight into the highs, lows and precious wisdom earned along the way. Find out more about who you are by looking at the Hero’s journey you’ve lived so far.

Guided by instructor and award-winning performer and playwright, Tracey Erin Smith, participants transform material from their life-stories into a ten-minute performance piece to be shared with invited guests of family and friends at the end of the course.

One participant said: “Tracey’s course literally changed my life. She has the uncanny ability to unlock our expressive gifts.”

All levels are welcome in this safe and supportive environment.

Fee: $350 (includes $25 workbook) First Members Special Price: $280 ($50 deposit required. Payment plans available.) For more information, visit www.SoulO.ca.

Tuesdays, February 21 - May 1, 2012, 7:00-9:30 pm with Tracey Erin Smith. Please register This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Social Justice Events

Social Justice Showcase

Learn about the social justice activities that people at Toronto First are involved in - both within the congregation and in the community. You may find a new outlet for your social conscience! Tour the various information booths of groups from Toronto First groups like Amnesty, CUSJ, Green Team and others. Among those from outside are Toronto Pride, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Occupy Toronto, Raging Grannies, and many more.

Sunday, February 26 from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

For more information please contact Beth Guthrie, at 416-961-5913 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Upcoming Programs

Jesus Without Christianity

Theodore Parker, the great Unitarian minister of the 19^th century, said that he was more interested in the religion of Jesus than the religion about Jesus. Much effort has been made in the past two centuries to better understand what (little) we know of the historical, Jewish Jesus, apart from the Christians traditions that have developed over the past two millennia. This four-week workshop will endeavour to demonstrate how it is that Jesus became “Christ” and how his religious movement became Christianity.

The text for the course will be “Jesus for the Non-Religious” by John Shelby Spong. Copies of the book will be available for sale in the Book Shop during coffee hour. There is no assigned reading for the first session, though participants are welcome to begin the book, if they wish.

Mondays, April 16 - May 7, 7:00-9:30 pm with Rev. Shawn Newton

SpiritWalk

After Sunday service, let’s take the time to explore the neighbourhood around First looking for signs of beauty and wonder. With an attitude of reverential engagement, we’ll walk for about half an hour, paying attention to the large and small moments of beauty, then return to share our experiences. Bring a camera or a notebook, or just bring your attentive eyes. We will walk rain or shine. Spring 2012 with Fiona Heath.