Lifelong Faith Exploration for Children and Adults
All members and visitors, along with their children, are welcome to participate in Lifelong Faith Exploration religious education, workshops and events. We invite you to join us on this lifelong journey that happens every day of the week, not just Sundays.
Overview
Lifelong Faith Exploration (LFE) offers children and adults a welcoming space to be challenged, enlightened and renewed, as well as an opportunity to better know others in the congregation. We call our religious education Lifelong Faith Exploration (LFE). This name reflects our belief that there is no ‘one truth’, that everyone, children and adults, are on an ever evolving spiritual learning journey. Most LFE workshops are free, occasionally there is a nominal charge for materials. Childcare is provided at no charge; please indicate needs when you register for workshops.
For Children
Classes are offered to children and youth at 10:30 a.m. during our service. Infant and toddler care is also available. Our LFE offers children and youth a welcoming, joyful, spirited space in which to learn, and grown into their own unique spiritual beliefs. See Learning for Children and Youth
For Adults
Discussion groups, workshops and classes are offered year around. For details see Adult Learning and check out our Adult Learning Calendar for scheduled on-going and future learning events. For the latest updates upcoming events check the latest Weekly Digest newsletter.
Love is the power that holds us together.
Love is at the center of our Unitarian Universalist Shared Values. The values we share include all the following, which we hold as inseparable and deeply interconnected:
- Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
- Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
- Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
- Transformation: A living tradition adapts to changing world and supports individuals in their growth and the deepening of their understanding.
- Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
- Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
Adopted At The General Assembly June, 2024
Spiritual Practice
We are a vibrant, friendly, liberal religious community coming together to worship and to reflect on what matters most in life. Since Unitarian Universalism is a creed-less faith, many in our congregation maintain a personal, spiritual pattern of practice.
Spiritual Practice
- a daily individual spiritual practice (prayer or meditation, reading for discernment, etc.)
- a weekly communal worship (our Sunday morning worship service)
- a monthly service provision (volunteering in the community)
- a yearly retreat (traditional vacation or “quiet time” for reflection)
- a lifetime pilgrimage (to any destination that has particular spiritual significance for you – as near as the beach, the mountains, or UUA headquarters in Boston; or as far as Israel or Tibet.
Beliefs
In our church, we believe it is important to learn about things from many different sources. The Unitarian Universalist Sources are foundational to religious education programming at UUCWNC, and include:
- Direct experience of the mystery and wonder of life
- Jewish and Christian teachings of God’s love
- Inspiring wisdom from the world’s diverse religions
- Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life
- Humanist teachings which support reason and the results of science
- Words and deeds of prophetic, inspiring people
LFE Resources
UUCWNC’s Director of Lifelong Faith Exploration (DLFE) is eager to help you to develop, grow and renew your spiritual practices. Inspiring Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) materials include: children, youth and adult curriculum for Sunday school and workshops; an in-house publishing company that promotes books for insight; timely articles about current events of particular interest to UU’s; leadership development courses and more. Many online courses are available for individual study including in-depth UU theology and the philosophy of liberal religions – or any religion.
Our DLFE is expert at navigating the abundance of resources to find a perfect match for your interests. To learn more, please contact religiouseducation@uucwnc.org.
We are dedicated to putting faith into action to build a peaceful, sustainable and just world, free from racism and hatred. To this end, the UU Justice Ministries offers a vast amount of Social Justice content. Our DLFE can help you discover the different UU interest groups (Side With Love, Riseup, UU Justice NC, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Racial Justice, LGBTQ Justice, Immigrant Justice, Democracy & Voting Rights and Reproductive Justice) the work they do, and how to get involved.
To Learn More please contact:
UUCWNC’s Director of Lifelong Faith Exploration at religiouseducation@uucwnc.org
for more information about our adult and youth religious education programming.
