Adults at our church have many opportunities to learn and to share common interests.  Some are serious, and some are just plain fun.  And classes aren’t the only way to learn.  Committee work and Social Activities often offer opportunities to hone your skills or learn new ones, so be sure to visit those pages as well.

Below you’ll find

• Classes Especially for Visitors
• Other Ongoing and Recurring Classes and Groups
• Book Discussions
• Past Classes (you might request a repeat!)

On other pages you’ll find more opportunities for learning and growth

• Social and Recreational Activities
• Opportunities for meaningful committee and social justice work
• Small Group Ministry

Especially for Visitors

Monthly Visitors’ Q&A

Facilitator: Membership Committee member

Time and Place:  3rd Sunday at 11:15 am in the Minister’s Office

Description: The Visitor Q/A is for visitors who have questions about Unitarian Universalism or our church.  A member of the Membership committee will meet with you, answer your questions, and will have
a variety of pamphlets and handouts available.

UU101

Contact: Patti Steelman, membership@uucbham.org

Time and Place: August 12 and 19, in the sanctuary, following the service, until 1 PM.  New Member service will be the following Sunday, August 26.

Description: What do we believe in?  Are we the kind of people you want to hang out with? This is a good time to get to know Unitarian Universalists and ask questions.  Meet people who are searching for community and purpose.

For those who want to learn more about our faith, Unitarian Universalism 101 classes are scheduled 2-3 times a year, and are scheduled for two consecutive Sundays.  These classes give you an in-depth understanding of our faith and qualify you for membership, if you choose to take that step.  See our Membership page or write membership@uucbham.org for more information.

Other Ongoing and Recurring Classes and Groups

The activities below are in alphabetical order.

Meditation Group

Contact person: Mary Williams

Time and Place: Sunday mornings from 9 – 10 am; Room #103

Description: Silent meditation in the Thich Nhat Hahn Buddhist tradition occurs for the first 30 minutes, followed by reading and discussion.

SUUnday ForUUm

Contact people: Jim Albea and Janice Williams

Time and Place: Weekly, Sunday mornings from 11:15 to 12:15 pm, Room #122.

To participate:  just show up, visitors and newcomers are welcome.

Description:  For most sessions, participants will view a 30 minute video from a Learning Company Series (“Great Courses”) first, with discussion to follow.

One-Time Classes

Spring classes have been completed.  Keep watching as more classes are scheduled. 

Book Discussions

Book Discussion:  Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck
Facilitator:  Marilyn Kurata
Time and Place:  June 24, after Sunday service, 11:30am – 12:30pm, Volker Room
Description:  As part of our church’s support of UN World Refugee Day June 20, Marilyn will lead a discussion on this German bestseller about the European refugee crisis.  The protagonist, a retired classics professor in Berlin, is slowly transformed from indifference to compassion after he happens to see African refugees staging a hunger strike in Alexanderplatz.  This novel will render the individual refugees more visible and their political plight more comprehensible to most readers than all the newspaper and TV coverage they have seen.

Field trip to Samford Planetarium 
Facilitator:  Samantha Lalak
Time and Place:  Thursday, July 19; meet at 7 pm, Samford University Planetarium
Description:  Come and join some fellow UUs and friends to attend Alabama Summer Skies, a free program at Christenberry Planetarium, Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive.  Show begins at 8 pm, but meet at 7 pm since seating is first come, first served.

Book Discussion: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee (2011 Pulitzer Prize winner for General Nonfiction)
Facilitator: Marion Fintel
Time and Place: July 22, after Sunday service, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, Room TBA
Description:  All of us have been affected by cancer either personally or through close friends or relatives.  Cancer researcher and physician Siddhartha Mukherjee has written an engaging history of the understanding and treatment of cancer from ancient times until the present. Mukherjee’s explanations of the underlying cancer biology are easily understood by the lay reader, who will gain an enhanced understanding of the significant dynamics among scientists, physicians, patients, and patient family members.  Even those who have not read the book will gain a more informed understanding of the disease that affects every family through this opportunity to learn about the book’s main points and the personal insights of those attendees who wish to share their experiences.

Past classes, which may be repeated from time to time, include

• Beaded Jewelry Making
• Bird Walks
• Book Discussions
• Building Your Own Theology
• Dealing with Difficult People
• Developing Beliefs, Principles and Goals: A Pragmatist’s Guide to Spirituality
• Facebook
• Enneagrams
• Ethical Controversies in Elder Health
• Flower Arranging
• Google Drive
• Guided Hikes, Bird Walks and Wildflower Walks
• Let’s Write, also known as the Monday Writers, has been meeting during the summer at noon on Mondays. Contact Lyn Stafford.
• Less is More: Declutter and Organize Your Way to Joy
• Resilience: What is it and how can we increase it
• Tai Chi
• This I Believe—Developing a Personal Credo
• Tours of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham Museum of Art, and other destinations
• Transgender 101