Lifelong Intentional Faith Exploration (L.I.F.E.) for Children and Adults
We call our religious education Lifelong Intentional Faith Exploration (LIFE). All members and visitors, along with their children, are welcome to participate in Lifelong Intentional Faith Exploration, workshops, and events. We invite you to join us on this journey that happens every day of the week, not just Sundays.
Lifelong Intentional Faith Exploration (LIFE) 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. The LIFE name reflects our belief that there is no ‘one truth’, that everyone, children and adults, are on an ever evolving spiritual journey.
For Children
Our children and youth begin with everyone in the Sunday service. After our “Time for All Ages” in the service, they get sung out to their classrooms. Infant and toddler care is available in the Nursery. Our LIFE programming offers children and youth a welcoming, joyful, spirited space in which to learn and grow into their own unique spiritual beliefs. Please see Learning for Children and Youth for more detailed information.
For Adults
Discussion groups, workshops, and classes are offered periodically throughout the year. For details, please see Adult Learning. For the latest updates upcoming events check the latest Weekly Digest newsletter or the Calendar of events.
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.
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
- 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
Additional LIFE Resources
UUCW’s Director of Lifelong Intentional Faith Exploration (L.I.F.E.) is eager to help you develop, grow, and renew your spiritual practices. Inspiring Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) materials include: children and youth curriculum for Sunday classes and periodic adult workshops; their own 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. To learn more, please contact lifedirector@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 staff 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 Intentional Faith Exploration at lifedirector@uucwnc.org for more information about our adult and youth religious education programming.
