UU Faith Works: Promising Practices for Lifespan Learning Communities

UU Faith Works Winter/Spring 2006
(download Acrobat Reader)

Or read the HTML version: see the current issue's table of contents, below.

January 2, 2006

Dear colleagues and friends,

This edition of UU Faith Works, the first in 2006, is a testimony to the love and generosity of Unitarian Universalists serving our faith. It is a humbling task to edit Faith Works—to try to reflect the richness of diverse prophetic voices of congregational practice and to present each with the reverence deserves. Every contribution to this edition reflects a care and commitment to sharing this faith, religion, or movement. Many offer ways for us to reflect and deepen our spiritual lives, and many offer ways to reach out and serve our wider world. These two strands, going deeper and reaching out, provide an essential, positive tension of our faith. Unitarian Universalist minister Gary Smith says:

"Again and again we remind each other of this dual mission here, two impulses, two prayers, held in tension, the first, going deeper into ourselves and into the life of the spirit, the second, going out into the world to make a difference. Spiritual depth without action can become self-centered...Action without spiritual depth can become a frantic search and passion for one good cause after another...Heart and hands, find a way to go deeper, go out into the world, we say, there are reasons for each."

As we embark on this new year together, we hold this tension dear, knowing it is essential to our growth and knowing that we need each other to navigate our journeys of faith.

UU Faith Works is part of a network of forums designed for the sharing of ideas and mutual support, for religious educators in particular. The REACH-L and LREDA-L email mailing lists also connect us to ideas, practices, and each other. The UUA website serves as a nexus through which we can share ideas. Working with the communications group at the UUA, we have been able to highlight issues and practices pertaining to children and families. The Teacher Development website provides a venue for the sharing of ideas and materials about teaching in faith. It is constantly evolving, with new contributions added regularly. We are exploring new ways of offering timely resources, particularly for religious educators and families, through the UUA website. We will post announcements of these efforts on the email lists.

Adult Program Director Rev. Sarah Gibb reminds us that we can help shape adult programs by contributing program ideas, discussion guides, or workshop proposals about the UUA's Commission on Appraisal report Engaging Our Theological Diversity which is available both online and in print. While the site currently contains some resources, its available resources will expand and become richer as more people submit their materials. Sarah encourages all that are interested to do so.

Resources tied to a seasonal and liturgical calendar continue to be offered through WorshipWeb. Paul S. Sawyer, who will be ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister this spring, has joined Barbara Gifford in creating and managing this site. They welcome submissions to the site, which is continually enriched with new entries. We are especially delighted to have Paul on board: his words often resonate deeply with those of us whose commitment to our faith is yoked to our ministry to children and families. Paul writes: "The church is one of the last great institutions where we can cross the boundaries of generations, and listen to each other, not just elder to child, or youth to young adult, but soul to soul."

May this new year be one of connections and growth for us all. As we go deeper, may we also reach out to each other and to our greater world. And may this generosity, this love, do nothing less than link us together, soul to soul.

In faith,

Tracey

Tracey L. Hurd, Ph.D.
Editor, UU Faith Works
Children and Families Programs Director