Since February 1982, the Adult Forum has been gathering in the chapel to listen to speakers and discuss a variety of ideas. The Forum features topics such as social issues, biblical interpretation, other spiritual traditions, religion in America, meditation, Christian art, metaphysics, religious history, aging, and spiritual travel experiences. Coffee and treats are provided before the program begins. This fall the Forum will begin September 12, 2009 (9am). Click on Forum Schedule for more specific information.  Contact person is

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Sunday Morning Bible Study meets Sunday's 10:00 - 10:50 in the Lead Minister's Study.  begins Sept 20

New Support Group

This fall FCUCC will offer a study and support group based on this book, "Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear," by Scott Bader-Saye on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 to 8:30 pm each week in October and November.  If this sounds interesting, please call Bruce Sage at 433-6524.  We have eight enrolled now, and will limit the group size to twelve people.

A Spiritual Practice

ON ILLUMINATION

      So dark, so cold at 5:59 A.M., waiting for the always startling, prickly, even bizarre, buzz of the alarm clock. Then cold squares of tile, the pleasant drip of coffee as it trickles through the filter. Next a few precious minutes to read before showering, ramping onto I-25.  There’s that blind spot that nearly caused me to sideswipe an oncoming truck. Easing off at Uintah to find granddaughters fully awake as their parents head out the door.

      At noon, a pale glow filters through the stained panes, purple and golden with beads dripping with diamonds blue.  The day has shrugged off it jacket despite its lining of mountains, peaked with white.  Whether I’m fully awake or not, the Spirit is and like the Peak is not encumbered by a jacked.  Bare-armed, it embraces me and moves me to freedom, to myself.        ~Lois Matthews             

Join the writing as a spiritual practice group starting its second year this month. Bring a notebook for writing every other Monday (first & third), beginning from noon till 1 P.M. in the Chapel. The group is not about writing instruction; rather it is about honing receptivity, attunement, attention, and pleasure as spiritual practices that can be captured in language. 

This spring we will move in new direction, using Barbra Brown Taylor’s book, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith to inform our approach. In brief writing practices, we’ll explore our ordinary, everyday lives full of images, dreams, thoughts, memories, experiences, people, and places. As Taylor says, development of our spiritual lives “depends on ignoring the distinctions between the secular and the sacred . . . becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world."

A simple notebook can be considered a sanctuary, a space all your own, where you can consider your life and your experiences. This group is not about writing with the focus on correct grammar, a compelling narrative arc, or about publishing your text. Different learning styles will be respected: some writers may respond to a brief prompt while others may appreciate fuller preparation.

Friends of Emerson meets the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month from 4:00-5:00 in the Atrium. Our next selection is The American Scholar, the Phi Beta Kappa Address delivered at Harvard in 1837. Although hailed by Oliver Wendell Holmes as “America’s Intellectual Declaration of Independence,” it went beyond nationalism. It was a call for the consciously examined life, based on the principle that human beings have access to the Divine Mind and that each of our unique individual lives can reflect that mind.  No prior reading required, no assignments, no charge.  Call or email Lucy Bell for further information 719.576.5371.

Soul Feast 

Soul Feast is studying "Living the Questions 2" this fall.  Topics from week to week include "Taking the Bible Seriously," "Thinking Theologically," "Stories of Creation," "Lives of Jesus," "Challenges Facing Progressive Christians," "Embracing Mystery," "The Myth of Redemptive Violence," "A Kingdom without Walls," "Social Justice," and many others.

We start with upscale snacks and coffee at 9:00 am each Thursday in the FCC Chapel, and discuss our topics from 9:30-11:00 am. 

We do not bring in teachers to lecture, but rather facilitators--largely within our group--to lead discussion, which is free flowing.

We welcome visitors!

For more information contact Anna Adams at 578-9788.