Learning is a lifetime activity. There is not a point in our lives where we say, “That’s it, I know enough, I will stop learning.” Nowhere is this more true than in our spiritual lives.

As UUs who are called to undertake “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning,” too often, we have focused on what we do not believe, and then, having found a community which allows us freedom of belief, we begin to rest comfortably and neglect our spiritual development as adults. As co-travelers on the spiritual journey, our work together is to continue to encourage, inspire, and explore new vistas of spiritual maturity. Just as the religious understandings that nurture us at age five may not serve us well in adolescence and young adulthood, as adults entering new arenas of challenge – parenting,  losing a parent, facing retirement, the “empty nest,” approaching death – we continue to need to deepen in our spiritual maturity.

In my ministry, I am passionate that the congregations I serve create and sustain a fully multigenerational approach to  ministry. That means that we eat, worship, and serve together. It means that we study together, as well – using theme work to allow us to explore common religious and spiritual themes in a manner that allows for our differing stages of development, yet binds us as a community and encourages us to learn from each other.

I believe that the Minister/s and religious educators or lifespan faith development professionals must work together to build the common ministry of the church. These are not separate silos or independent ministries; the ministry of the church and its learning environment should be of a whole, and should an include and incorporate learning and leadership along the entire lifespan. I would expect to see children leading parts of worship; teens serving in key leadership positions, our most senior elders serving with children and attending classes as they are able….Beloved Community is for all of us, and in every stage of life we are both teacher and student.

I love the Soul Matters themework, and believe its a rich resource for congregations to explore, alongside the terrific resources in Tapestry of Faith.

Soul Matters: http://www.soulmatterssharingcircle.com/

Tapestry of Faith: http://www.uua.org/re/tapestry

Online Classes and Seminary leadership

I served adjunct professor at Iliff Seminary in Denver, CO. , teaching UU Congregational Polity and Mission-Based Ministry, which examines our congregational polity in terms of both history and how it might shape our future as a denomination – as well as basics in church administration and congregational conflict. This is a relatively geeky area of parish-based UU ministry that I quite love — and consider very important.

Examples of Classes and Workshops I have led:

• Grief Work, Five Wishes, A Year to Live
• Life, Abundant – Finding authenticity, joy, wonder, integrity, hope and meaning.
• Changecrafting: The Art and Science of Changing the World (doctoral work, General Assembly presentation) www.changecrafting.org
• Ethics (Richard Gilbert’s UU version)
• What Moves Us: UU Theology
• The Wi$dom Path: Money, Spirit and Life
• Shaving the Inside of Your Skull – Creativity & Inspiration
• Minister’s Book Club
• Spiritual Parenting
• UU 101 & 202
• Lay Pastoral training
• Covenant Group leadership training
• monthly TEDTalk luncheons
• Theology Pub

I often create online versions of classes, in order to accommodate diverse schedules and as outreach to those not currently in congregations.

8th Principle Work/Anti-Racism/DEI

Every year, anti-racism and anti-oppression education is a core component of my adult ed work with congregations, and with the programs for children and youth. A small example of this kind of work I’ve done is:

• Intent Vs. Impact — co-led General Assembly workshop with Dr. Janice Marie Johnson
• So You Want to Talk About Race?
• TransForming Hearts (workshop designed by TransForming Hearts UU collective)
• Do the Work! Anti-Racism for All of Us
• DisVisibility
• TransDay of Visibility/Trans Day of Remembrancee

7th Principle Work and Faith During Crisis: a Climate-Changing World

I want to hold a special place for the work that we must engage as people living in a time of global change. My first ministry was interfaith work dealing with environmental issues. I have lead weekend retreats, workshops, and preached on these issues. In the coming years, I believe that our religious communities must hold our 7th Principle as core work, and take a multifaceted approach: work that includes –

• sustaining faith in anxious times;
• creative approaches to sustainable living, with a multigenerational focus;
• rapid response plans;
• gaining competency on the issues that are most likely to impact our community, so we can be creative and engaged learners and doers.

There are ways to be hopeful and to face the pain of change together. I look forward to this work being central in our ministries in the days to come.

Beyond this, I created my ChangeCrafting work in particular to support those who wanted to really make progress in re-imagining climate justice and ReGeneration work.