Deepening our spiritual and emotional lives
Click on links below for more information. Contact Rev Pam or Pam Fodor, our Director of Programs, with questions.
- Spirit in Practice - 10 Session practice beginning Jan 24th: Looing at Personal spiritual practices Communal worship practices Spiritual Partnerships Mind, Body, & Soul Practices Life Practices Justice Practices Read more here
- Buddhist Inspired Mindfulness - Weekly Meditation Group
- Chances for Church Connection- Kindness Rocks: The next chance to connect with your church family is here! Kindness Rocks is a viral trend where people, paint rocks or stones with inspirational messages or sayings. Then they leave them in public places for people to find. The intention is to spread kindness and love. Stop by church and hunt for a Kindness Rock on the lawn east of the main church Building. After you have discovered one, find the plastic bin located inside the conversation circle and create a Kindness Rock to leave for someone else to find. If you would like, take a photo of your rock or you finding it and send to Pam Fodor re@hinsdaleunitarian.org. Have fun!!
- Dismantling White Supremacy as a Spiritual Practice- a multi-session class inviting folks to lean into the discomfort of anti-racism work from a place of connection to the deeper truth of our lives.
- Forest Walks - as a practice of deepening awareness and connection
- Going Deeper - small discussion groups
- Neighboring Faiths - a class exploring the different faith traditions in our world and how they inform our Unitarian Universalist faith.
- Pagan Holiday Celebrations - Bi-monthly celebrations of the turning wheel of the year.
- "Poetry Unbound" hosted by Padraig O Tuama – using poetry as a beginning point for meditation
- Spiritual Book Club - join in reading and reflecting on a book chosen by the group over a series of months.
- Story Theology - bring a story from your life and reflect on a series of questions designed to mine your life for insight and wisdom.
Buddhist Inspired Mindfulness Meditation
We will meditate for the first 20 minutes, starting with a few minutes of guided meditation. This gives us the opportunity to explore many different types of meditation. We will then listen to a talk from a dharma teacher on some aspect of Buddhist philosophy or psychology. After the talk, we will discuss what we listened to with a focus on how to put it into action in our life. Contact Lenny Edgin or Pam Fodor for more details, to sign up to get zoom code.
Celebrate the Pagan Wheel of the Year
Gather (at first virtually) with other church members to celebrate the Pagan holidays included in the Wheel of the Year. Watch News & Notes or dates and details or contact Paula or Pam Fodor for more information. https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/wheel-of-the-year/
Chances for Church Connection
Each month we will offer a different way to connect with the church using some art practice. The next chance to connect with your church family is here!
Forest Walk
Join fellow UCH members on a walk in a forest preserve or natural area. Get outside for fresh air, social contact, and reflection on our natural world. Covid-19 guidelines observed. Walks last approximately 2 hours and vary in location. Contact Linda Karlen at 630.674.9052 or lkarlenwalks@gmail.com
Upcoming dates:
April 25
May 16
Join fellow UCH members on a walk in a forest preserve or natural area. Get outside for fresh air, social contact, and reflection on our natural world. Covid-19 guidelines observed. Walks last approximately 2 hours and vary in location. Contact Linda Karlen at 630.674.9052 or lkarlenwalks@gmail.com
Upcoming dates:
April 25
May 16
Journal Prompts for Spiritual Journaling
Sign up for weekly journal prompts through social media focused on spirituality and living your faith. Share your experiences journaling and insights with others. Contact Paula or Pam Fodor to sign up or learn more.
Going Deeper (AKA Small Group Ministry / Chalice Circles)
Going Deeper is a way of getting to know others in the church in a more personal way. At each meeting, we will explore stories, quotes, and thought provoking questions related to the church's monthly theme. This is an opportunity to develop a close connection with group members, to feel a greater sense of community, and to explore and further develop our spiritual beliefs and values, as we share our thoughts and life experience.
The sharing and discussions that ensue give participants the opportunity to get to know their fellow UU's in a way that coffee hour cannot. Given the nature of the group, all conversations are confidential.
New small groups form in the fall.
First Sunday of each Month, 12 -1:30 pm, ongoing
Contact Pam Fodor to sign up or to create a group - with support - at a more convenient time for you.
The sharing and discussions that ensue give participants the opportunity to get to know their fellow UU's in a way that coffee hour cannot. Given the nature of the group, all conversations are confidential.
New small groups form in the fall.
First Sunday of each Month, 12 -1:30 pm, ongoing
Contact Pam Fodor to sign up or to create a group - with support - at a more convenient time for you.
Poetry Unbound
Biweekly - total time commitment about 30 minutes depending on the participant's response
Listen to poet/theologian/mediator Padraig O'Tuama read and reflect on a poem chosen for the Poetry Unbound podcast (10 minutes). Participants will then have the opportunity to share their own reactions to the poem with the UCH group members (10-20 minutes). Moderated by Linda Karlen
Listen to poet/theologian/mediator Padraig O'Tuama read and reflect on a poem chosen for the Poetry Unbound podcast (10 minutes). Participants will then have the opportunity to share their own reactions to the poem with the UCH group members (10-20 minutes). Moderated by Linda Karlen
Spirit in Practice - 4th Thursday @ 7:00pm Begins Jan 24, 2021
Curious about spirituality? Want to explore different spiritual paths? Unitarian Church of Hinsdale is offering a 10 session program exploring spirituality called Spirit in Practice.
The spheres of spiritual growth we will be exploring are:
Personal spiritual practices
Communal worship practices
Spiritual Partnerships
Mind, Body, & Soul Practices
Life Practices
Justice Practices
Program Begins January 28th 4th Thursday of every month 7:00PM
Registration Required Contact Len Edgin: or Gene Schafer:
The spheres of spiritual growth we will be exploring are:
Personal spiritual practices
Communal worship practices
Spiritual Partnerships
Mind, Body, & Soul Practices
Life Practices
Justice Practices
Program Begins January 28th 4th Thursday of every month 7:00PM
Registration Required Contact Len Edgin: or Gene Schafer:
Spiritual Book Club
Spiritual Book Club - New Book! Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller
Beginning Tuesday April 20, 2021 1:30 - 3:30pm
This Soul Work group meets bi-weekly to discuss a few chapters of the book at a time. Members take turns leading each session, finding meaning in rich conversation and shared insight. Contact Susan Stephens or Rev Pam to be added to email list for updates and questions for upcoming sessions.
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller
Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.
Beginning Tuesday April 20, 2021 1:30 - 3:30pm
This Soul Work group meets bi-weekly to discuss a few chapters of the book at a time. Members take turns leading each session, finding meaning in rich conversation and shared insight. Contact Susan Stephens or Rev Pam to be added to email list for updates and questions for upcoming sessions.
Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller
Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.
Story Theology
Everyone has a story. This small group would offer a platform for one individual at a time to tell a significant story from their life and then for the group as a whole to reflect on the meaning of the story. A series of questions will be discussed in theological terms. This group will be offered one Sunday afternoon a month for as many months as there are members in the group with a story to share. Cathy Blanford has volunteered to act as facilitator of this group. Contact Cathy or Pam Fodor to find out more or join this group.
