Faith Forward: From Visitor to Leader is the member integration and leader development program at First Unitarian Church of Dallas.  We continue to develop the program and want to share with you some of what we're learning.

UU HISTORY 101: NOT YOUR TYPICAL HISTORY CLASS Unitarian Universalist and scholar of American religion, Sidney Mead, called our history “a vast jigsaw puzzle of events.” UU History 101, part of the Faith Forward CORE Path, presents some pieces of that vast jigsaw puzzle in a way that is engaging, rather than overwhelming, to those just arriving to our congregations or anyone curious about our roots. So what makes this class different? Too often, people think of history as dates and events organized chronologically into time periods, or a presentation that makes sense only to insiders. Faith Forward brings history alive through stories of our Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist forebears, presenting their great accomplishments as well as their very human flaws and struggles. Participants get to see these historical figures and the questions their life stories raised, making connections with their own lives today. The Faith Forward approach to our history is grounded in the belief that sessions must help develop and deepen UU identity. “As a new UU, I greatly enjoyed this course,” said Jimmie L. Butt, a congregant at First Unitarian Dallas. Participants feel proud knowing who we are and where we’ve come from, and are able to place themselves in our living tradition. History is still being made today, and each and every person in the room is part of that process. Participants actually participate! In one session, participants learn about the struggles around identity faced by our movement in the mid-1900s as the Unitarians and Universalists explored consolidation. They are then given the opportunity to write a short poem – a haiku or limerick, for example – about the development of their own religious identity. You can hear the excitement in their words!

I am a liberated Baby Boomer girl Who’s seeking truth and understanding in a new religious world So here I am at First Unitarian UU 101 And baby I am having a lot of fun Learning everything about a new religious tradition And making that future my everyday mission - Linda Laurin

This class is good for newcomers, and long-timers. UU History 101 attracts not only newcomers, but also long-time members who are eager to approach our UU history in a different way. It helps them put together the jigsaw puzzle pieces, bit by bit, continuing to learn and grow as Unitarian Universalists and members of the congregation. To know how we got to where we are today, and how our congregations became the communities they are, our people must know their history. With new knowledge and questions to explore for their own life, they continue the living legacy of our Unitarian Universalist tradition.

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Coming in 2017... Faith Forward's Advanced Path! Beginning in March, Faith Forward will begin rolling out the Advanced Path, starting with UU Theology 101. Available to all Faith Forward "Path" subscribers!