Families and Spiritual Practice

This class will explore ways of protecting, nurturing and strengthening families at home, in congregations and communities through spiritual practice and care. We will examine what “family spirituality” means and looks like in different times and contexts. We will also study and engage in a variety of family-oriented practices including: gratitude, mindfulness, shared meals, play, prayer, sabbath time, rituals, community service and activism. Families of all kinds, across generations and from different ethnic, cultural and faith traditions – including our own families – will receive our attention.

The class will be online, using an asynchronous format on Moodle, while also encouraging students to meet together periodically through Zoom. The course is experiential, counter-oppressive, and multi-religious. Students will engage with texts that include readings, poetry, art, and videos. They will also engage with family and/or friends in weekly spiritual practice exercises. Evaluations will be based on student posts, reflections, and a final project. This course is designed especially for those preparing to be spiritual leaders and/or chaplains in congregational and/or community settings.

The course will satisfy SKSM’s Threshold 5 on “Spiritual Practice and Care” and the Unitarian Universalist Ministerial Fellowship Committee’s requirement #3 “Spiritual Development for Self and Others.”

Enrollment is limited to 20 students maximum. Prior faculty permission is required.                          Instructor: Rev. Chris Fry