Sunday Evening Meditations

You are invited to join our Sunday evening meditation practice group to take a little time out of your week for restorative silence and reconnection.

 

• We gather in the sanctuary promptly at 5:15pm for a short lesson and orientation for newcomers, followed by 25 minutes of guided meditation, always ending by 6pm.​

• Please fill out this form to join our email list for the group, RSVP for your first session, receive updates, and ask any questions.​

• This program is very welcoming of newcomers and experienced meditators alike!​

• This is a free program of the church and no prior experience is required.

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Click HERE for Rev. Chris Scheller's Mindfulness & Meditation 101.

Wisdom Circle

Wisdom Circle is a monthly gathering geared toward seniors to share the perspectives and life experiences of older age. It is intended to be supportive and informative, a program both of faith development and pastoral ministry. 

 

All are welcome, even if you have not participated before. Looking forward to seeing you! 

 

For meeting information contact Gloria Kozlosky or Ruth Griffin.

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On Tyranny: From Knowledge to Action​

Do you want to move from concern to action and get more involved doing the work of protecting our democracy and local community from the threats of our current administration? Join us online for our “On Tyranny” series. This ongoing group is for those who want to be trained and equipped for effective action and exists to support one another in both processing and sharing resources.

 

The name of the group was derived from Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, which offers a series of short and effective lessons that can be applied to our situation today. While it is not necessary to have read the book to participate in these Zoom conversations, everyone is encouraged to do so. UUCGL has copies available in our Fellowship Room, along with a library signout sheet for you to fill out when you take a copy. 

 

New participants are welcome! Please register if you would like to participate and you will receive the Zoom link in an email within an hour of registering. You need only sign up once to attend any of the sessions.

Dialogue Group
"Dialogue" is a way of practicing deep listening that enables us to share personal experiences and thoughts in a way that collectively builds a more expansive understanding of ourselves and the world around us. The Dialogue Group is led by Ron Fishman who dialogues using the Bohmian Method. The Bohmian Method is a free-flowing group conversation. Participants attempt to experience everyone’s point of view equally and nonjudgmentally. New participants are always welcome.

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Dialogue and the discursive meditation are part of the method of Cafh, a path of spiritual unfolding. Click for more information about the discursive meditation, and Cafh here. 

 

Newcomers are always welcome! You can connect to the Zoom meeting here. 

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Tai Chi & Qigong

“Taiji can give you the strength of a lumberjack, the pliability of a child, and the peace of mind of a sage.”

– Asian proverb

 

Engage in a practice of joy, calm, and empowerment by taking our classes at UUCGL! Some of the benefits:

• promotes relaxation and good health

• improves balance and flexibility

• relieves stress and fatigue

• strengthens body and mind

 

Rosie Tan Segil teaches in the Daoist Gate tradition of Tai Chi (also written “Taiji”) and Qigong. Her tradition is a very gentle form on the body, known for its health benefits, and welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. The style she teaches was developed in the Wudang Mountains of China and taught to her by Daoist monk Zhou Shifu. Read more about Rosie here.

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Robert Chavez is our Beginner Tai Chi instructor and has long been a student of internal arts. Read more about Robert here.

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Sign up or view more information on our classes here.

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Saturday Craft Circle

All are welcome! The Craft Circle meets on Saturday mornings twice a month (first and third Saturday). This is a continuation of a long-standing group that started at First Universalist Society of Salem over 20 years ago and continued at First Church in Beverly. 

 

Join us from 10am to 2pm (you may drop in at any time). All sorts of crafts are welcome. In the past we have had people who knit, crochet, weave, bead, etc. People sometimes bring their sewing machines (bringing an extension cord is recommended). People have often brought a packed lunch.

Community Drum Circle

All are welcome to join us for some Drumagic!

 

You will leave the afternoon feeling inspired and relaxed. Our drum circle is open to any hand drummers over the age of 16. Beginners (with drums) always welcome. We jam to West African and Haitian-inspired rhythms on djembes, ashikos, dunduns, congas, dumbeks, and makeshift hand drums. Please no snare drums, kit drums, or bucket and stick drums.

 

If you do not own a drum or are unable to borrow one from a friend, flat-bottomed, rounded-edge water cooler jugs and flat-bottomed, rounded edge (not sharp edge) Rubbermaid-type wastebaskets work fine as makeshift drums.

 

Never drummed before? No problem. We will show you the way. Come out and plan to have an afternoon of spiritual awakening, fun and meeting wonderful people. And if you like to dance, drum rhythms are great to move to as well.

 

Cost: volunteer donation of $5 to $10 suggested.

 

*Please note: for security reasons our doors will be locked promptly at 1:35pm, so make sure to be on time!

 

We usually meet on the second Sunday of each month.

Click here for map directions.

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Choir

Do You Like to Sing? Singing together is a special joy and we are thrilled to be able to gather together to share our music. We would love to welcome you as a new (or returning) member. Our choir joyfully accepts new members with no audition, just a willingness to sing.

 

We rehearse on Thursday evenings in the sanctuary around 7:45 (except summer). If you are interested in joining the choir, you can contact our Interim Music Director, Destiny Cooper for more information, check us out on Sunday mornings, or just come to any rehearsal.

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Plant-Based Cooking Group    FOR ALL AGES  

Join Our Thursday Evening Plant-based Cooking Group!

 

Our popular plant-based cooking group for all ages meets on the select Thursdays of each month (except in the summer months). This offering is led by Megan White and designed to create community to cook and eat plant-based food together, thereby reducing the costs of food and helping the planet, too!

 

Details:

• Individual dinners will be coordinated via email the week of each gathering. The proposed menu will be emailed out on Mondays so that people have time to decide, then participants will need to RSVP by the end of the day on Tuesday to be added to the group email for the week and receive updates, including the menu planned! 

• Be sure to include any food allergies or special concerns on the initial sign-up form, along with the number in your party (children welcome with adult supervision). The group leaders for the week will choose and buy the food ahead of time.

• All will arrive at 5pm to join in the cooking of the meal in the UUCGL kitchen. Dinner is typically ready and served at 6pm, followed by cleanup from 6:30-7:15pm or so.

• Plan on bringing $5 cash for each person to contribute to the cost of the food, or the amount indicated in the group email.

• The group usually meets twice per month on select Thursday evenings, check the website Home page or Calendar page for the next planned dinner.

• We hope you will join us!

 

Interested? Questions?

Please fill out this registration form to join a Thursday meal.

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Native Plant Gardening Group

The Native Plant Gardening Group gathers periodically to discuss how to implement the vision of native gardening for wildlife found in Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy—a compelling guide on how planting native species can transform our backyards into vital habitats for wildlife. We discuss insights from the book, share native plant gardening tips, visit local native plant gardens, and generally support one another in creating eco-friendly spaces at home.

 

All are welcome, regardless of gardening experience.

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You may participate either in person or via Zoom. Please sign up here to join the email list, receive meeting information and Zoom links, and to access the group resources!

Parents & Caregivers as Sexuality Educators Support Group

At UUCGL, we take seriously the idea that parents and caregivers are the primary sexuality educators of their children, and we want to offer support, perhaps even while your child is enrolled in an OWL class! This small group ministry is being planned to occur during the OWL classes, meeting during the K-1st and/or the 4-5th grade OWL classes, depending on interest, and will be different for each of the K-1st and 4-5th grade parent and caregiver groups. Adults will explore their roles as the most important sexuality educators their children will have. Participants are invited to engage deeply with their hopes and fears, their values and practices. This program emphasizes the adult’s ongoing adult responsibility to share accurate, current information, as needed, with their child or youth. To express interest, please click here.​

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• Open to all parents/guardians at no cost

• Participants will be asked to co-facilitate one of the sessions