Adult Faith Development

Classes and events listed in our Adult Faith Development programming are geared toward folks ages 16 to 110.
All are welcome to join us.

Current Offerings!

UUCB Banned Book Club with Mary Lou and Sharon – Starting Wed., Oct., 4, we will be meeting the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month in the Marge Gardner Room, from 7:00 pm-8:30pm.  Our picks for 2023-24: Oct., Kurt Vonnegut, Cat’s Cradle; Nov., Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes; Dec., break; Jan. 2024, James Baldwin, Go Tell It On The Mountain; Feb., Alex Hailey and Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X; Mar., Patricia McCormick, Sold; Apr., Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses; May, Alison Bechdel, Fun Home.

“Burning Books” is graciously giving “banned book club members” a discount on our monthly reads. Just let the staff know that you are a part of the UU Church Banned Book Club. Another source is thriftbooks.com which is reported to be a great source for “cheap” books.

All are welcome and you can join us at any time. For more information, contact  Mary Lou Hill and Sharon Walker at uucbbbc@buffalouu.org or DRE Jess Pond at jpond@buffalouu.org.   Also, this year’s Banned Books Week is Oct 1-7, 2023, an annual event celebrating the freedom to read! This year’s theme is “Let Freedom Read!”

And here are some excerpts from an ABC GMA3 interview with author Jodi Picoult, March 27, 2023:“…According to a new report from the American Library Association, attempted book banning and restrictions at school and public libraries set a record in 2022, with more than 1,200 challenges — nearly double the total from 2021.Florida passed a new law last year to review reading materials made available in classrooms, and the state’s Martin County recently announced the removal of 92 books from its schools. Twenty of those books were written by bestselling author Jodi Picoult. She sat down with ABC News’ Gio Benitez and Kayna Whitworth on “GMA3” to discuss what happened to her books in Martin County and what she believes is driving book bans nationwide…

GIO BENITEZ: So I want to show this moment from last week. This was at a Martin County school board meeting. And this is a 100-year-old World War II widow, and she spoke out against these book bans. The moment went viral. So let’s go ahead and take a look at that:
100-year-old WWII widow: “One of the freedoms that the Nazis crushed was the freedom to read the books they banned. They stopped the free press, banned and burned books. The freedom to read, which is protected by the First Amendment, is our essential right and duty of our democracy.
“BENITEZ: It is just chilling to hear that. Jodi, what is your reaction when you hear that?
PICOULT: That I wish she didn’t have to fight this battle, that we shouldn’t have to relive history all over again, that it’s OK for a parent to decide whether or not a book is appropriate for their own child, but it’s not appropriate for that same parent to make the decision for your child…”

TWO HEARTS IN ¾ TIME: THE WORLD OF OPERETTA
MICHAEL HARRIS, INSTRUCTOR
Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo 695 Elmwood Avenue; Buffalo, NY 14222 14 Meetings; Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m. September 6 to December 13, 2023 Cost:  $75 for course, or $10 per session. The course will start remotely using the Zoom plat-form, with the option to move to in-person meetings at UUCB.  To register, send your check (made payable to UUCB) to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo; 695 Elmwood Avenue; Buffalo, NY 14222. [Put ‘Operetta Course’ on memo line of check.]  For information, call 716-885-2136, or email us at office@buffalouu.org.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the language of love was theatrically expressed by the operetta.  It was the vehicle not just for high romance, but also for social satire & extravagant fantasy.  We will salute the great melodic geniuses of the operetta form, including Jacques Offenbach, Arthur Sullivan (with W.S. Gilbert), Johann Strauss II, Victor Herbert and Sigmund Romberg.  Each class will leave you with a song in your heart!