As part of our mission to nourish souls and transform lives, we offer many avenues to pursue lifelong learning, from drop in groups and special-topic classes to small, covenanted groups that meet throughout the year. Please visit our calendar and watch out for notices on our Friday emails for new learning opportunities. Sign up for upcoming class series here. Read below for more information about our ongoing programs.
If you have any questions about our adult programs, please e-mail .
Austin LGBTQ Community Heart Circle
This open meeting on the third Sunday of each month brings together lesbian women, gay men, non-binary people, trans people, and even straight allies in search of spiritual and personal growth.
At one time in their lives, just about everyone who attends First UU’s monthly LGBTQ Community Heart Circle was a troubled queer kid, giving them a unique perspective on faith, current events, and the nature of human existence.
The facilitated discussions we have at the LGBTQ Community Heart Circle reflect that insightful world view. The group has been a part of what makes Austin weird for over 25 years now. Allies are always welcome – please join us!
Strong friendships have developed between participants, and new folks are always welcomed with open arms. The business of transforming lives can start off just like that – with a smile that turns a stranger into a friend!
Join this group here to get meeting reminders and updates or just show up!
Sign Up for Year-Long Small Group Programs
Year-long programs, like Chalice Circles and Wellspring, form each year in late August and early September. Sign up here. Groups close when they reach their maximum number or by the first or second session so that group members can develop relationships throughout the year.
Our small group ministry programs are open to folks attending worship regularly and/or who are involved in other activities in the life of the church. If you attend First UU but are not a member or for another reason don’t have an account, please fill out this form to get signed up.
Time and time again, Chalice Circles are cited by church members as the best way to establish deep and meaningful connections here at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin. Chalice Circles are monthly, lay-led small groups that are dedicated to intentional, deep listening in a confidential, covenanted group. Each group plans and participates in service projects together.
Chalice Circle groups usually meet from September – May or June. Monthly topics are pre-determined, using the Soul Matters small group ministry curriculum, so that each group will discuss the same theme each month. Enrollment for Chalice Circles happens in late August or September.
2023/24 Chalice Circle Topics:
The Gift of…
September: Welcome
October: Heritage
November: Generosity
December: Mystery
January: Liberating Love
February: Justice & Equity
March: Transformation
April: Interdependence
May: Pluralism
June: Renewal
Wellspring
UU Wellspring is a 10-month spiritual deepening course for Unitarian Universalists. Group members experience deep listening and spiritual reflection in small groups of about ten, inspiring personal and community transformation. Participants read, view and respond to pre-session assignments that are focused on spiritual topics and UU Theology.
A sense of personal purpose and meaning arises from UU Wellspring’s unique combination of spiritual practices, spiritual companionship, readings, and heart-opening sessions. A sustaining joy emerges while deepening commitment to making change in ourselves and our world.
Learn more at uuwellspring.org.
Wellspring: Sources is the foundational program, exploring the six UU Sources, and is required before taking any other Wellspring program. Learn more about Sources.
Wellspring: Deep Questions is an advanced program for people who’ve already been through Sources. In this program, we examine the seven Unitarian Universalist principles through the lens of our own experience and beliefs, to see what meaning those principles may have in our lives. We also dive deeply into some of the powerful questions of our lives. Learn more about Deep Questions.
Die Wise Study Group
“Die Wise does not offer seven steps for coping with death. It does not suggest ways to make dying easier. It pours no honey to make the medicine go down. Instead, with lyrical prose, deep wisdom, and stories from his two decades of working with dying people and their families, Stephen Jenkinson places death at the center of the page and asks us to behold it in all its painful beauty. Die Wise teaches the skills of dying, skills that have to be learned in the course of living deeply and well. Die Wise is for those who will fail to live forever.
Dying well, Jenkinson writes, is a right and responsibility of everyone. It is not a lifestyle option. It is a moral, political, and spiritual obligation each person owes their ancestors and their heirs. Die Wise dreams such a dream, and plots such an uprising. How we die, how we care for dying people, and how we carry our dead: this work makes our capacity for a village-mindedness, or breaks it.”
Our First UU Die Wise Study Group led by Eric Hepburn, UU Community Lay Minister, will explore this book slowly and gently, yet firmly and together. We will meet from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, from September 2023 through May 2024. There is no outside-of-group work required. We will take the time to listen to the book, read along, reflect, digest, process and share – together – over the length of the course. It is recommended that you purchase a copy of the book and that you have a journal or notepad for the group, other accessories like highlighters, post-its, or adhesive tabs may be useful depending on your style.
Emerging Adult Covenant Group
A space to welcome our newest adults, from 18 to 25 years old, our Emerging Adult Covenant Group meets monthly to explore faith through the lens of a monthly theme. Like Chalice Circles, this is a lay-led, small group dedicated to intentional, deep listening in a confidential, covenanted group, using the Soul Matters small group ministry curriculum.
This group is looking for a facilitator for 2023/24. Interested? Email Kelly.
To hear about other Young Adult events and groups at First UU, join our Young Adults Group here.
