Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? — Paul Gauguin

This workshop explores Unitarian Universalist history as one current in the stream of human history, with its own themes of thought and action that swirl, eddy, and bubble to prominence at different points in time. A selection of stories from our faith heritage offers not only a grounding of knowledge, but also insights into contemporary issues, practices, challenges, and trends in our faith movement.

The workshop presents an overview and a time line which will help the group place events in historical context as they are explored in future workshops. Because the activities in this workshop provide a foundation for subsequent workshops, there are no alternate activities.

Before leading this workshop, review the Accessibility Guidelines for Workshop Presenters in the program Introduction. Make preparations needed to accommodate individuals who may be in the group.

Goals

This workshop will:

• Invite participants to meet one another and create a covenant of participation
• Introduce the themes and structure of the program
• Demonstrate that knowledge of history offers insights applicable to contemporary issues
• Offer an overview and a time line to serve as reference points during the course.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Identify their own interest in learning about Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist history
• Hear several stories about how the lives of some individuals and the direction of some congregations were changed by learning more about their history
• Share their own stories about how their lives were changed by learning more about history
• Gain an overview of the time frame of events covered in this program
• Build a covenant of participation for the duration of the program.