Adult Education Policy

ADULT EDUCATION POLICY

The willingness of members of the congregation to share their knowledge, wisdom and organizational work in areas of special interest to them is a gift to our community, and we recognize it as such.  Such gifts may include, but are not limited to: classes, programs, workshops, or presentations.

Requests to provide such programming must be submitted to the Board of Trustees, the Minister or a committee designated by the Board (any of these may be the Approving Body) in a timely way so that the Approving Body has time to consider and vote on the proposed offering, if possible, at least two months prior to the requested date(s) of the event, class, or workshop.  The request should include:

1. Name and affiliation, if outside the congregation, of the presenter(s)
2. An outline of what will be covered, and what sources the presenter(s) plans to use in creating the curriculum, workshop, or presentation.
3. The intended audience.
4. Any supplies, funding, staff support, tech support, or publicity assistance needed to run the program.
5. A moderator may be appointed, if needed.

The Approving Body reserves the right to request additional information about the program before it is approved.  If this is not provided in a timely way, approval may be delayed.

The Approving Body will make a decision about the program and inform the applicants. If approval is granted, it’s up to creators/presenters to organize, inform, plan, and execute the program.

A brief report should be submitted to the Approving Body within one week of the program, outlining attendance numbers, participation patterns, and a brief description of what took place, along with any future plans, and ideas for improving or altering the program going forward. This report will be taken into consideration when considering future programming.

We affirm that there is a distinctly Unitarian Universalist body of values, traditions and approaches to spirituality, edification and education.  Further, there are values, traditions and approaches that are specific to the UUErie.  While they are not creedal and may evolve over time, they are worth-while guideposts for the activities conducted and sanctioned by the UUErie.  In the light of this, the Board has a responsibility of oversight to ensure that the building and other resources entrusted to its care on behalf of the congregation are used in ways that are consistent with our shared values.

Those values are partly embodied by our Seven Principles.  Of particular relevance to the board in its aforementioned responsibility are the 4th and 5th principles.  To facilitate a free and responsible search for truth and meaning–which is necessary for the responsible use of the democratic process–we have an obligation to facilitate forums where different perspectives are expressed on matters of faith, spirituality, morality and the future of our community. The covenant will be read at the start of every meeting.

These expressions should themselves be informed by our covenant.  They should be framed with reminders that we have covenanted to promote a culture of compassion and acceptance.  That we have promised to listen and communicate in an honest and respectful manner, even and especially when we disagree.  That we do acknowledge that conflict is an opportunity for growth.  It is the Approving Body’s responsibility to anticipate when a topic might lead to conflict and, when appropriate, to appoint or approve a congregant to convene the meeting with the role of reminding participants of the covenant while they themselves abstain from expressing an opinion on the topic itself.

Adopted November 2023