Here are some exciting events going on. It's a lot of information but it's all great activities. I hope to see you there! If you have questions about anything, let me know and I can help clarify/put you in contact with the right people.
Also, if you have any ideas not on this list, that you would like to see this year, let me know and I'll make things happen!
1. Meditation Club: Please come to the first *name to be decided* meditation club meeting (not affiliated with any particular kind of meditation or religion/spiritual understanding so it is open to all) Thursday, September 4th at 7:30pm. Location to be announced. Email Jona Noelle (jmb7cc@virginia.edu) if you are interested.
2. Fireside at Ben's house on Friday nights: A fun time to hang out with friends and meet new people. Drinking tea, music playing, and discussion about any topic under the sun. It goes from 9pm until late (sometimes 1 or 2am) so feel free to drop by any time and stay for awhile. Ben lives off JPA extended, let me know if you want to come and I'll give you the address.
3. Contra Dancing on Friday nights: every 1st and 3rd Friday (including this Friday, Sept. 5) starts at 7:30pm with a beginner's lesson. The dance goes from 8-11pm and has a live band and a caller. http://contracorners.com/
4. Church at TJMC: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist, services at 11:15am. This Sunday, Sept. 7 we will be meeting at the Chapel at 10:50am on Sunday and walking over together. We typically sit together in the back on the left. Sermon topics are posted at http://uucharlottesville.org/ This week the new Interim Minister will be introducing himself and his religious background, so it's a good way to get a fresh start going to church and become familiar with the services.
5. Living Gifts: Hope for Heifer International is the Heifer International's 2nd University Chapter across the nation! Our group became official last spring, led by Caitryn McCallum. The purpose of Living Gifts is to raise awareness about opportunities to promote sustainable means of ending world hunger. Heifer International (http://www.heifer.org/) is a charitable organization that provides livestock to poverty-stricken families and communities globally. Heifer International accomplishes this by teaching families to raise livestock, use wool and milk, and pass on the offspring to other farmers of the community. The practice of "passing on the gift" is the cycle by which Heifer aims to end world hunger--not simply through relief, but through making neighborhoods self-reliant. The goal of Living Gifts, our group here at UVA, is to promote the principles that Heifer International holds and to also encourage the UVA community to think about buying a heifer for their friend at Christmas, or honeybees for their girlfriend for Valentine's day, for example, instead of some lame sweater.
If anyone is interested in getting involved this semester, we're going to have our first meeting next Tuesday, September 9th, at 4pm on the first floor of Clemons. We should be sitting in some of the chairs when you walk in, and I'll make a sign so you can see where we are. We can talk about goals for the semester, and brainstorm some fun activities (bake sales? t-shirts?). We will really miss having Caitryn, as this group is her baby, but she will be returning in the spring, and we can plan for a bigger event then! In her absence, we can talk about some things to do to get people more involved in Living Gifts, in raising awareness about organizations like Heifer International, and encouraging them to buy gifts!
6. Scriptural Reasoning is an interfaith practice where individuals of diverse religious background meet together, and read and discuss passages from different sacred texts. The conversations that arise through the practice lead to the growth of friendships while preserving differences between the practitioners of the various faiths. Unlike some inter-religious dialogues in which participants loosely affirm that they are all saying the same thing, Scriptural Reasoning maintains and encourages passionate commitment, though expressed through careful listening to and discourse with the other participants. In these conversations, and in this deep engagement with the sacred texts, it is hoped that the participants will reach new levels of closeness with the diverse members of their group while gaining new perspectives and insights into their own tradition and beliefs. The Interfaith Dialogue Community is just entering its third year and is excited about the opportunity to grow in new directions and contribute to such an important practice as Scriptural Reasoning. If you are interested in learning more about Scriptural Reasoning, please come out to an inforomational session next Tuesday, September 9th, at 7:30 pm in Newcomb room 360 to hear Professor Ochs talk about the practice of Scriptural Reasoning, explain our plan for the rest of the semester, and give a brief taste of the practice by running a short session. We will set up groups for continued practice at the end of the meeting.
7. NatureSpirit: Their first meeting will be in a week on Wednesday, September 10th from 7:00-8:00pm in Webb Lounge. (It's just behind O-hill dining hall in the "new" Alderman Rd Dorms). We will discuss hopes and plans for this year and officer positions. We'll discuss what Paganism means to each of us and how we can help contribute to the Community and worship our sacred earth.