UU Wellspring

“What will you do with this one wild and precious life?” asks the poet Mary Oliver.
 
UU Wellspring is a 10-month program of distinctly Unitarian Universalist spiritual development designed to help participants answer that provocative question.
 
This program celebrates the depth and breadth of our rich religious tradition. At the heart of Wellspring are five interlocking practices that act as invitations to depth.
  1. A commitment to daily spiritual practice
  2. Participation in a twice a month small group gathering
  3. Individual work with a spiritual director
  4. Weekly Readings and resources for knowledge and reflection
  5. Reflection and commitment to live out our values in the work

Wellspring cohorts begin in August and run through May each year. Every year we offer a selection of prerequisite, foundational and advanced Wellspring courses. Learn more about the different Wellspring courses and the application process below!

UU Wellspring Course Details

UU Wellspring Sources (prerequisite for all other Wellspring courses)

UU Wellspring: Sources is the prerequisite for all other UU Wellspring courses. Sources offers participants an opportunity for reflection around two key areas: Unitarian Universalist history and theology, and the “big questions” that are central to our Unitarian Universalist faith, including human nature, death, joy, and forgiveness.

Advanced UU Wellspring Courses

UU Wellspring: Spiritual Practices

UU Wellspring: Spiritual Practices offers participants an opportunity to explore spiritual practice from a Unitarian Universalist perspective and a chance to deepen their commitment to their own daily spiritual practices. The class will also explore the depth and variety of spiritual practices in our Unitarian Universalist tradition and the roots of different spiritual practices. Participants will learn how they might adapt these practices to their own use.

UU Wellspring: Faithful Action

UU Wellspring: Faithful Action explores all the ways in which participants can live out their faith, including through service to community, family, and friends, our congregations, and the world. In the small-group experience, participants create a bold and brave space in which to examine how each of them addresses the many challenges of our world. They commit to offering intentional service over the course of the program, and address questions of burnout, hopelessness, and maintaining their own spiritual health while trying to repair the brokenness of the world.

UU Wellspring: Sacred Arts

UU Wellspring: Sacred Arts offers spiritual deepening through the arts. The connection between spirituality and creativity will be explored through an examination of various art forms, participants’ own acts of art-making, and reflections on what art has to teach them about theology and faith. Previous artistic activity is not a requirement. Participants will be encouraged to take up or continue with a creative practice.

UU Wellspring: Spiritual Ancestors

In UU Wellspring: Spiritual Ancestors, participants explore their own spiritual histories more deeply through an exploration of the ancestors who have inspired and influenced them. They reflect on those people whose theology, art, discoveries, ideas, and work in the world shape their own faith and our Unitarian Universalist faith. They also examine questions of legacy, death and dying, and telling our stories in expansive and healing ways.  

Applying to Wellspring

Who should apply?

You should consider applying to Wellspring if you are…

  • Actively involved in Foothills for a while or have been Unitarian Universalist elsewhere
  • Yearning for more intentionally reflect on spiritual questions in our faith, engage in spiritual practices, and find a deeper spiritual life
  • Already are or have been part of a church small group or volunteering in some capacity at Foothills

Why is there an application process?

Wellspring is an intensive experience which needs a more intentional process to assess readiness and commitment. Because of limited space we want to prioritize leaders who may feel like they have ‘done it all at church’ or need a sabbatical year from ‘church work’. Wellspring is offered yearly. 

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