Soul Matters Groups
Small groups of 8-9 people who meet regularly to practice deep listening and support one another’s spiritual journeys. They meet October-June and are led by a trained facilitator.
Types of Groups
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- Soul Matters – explore the monthly theme through dialogue
- Creativity Matters – explore the monthly theme through the arts
- UU Writers – explore the monthly theme through writing
- Practice Matters – explore spiritual practices related to the themes
Meeting times vary by group.
Contact: Rev Claudia faithdev@uuasheville.org
Legacy Covenant Groups
Small groups of 8 to 10 people who meet regularly to practice deep listening in support of one another’s spiritual journeys. After being part of a Soul Matters Group, there is an opportunity to join.
UU Sangha
The sangha is a covenantal UU Asheville Faith spiritual deepening group for those interested in developing and strengthening their UU-Buddhism connection in the context of everyday life.
Meets: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 6:30-8:00 PM, Sanctuary
Contact: Duane Bigelow*
Blue Ridge Spirit CUUPS
This chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans is dedicated to educating people about Paganism and developing and conducting Pagan liturgies and rituals for the congregation.
Adult Faith Formation
We believe faith formation is a lifelong process that is nurtured in community.
Wildlife Support
Migrating Monarchs are endangered! To assist in their recovery, the UUAM AVL Chapter created a Monarch Habitat on the UU Asheville Campus in October 2023. Children from the RE program added the plant names with colorful painted rocks. Monarchs have been sighted resting on the milkweed. The habitat is currently maintained by the chapter. To continue our support of wildlife, a Bat Basics handout is available and a bat house was added to the campus in spring 2026.
One of the key tenets of Unitarian Universalism is that all of us are responsible for our own spiritual development. Our congregation’s mission statement includes the phrase, “we nurture individual search for meaning.” As a direct response to that mission, we provide faith formation opportunities for members of our congregation of all ages.
We believe faith formation is a lifelong process that is nurtured in community. We support all ages in that process by:
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- Developing Unitarian Universalist identity
- Offering opportunities for spiritual growth and religious education
- Creating congregational experiences that include and value all ages
- Equipping families to continue faith development at home and in family life
- Encouraging all to practice UU faith values in daily life and in the wider world
Below are some of the opportunities offered for continued spiritual deepening for adults. If you would like more information about Faith Formation for Children & Families, click here.
Small Group Ministry
Adult Faith Formation Classes
In addition to recurring groups, UU Asheville provides several programs a year to provide experiences that challenge and transform us spiritually and personally. These course offerings span a broad spectrum of spiritual development issues. Previous programs include:
Haunting Church: Owning Your Religious Past – An invitation to explore your religious journey in a way that promotes greater self-understanding and personal peace. What do you leave behind? What do you bring to the present? What do you redefine?
Programs are organized and promoted by the Adult Faith Formation Team with support from our Minister of Faith Formation. The team meets monthly and welcomes new members as well as proposals for programs. Suggestions can be shared here:
Other opportunities for community
Outside of our small group ministry, we have social groups and justice groups.
Latest News from Faith Formation
Summer Days and Looking Forward to Fall
Here we are in mid July! The long hot days have me fantasizing about the fall – which means I am also thinking about the launch of our 2022-23 Religious Exploration Program. RE staff is currently busy recruiting volunteers, creating calendars, as well as imagining all the amazing things that we will do this year with our children, youth, and families.
Faith Development Explained
We look to the ideas of theologian John Westerhoff summarizing his theory of “how faith happens”[1]. He explains that faith is initially “caught,” like a cold, as children imitate their parents and the adults in church. Children learn: This is what we do. As children...
Renewing Faith
Unitarian Universalism offers us opportunities to renew our faith all the time. We do not have a dogma that we encourage people to follow blindly. We are constantly renewing our relationships with each other, with our values, and with our faith. How wonderful it is that we are encouraged to question, to seek out information, and form our own opinions. We are constantly being invited to renew our faith in Unitarian Universalism, as well as our faith communities.