Ministry of Adult Religious Education

Each Sunday morning at High Street, adults gather together to discuss religion, philosophy, ethics, spiritual and personal growth, Unitarian Universalist history and theology, and/or current events. Classes run from six to thirteen weeks in length, often separated by a one or two week break. Past topics have included “The Bible for Religious Liberals,” “One World, Many Faiths,” “Islam – The World’s Fastest Growing Faith,” and book studies of Paul Loeb’s The Impossible Will Take a Little While, John Shelby Spong’s The Sins of Scripture, and Krista Tippett’s Einstein’s God. The popular UUA curriculum, Building Your Own Theology (authored by Richard Gilbert), is offered on a three-year cycle, usually in January, February and March.

The role of Adult Religious Education at High Street Church is fourfold:

1. To build community by offering a safe, nurturing environment where members and friends can hear each others’ stories and share their own,

2. To provide an opportunity for spiritual growth and personal development,

3. To educate members and friends about our Unitarian Universalist heritage, and the current ministry and mission of our denominational family, and

4. To provide members and friends with a basic understanding of religious studies, including the scriptures and essential tenets of the world’s great religious faiths, the interconnections between religion, philosophy, science and current events, and the development of a consistent liberal religious ethic

The classes are open to all members and friends of High Street Church, and generally are facilitated by our Teaching Minister in Residence, the Rev. E. Arlen Goff.

Arlen is a former minister of Southern Baptist and Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations. He has degrees from Samford University (Birmingham, AL) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC). He has also pursued continuing education opportunities at Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA) and Union Theological Seminary (Richmond, VA). He has served congregations in Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Mississippi, both urban and rural, large and small, as pastor and as program staff. He is a past member of the Academy of Parish Clergy, the Alban Institute and the Society of Biblical Literature.
Arlen has been a member of High Street Church since 1993, and is a Past President of the congregation. In 2008, he accepted High Street’s call to serve as Teaching Minister in Residence. He continues to assist in worship leadership, and is a frequent speaker from High Street’s pulpit.