The Unitarian Universalist Church of Hot Springs, 100 Norwalk St., welcome you this Sunday at 10:30am, to hear both Dr. Allan Ward and Mrs. Ruth Shepherd discuss the topic Community Building.

Dr. Ward will begin by discussing the need we all have for a supportive community, explaining the work of the organization, Just Communities of Arkansas (JCA), toward that goal for the past fifty years. During that time, JCA has presented awards to people whose time and efforts helped to advance the goals of unity and inclusiveness of diversity in our communities.

Allan Ward is Professor Emeritus of the University of Little Rock in Communication Studies and has traveled to many countries in the world to study intercultural communication, gathering material for his classes in that area.

Ruth Shepherd is the Executive Director of Just Communities of Arkansas. She has done in-depth interviews with award recipients to explore the sources of their inner motivation to build inclusive communities. For the fiftieth anniversary of the awards this year, she wrote a book describing the more than one hundred people in inspiring stories of their lives and contributions.

The book is entitled The Company We Keep: 50 years of Arkansans Creating Just Communities. She will share stories of her experiences with these people, the insights she gained, and the inspiration we can all receive from them. The book is a testimony to the mission of JCA: “Building communities where every person is valued, every voice is heard, and everyone has a fair chance to succeed.”

The 9:00am Religious Exploration group will continue the DVD and discussion of the First Three Hundred Years of Christianity