When I joined UUSM, my first Chalice Circle (then known as Heart to Heart) was essential to deepening my relationships with my fellow congregants and helping me to feel like I was part of the community. I enjoyed it so much that I joined two other circles after that one — each one furthered my connections to the community and nurtured my spirit.
— Eileen McCormack
UPDATE: Chalice Circles event! Meet in Forbes after worship on Sunday, October 1 to experience a “mini” version of a circle. Come and discover this special way of listening and sharing.
Chalice Circles are small, lay-led groups of eight to ten people that meet monthly over time to deepen and expand the ministry of the church. Ministry is the act of caring and being present with another while supporting the spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of the group participants.
Each small group meets monthly from October through June and follows a curriculum based on monthly ministry themes we share with UU congregations throughout the US. This year’s overarching frame is The Gifts of Our Faith. We will focus on ten beloved UU values and explore their potential to shape us and in turn shape the world.
October: Heritage
November: Generosity
December: Mystery
January: Liberating Love
February: Justice & Equity
March: Transformation
April: Interdependence
May: Pluralism
June: Renewal
Group members participate in a structured practice of deep listening and intimate sharing within a covenant of interaction. How do these values offer us both challenge and comfort? What might it mean to place them at the center of our living and loving? What promise do they hold for us individually as well as collectively? These are some of questions that will guide and bless our journey in the year ahead.
Starting in October
Groups starting in October are listed below with the names of co-facilitators and the meeting day and time.
Cynthia Cottam and Patricia Wright
First Tuesday each month from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Zoom
REGISTER NOW
Cheryl Barnett and Carol Ring
First Wednesday each month from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Zoom
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Denise Helton and Wendi Gladstone
Fourth Tuesday each month from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Zoom
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Bettye Barclay and Natalie Kahn
Third Thursday each month from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Zoom
REGISTER NOW
Our covenant
Our covenant is an agreement of our way to be with each other, ground rules for our time together, and expectations for members of the group. We affirm it together at each meeting.
I commit myself
To give attendance at meeting a real priority knowing that my presence is important to the group.
To let the leader know if I will be absent or need to quit.
To share with the leader responsibility for good group process by watching how much time I take to speak and noticing what is going on for others.
To not gossip about what is shared in the group, and tell only my own story to others.
To honor the safety of the group by listening to what others share with an open heart.
To refrain from interrupting, judging, problem solving, or giving advice.
To commit to the work of intersectional anti-racism and anti-oppression together.
And to share as deeply as I can when it is my turn.
By meeting together over time, being willing to share deeply from the heart and the soul, and by listening with an open heart we deepen our awareness of our own lives and hold with care the lives of others. The focus of the groups is on meaning and significance rather than on details, information, and outcome.
REGISTER NOW
For more information please contact Bettye Barclay.
