We created our brochure when we realized that everything we wanted to pass on to the congregation about Covenant Groups/Small Group Ministry was too much to swallow in a letter or flyer format. The brochure allowed us to include pictures, graphics and text in a format that was a page turner, easy to look at, and full of timely and relevant information: what the movement was about, when we were recruiting members, and how to join. We have found it to be an effective piece.

During our November and December recruitment period, copies of the brochure were laid out on a table just outside the sanctuary entrance and displayed at coffee hour after Sunday Service. A committee member was there to answer questions for anyone wanting to pursue the subject further. It also allowed those not wishing to stop and talk to take information with them to peruse at a later time. Copies of our sign-up sheet were on the tables as well. At other times of the year, the brochures reside in a general information rack just inside the main entrance to our Fellowship.

Click here to view UUFVB's brochure on the UU SGM Network website.

Over the last several years the Small Group Ministry Program at the UU Church of Bloomington, IN, which we call Chalice Circles, has tried to make the program more accessible to congregants. One way we do this is by forming Chalice Circles at retirement communities in the Bloomington area. Currently we have three such Circles.

These Circles typically include both retirement home residents and other members of our congregation. The residents enjoy the convenience of meeting in their own facility without having to travel at night to the church or someone's home. The non-residents enjoy interacting with the residents, many of whom no longer attend Sunday service, but were involved in the early days of the church. It is always exciting to share the experiences of people of different ages as they grapple with a particular Chalice Circle topic. In the future, we hope to encourage an even wider age range to participate in Chalice Circles at retirement communities.

At one retirement community, the activities director asked us to broaden the membership of the Circle to include a co-facilitator from another religion who was interested in establishing something similar to small group ministry, and to include residents in our Circle who were not Unitarian Universalist. Eventually this experiment worked quite well.

One Circle, called the "Deep Listening Group" in the retirement community newsletter, has two facilitators, one Catholic and one UU. The group includes UU church members who do not live at the retirement community plus several residents, some who are UUs and some who are not. We have written a covenant to guide our Circle. Everyone seems to relate to the UU session plan topics. For example, hearing everyone, "young" and old, UU and not, share the themes they would develop for a commencement address (from "Words of Wisdom"), was priceless.

One issue that we have not completely solved with retirement home Chalice Circles has to do with social service activities. Each of our Chalice Circles conducts an activity for the church and another one for the community. This has the effect of bringing the Circle members together in a different way. Social service activities are difficult when so many members of the Circle have difficulty getting around. We are thinking that next year we could bring groups to the retirement community so that Chalice Circle members can more easily interact with them. For example, children from the local Boys and Girls Club and Chalice Circle members could work together on joint art projects or write intergenerational stories together.

The Complete Guide to Small Group Ministry: Saving the World Ten At A Time
By Robert L. Hill Published by Skinner House Books, Boston

Contributed by Susan Coe, UU Church of Belfast, Maine

"Of what value are the religious scriptures, scrolls, tapestries...houses of worship... sermons... if they do not produce useful reactions of individuals to individuals?" asks Allan Ward in his introductory statements at the beginning of Robert L. Hill's Complete Guide to Small Group Ministry. This handbook is all you will need to begin Small Group Ministry with your congregation or community and to begin cultivating community through inspired thinking and personal sharing in a safe and respectful space. It is a bare bones guidebook, leading a minister, a program coordinator, or a group facilitator through the stages of development, production, and evaluation of your program.

Hill's book provides a path for a rewarding experience as it envisions an alternative way to gather followers of the UU faith who prefer a different type of ministry. It serves as an objective tool for new program development through maintenance and adaptability to future planning and reformative measures when a congregation begins to outgrow its initial program. Topic and theme generation, session planning and critique, goals, benefits, and results are all laid out with clarity and insight, giving new and seasoned leaders useful tips and wise lessons.

If you are considering new programming for your growing congregation, or if you are seeking new ways to broaden your reach to the community, Hill illustrates how small group ministry lends itself to our faith, experience and spiritual growth. It works, he goes on to explain, because of its emphasis on personal interaction, leading to an open-heartedness where our diversity is our strength. This 130-page guide is easy to read and digest and is a definitive source and a must-read for those whose need is to implement effective and flourishing small group ministry for their congregation.

Small Group Ministry at UUs of the Cumberland Valley, Boiling Springs, PA
Contributed by Anne Gero, SGM Coordinating Team Chair

Drawing of UUCV by Carolyn Hocker,
congregation member

Spring is finally here. UUCV has a wonderful new minister, Rev. Aija Simpson, who is a champion of small group ministry. We have a recently chosen Coordinating Team that includes a chair, a publicity person, a recorder, and a session writer.

With this new energy and new structure we have an ambitious agenda. A committee fair is planned where we, along with all other committees, will provide information to the congregation after the service on two Sundays. Our needs are for facilitators and new members.

Concurrently, we're developing a new brochure, constructing our SGM web site, and planning short-term, theme-oriented groups that will begin in the Fall to complement our 9 open-ended groups.

I have recently been invited to be a part of the SGM Network's Publications Team. We will be encouraging program leaders to read and use the wide range of resources produced by our national sponsor, including Covenant Group News, the SGM Journal, Facebook, a Blog and several other publications.

In closing, I will share this quote from Rachel Naomi Remen that a member of our coordinating team found and circulated to all our facilitators: "Our listening creates a sanctuary for the homeless parts within another person." I invite you to send this to all those who make your programs possible.

GROUPS: VITAL PARTS OF CONGREGATIONS
Saturday, May 3, 2014 9:30am - 3:00pm
Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, 120 Park Street, Bangor, ME
Directions: http://uubangor.org/index.php/directions/

Congregations are invited to bring teams from various committees and parts of the congregation.
Celebrate the groups in our congregations and their vital roles.
Explore how groups include and exclude people who come to our congregations.
Consider the relationship between Small Group Ministry and other groups.

*The vital roles of groups -- Board and Committees (Membership, Worship, Music/Choir, Religious Education, Buildings and Grounds, Small Group Ministry, Social Justice, Social Activities, Finance and others) and groups (Buddhist meditation or Goddess groups, men's or women's groups) will be identified and celebrated.
*How groups include or exclude visitors, newcomers and ongoing members will be explored.
*What we derive from the church experience is influenced by involvement in a group or groups.

Many congregations find that Small Group Ministry enhances the life of the congregation, including committees and groups. This workshop explores the collaboration of the groups within the congregation and Small Group Ministry. There will be handouts for participants and a resource packet for each congregation.

COST: $55 per congregation (may be less if more than 5 congregations participate), regardless of the number of participants from a congregation. Teams of 3-5 are suggested, representing various groups within the church and those interested in Small Group Ministry. Congregations will be billed by the NNED after the Workshop.

FOOD: Coffee will be available on arrival. Bring your own LUNCH. Microwave and refrigerator are available.

SHOP THE NEW ONLINE STORE
Purchase books and CDs from the Network using PayPal, credit card, debit card, or checks. Gift vouchers are also available. Visit the store: http://www.smallgroupministry.net/sgmstore

CONNECT ON FACEBOOK & THE NETWORK BLOG
Share ideas and enrich the SGM community

Small Group Ministry Network Group - Now 110 members strong!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/158837360893790/

Small Groups, Deep Connections Blog
http://sgmnet.tumblr.com/

NOW ONLINE      Follow the link at the top right of the Homepage
Implementing Small Group Ministry, an evolving resource for starting, restarting, and enhancing programs, is based on input from congregations and program leaders, as well as workshops, SGM Institutes, and Network publications and electronic media. Implementing addresses these broad areas:

Small Group Ministry Overview
Starting, Rejuvenating and Restarting Small Group Ministry
Program Oversight    •     Visibility for Vitality    •     Group Leadership
Group Formation    •     Topics & Sessions    •     Service Activities

Each section presents general information and guidelines plus options to consider.
Comments and contributions welcome at office@smallgroupministry.net.

COMING SOON - NETWORKING ONLINE
Two new members-only areas will soon appear on our website. A Members Section will feature Small Group Ministry activities in member congregations with the opportunity to communicate and add comments or questions. Specific Focus Sections for Ministers, Small Group Ministry Lay Leaders, and Religious Educators invite exchanges of present Small Group Ministry involvement and challenges. Based on these interchanges, new SGM resource materials will be developed to address congregations' present-day needs.

WEBSITE RESOURCES
Complete archives of Covenant Group News and the SGM Journal
Online Resource Directory
500+ session plans for download
Network member list. See "Who We Are: Our Members"
Event Announcements
Resources for Sale
Social Media

UU SGM NETWORK PUBLICATIONS - Order online or by mail
See http://www.smallgroupministry.net/forsale.html for pricing & ordering information

Social Justice Work Through Small Group Ministry - Thirty-four sessions for preparation, action and reflection on topics of multiculturalism, radical hospitality, immigration, racism, marriage equality, and earth justice.

Small Group Ministry with All Ages - Implementation strategies, leader training, session development, and session plans for children through elders.

Facilitator Training and Development Manual - A guide for training and support plus a handbook on CD to customize for group leaders and facilitators.

Spiritual Journeys: 101 Session Plans for Small Group Ministry Programs - Sessions on Spiritual Journeying, Personal Beliefs and Values, Spiritual Challenges, Just for Fun, Being Human, Holidays, and Special Use subjects for life events.

Small Group Ministry for Youth - Twenty-five sessions for middle and high school youth.

The UU Small Group Ministry Network is a grassroots organization of Unitarian Universalist congregations, ministers, small group ministry/covenant group leaders and participants.

Our mission is to help create healthy Unitarian Universalist congregations and a vital Unitarian Universalist movement by promoting and supporting Small Group Ministry.

The purpose of the Network is "to support small group ministry and related shared ministry models in Unitarian Universalist congregations through developing new resources, networking, and training opportunities."

In addition to the SGM Journal for members and the free, online Covenant Group News, we publish new resources for program coordinators and facilitators, sponsor a consultation booth and SGM workshops at General Assembly, offer a week-long SGM Summer Institute, help local leaders plan regional SGM conferences, and give workshops in congregations and districts across the nation.

The UU SGM Network is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization supported solely by congregational and individual memberships, donations and publication sales revenue. Network Board members donate their time and personal resources to spread the good news of small group ministry.