Unitarian Universalist Small Group Ministry Network Website
Circles of Community (Covenants & Vision)
Chalice Circles Session By Michelle Collins, Towson UU Church, Lutherville, MD

Opening Words & Chalice Lighting: (see-saw reading) by Kenneth L. Patton (Singing the Living Tradition, #443)

We arrive out of many singular rooms, walking over the branching streets.
We come to be assured that brothers and sisters surround us, to restore their images in our eyes.
We enlarge our voices in common speaking and singing.
We try again that solitude found in the midst of those who with us seek their hidden reckonings.
Our eyes reclaim the remembered faces; their voices stir the surrounding air.
The warmth of their hands assures us, and the gladness of our spoken names.
This is the reason of cities, of homes, of assemblies in the houses of worship.
It is good to be with one another.

Check-in: You are invited to share your name and something you put aside in order to be fully present here, and, if you are comfortable, a significant joy or sorrow, ending or new beginning in your life recently.

Reading:  “Our Circle of Community”			  		by Michelle Collins
Are we a community or a collection of individuals?  What is it that defines the community of our church and pulls its individual members together?  One way to think about a church is as a circle.  Mathematically speaking, a circle is defined as the collection of points that are a certain distance (radii) from particular center point.  The individuals in a church make up the circle—they are the points around that center point.  The crucial part of this analogy is that this community is defined by its particular center point and the relationships of its members to that centering factor.

So what is it that defines our center and thus our relationship to each other as members of the community of TUUC?  A central difference between Unitarian Universalist churches and many other churches is that our center is not a particular religious creed but rather a covenant of shared values, a common commitment to live out those values in our lives and in the world, a common vision of how we define our relationships with each other.  Instead of all saying “we believe” a certain thing, we say “we unite” around these principles.

What happens when someone joins the church, when someone joins the circle?  Do they come into the inside of the circle?  By this analogy, someone actually becomes part of the circle, rather then entering into the inside of it.  That’s what makes being in this sort of community such a special thing.  However it might be defined, a circle is made up of its points.  In other words, a church is made up of its members.  Without members, the church is nothing.  With each person, the whole of the church literally changes; it is a living organic being that breathes and grows and transforms.

Discussion Questions:
•	How does the church and the circle analogy from the reading relate to this Chalice Circle?
•	What do you bring to this circle, and how does it change with you as a member?
•	“The universe is made up of stories, not atoms.” (Muriel Rukeyser)
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep!  But I have promises to keep…” (Robert Frost)
o	What stories does this circle have?
o	What promises might we have to one another?
o	What keeps us coming back to be together again?
•	“To be human is to be religious.  To be religious is to make connections.  To lead a meaningful life among the many competing forces of the twenty-first century, each of us needs support in making meaningful re-connections to the best in our global heritage, the best in others, and the best in ourselves.”  (Rev. John Buehrens, former president of the UUA)
o	How do we support one another in making these connections?
o	What can we do to enable each other to bring out their best selves?
o	How are we a community and not just a collection of individuals?  What defines our community (as a Chalice Circle or as a congregation)?
•	What do the members of this circle hold in common?
•	What is our shared vision?
•	What is it that we are here to do?
•	What are the relationships that we choose to form with each other through being in this small community?

Reflection on Session:
Share one word or phrase that you will take from this gathering.

Closing Words:							 by Burton D. Carley

Cheered by our community, blessed by our covenant, uplifted in mind, and renewed in spirit, go forth with courage and in peace to meet the days to come.
______________________________________________________________________

Sample Covenant:

We covenant with one another 
     and do bind ourselves together 
     in the presence of this religious community 
To express our deepest and most cherished convictions, 
     as they are borne by each person 
     to find a common vision for a better world; 
To seek the life of the spirit, 
     as it is known by each person, 
     choosing with reverence its name; 
And to walk together in the way of truth and love, 
     as it is shown to us and to all people, 
     in word and in deed.

by Michael W. Hennon, inspired by the Salem Covenant of 1629, from the UUA worship web

Notes for Facilitators:

Definition – see-saw reading – ask for two volunteers and they each take turns with a responsive reading

In addition to the session plan, we also had a handout with Michael W. Hennon’s covenant, a sample circle covenant (from the previous year), and our congregation’s covenant on it.  In this way, we used this session partly as education about covenants.

During the sessions, one of the co-facilitators used the following worksheets to record their group’s thoughts.  Later, the co-facilitators used the notes to craft their circle’s covenant which was then adapted and approved at the next circle gathering.  This was meant to streamline the process to make it more efficient and still include the thoughts of the group to create something that was uniquely theirs.

Chalice Circle Covenant Formation – Worksheet

What are the ways we want to be together?  

How do we define our relationships within this circle?

What are the promises we want to make to each other?

What do we need from each other?

What do the members of this circle hold in common?

What is our shared vision?

What is it that we are here to do together?

What are the shared values and traditions of this circle?