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UU SGM Network
32 Stevenstown Rd.
Litchfield, ME 04350


c/o Rev. Helen Zidowecki

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the UU Small Group
Ministry Network
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SMALL GROUP MINISTRY SESSIONS:
DYNAMIC UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST LITERATURE

The resource requested most from the Network is small group session plans. Likewise, this is one of greatest areas of connection among with individuals and congregations. We recognize Session Plans as a Dynamic UU Literature

In September 2015, we moved sessions related to Celebrations to a separate section. To access the Session Plans, click one of the following Session Directories and scroll down.
Sessions Directory: General (Jump to sessions) or scroll down.
Sessions: Celebrations
Newly posted session plans are noted in the update on the Home Page.

Note: We are in the process of converting all session plans from word.doc to pdf.
Please contact us if you have difficulty opening a file. Thank you.

Small Group Ministry Session Plans Online Directory

These session plans that have been contributed by congregations and individuals may be sorted by clicking on 'Sort' next to Title, Date, Source and Topic.

  • Title: The title of the session plan is given without "the" or "a/an". The number of sessions will be noted if more than one.
  • Date: When known, the date that the session plan was written is noted in ( ) after the title. The entry in the Date column is when the item was posted to the website.
  • Source: The location of the congregation or organization is given, such as Augusta, ME. The location is followed in ( ) by the author(s), if given. For session plans that have been written by individuals independent of a congregation, the author's name is identified as the source.
  • Topic: This is a general focus of the item. These are somewhat arbitrary. When items may fit several categories, the item is sorted by the first topic.
  • Downloads (Dns): Tells how often a session plan has been downloaded.

Note: Multiple sessions on a topic present diversity in approach. The session plans provide a democratic process for enriching UUism. Keep creating, keep sharing, and keep acknowledging contributions, your own and those from others. The UU way!

Collections of Session Plans are listed after the Session Plan Directory with the source and brief notation of what is included.

Network By Sharing Session Plans!

Please send sessions plans and notations about collections to: office@smallgroupministry.net. They may be sent in MS Word, RTF, Simple Text or PDF files. Sessions plans are posted in a variety of styles. We may contact the contributors for clarifications.

Sending Session Plans to office@smallgroupministry.net
The following information is included in session plans for the Network website:
1. Unitarian Universalist Small Group Ministry Network Website is noted at the top.
2. The title of the session plan and date created (if given).
3. The name and location city and state/province/country of the congregation or individual creating the session plan.
4. Optional. The name of the creator or person responsible for submitting the plan and date created. It may be of interest to note the reason behind the session plan, such as a grief session developed around the death of a group member, or a specific event in the church, or a situation than calls for a response.

Inquiry
We note increasing use of videos and music from electronic sources (like YouTube,etc.) in session plans. What guidelines do you use in incorporating these and what affect do they have in the overall session?

Observations
Session plans are being shared and adapted! Please note on session plans when you have made changes from other sources. Acknowledgement honors the contribution of the originator and reinforces connections among UUs in a faith community.

Resources:
Session Plan Development/Selection Criteria
Critique of Small Group Ministry Session Plan
Copyright Considerations

Additional guidelines for developing session plans:
Create Session Plans: Devon (6/2019) (2sessions)



We are in the process of converting the session plans to PDF format. To download a session plan that is not PDF format:

1) Place your cursor over the file name
2) Right click on your mouse
3) Select "Save Link As" on the menu that appears
4) Choose which directory to save it in

If you left click on a file and it doesn't seem to download, it was probably sent to your computer's "Download" folder. It depends on your browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc) settings.


NEW SMALL GROUP SESSIONS

Need for Beauty (6.2023) Brunswick, ME (Ijams, Lucy), Personal
Meeting the Rest of Ourselves: a Small Group Ministry Series. New England Region staff team



Dates: red - added in last 2 months green - added in last 6 months blue - added in last year
Title Date Source: Congregation or name Topic #Dns

Collections:

Source Description
First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego Overview of Wisdom Circles with meeting times, Guides for Facilitators and Participants, and session plans.
San Jose, CA: First Unitarian Church Session plans, items added regularly
Helen Zidowecki Session plans on topics such as: celebrations, congregational life, RE, teacher development, social justice, Welcoming Congregation, youth.
First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, NM Covenant Group Archives
First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, NM Current Covenant Group Materials for 2015-16
Augusta, ME: Unitarian Universalist Community Church Over 150 session plans, continuing additions. Themes include: Celebrations, Congregational Life, Beliefs, Life Passages, Witness.
First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco Collection of session plans, alphabetical. Ongoing additions. Resource listings.
Community UU Congregation, White Plains, NY Our Journey Groups are modeled after Soul Matters Sharing Groups, but we create our own materials and use themes that sometimes correspond to Soul Matters and often do not. Rev. Dr. Steven Meredith Garmon, Minister