Since the Fall of 2003, Jane Zamanzadeh has been publishing updates in the Neighborhood News on the actions and decisions of the Small Group Ministry Task Force. The first six of these have been collected into a single file in Adobe Acrobat format that you may download, or you may read these six, plus the more recent ones, below.
On October 18th, Rev. Thandeka and Julia Rodriguez from The Center for Community Values presented an all-day workshop on Small Group Ministry to an enthusiastic audience of over forty church members and staff. Participants found themselves engaging in activities and brain-storming sessions that produced an overwhelming desire to implement such a program at Neighborhood Church. To that end, an Ad Hoc First Steps Formulation Committee met with Rev. Thandeka and Julia following the workshop to determine what our next step should be. The AHFSFC, consisting of Rev. Paul Beedle, John Blue, Frank Colcord, Stefanie Etzbach-Dale, Alan Freeman, Rev. David Keyes, Robin Stafford, Gillian Symonds, Celia Ward, and Jane Zamanzadeh, decided that such an undertaking needed Board approval and set about drafting a recommendation to bring to the next Board of Trustees meeting.
The recommendation that was brought to the Board on October 28th, stated, in part, that
Because the congregation of Neighborhood Church has decisively indicated a desire for increased community, we request that the Board appoint a task force to study and recommend a detailed plan to implement a program of Small Group Ministry at Neighborhood Church.
The recommendation went on to indicate the names of those who had voiced an interest in serving on the task force, suggested that the Transition Team and the Search Committee be consulted for other nominations, and recommended that the task force contract with the Center for Community Values for consulting help. The Board’s response was that the task force should go forth and multiply. (Actually, I think that’s a term from further back in my religious past, but the Board unanimously and wholeheartedly did vote to support the proposal).
Since then, a committed group of individuals has been meeting regularly to formulate a detailed plan for implementing a program on Small Group Ministry.
Future Newsletter articles will keep you up to date on who comprises the task force, what our mission statement is, the structure of the program we envision, and our progress toward putting that structure in place. We hope that these articles will pique your interest, arouse your curiosity, and whet your appetite for more information and participation in this exciting new program. (back to the top)
Once the Small Group Ministry task force had formed its covenant, we decided that our
next task should be to write a mission statement that would provide a touchstone for
us as we began the process of determining the structure and content of the Small Group
Ministry program at Neighborhood. To that end, the group brainstormed a number of
concepts and terms that we thought should be incorporated into such a statement.
Gillian Symonds volunteered to take our ideas and create a draft for the task force
to review. At our next meeting, Gillian provided us with drafts of two proposed
statements. With a few minor changes, the statement that the task force enthusiastically
adopted is as follows:
The mission of the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church of Pasadena Small Group Ministry task force is to create the framework to bring small groups of 8-12 members together in a regular spiritual practice. This act of compassionate engagement will build community by engendering acceptance and growth as we share our individual search for truth and meaning in a welcoming atmosphere of trust and as we worship and covenant together to heal ourselves, each other, and the world with deeds of service and justice.
Now that we had our vision and our mission statement, the Small Group Ministry task force began the process of shaping a program that would fulfill the goals we had set for ourselves. Our tasks include determining the program structure we envision, formulating our plans for creating and maintaining groups, deciding how the choice and training of small group facilitators will proceed, and establishing the selection of content for discussion in the small groups. Future articles will keep you posted on our progress in these areas. Our hope is that you’ll keep reading our updates and let us know your thoughts. (back to the top)
At the very first meeting of the Small Group Ministry task force of Neighborhood Church, members agreed that we wanted to have our meetings replicate the format that we envisioned using in the small groups that would be formed. As a small group ourselves, we wanted to model participation in acts of compassionate engagement that would build community in an atmosphere of acceptance and growth. Since one of our goals is to develop a program of regular spiritual practice, we also felt that it was important to incorporate spiritual elements into our meetings.
Meetings of the Small Group Ministry task force begin with the lighting of a chalice followed by a reading or a meditation led by one of the members of the group. The symbolic act of lighting the chalice centers us and the opening words have served to encourage us and bring us together.
After each member of the task force “checks in” briefly, we begin the usual meeting format: old business, new business, action items. Our co-chair, Frank Colcord, is very adept at making sure we stay on the subject at hand, restating our decisions, and keeping us within time limits. (The small groups will naturally replace the “meeting” part of their gatherings with topics of discussion.) We end with a brief check out (generally sharing what we feel about the progress made at the meeting) and then stand in a circle and join hands for our final song. We’ve all become very comfortable singing “Safe Passage,” although Paul tells us we’ve started to speed up the tempo a bit at the end.
Next newsletter article will present the structure we envision for the Small Group Ministry program at Neighborhood. Look for it to see the places where you’d like to fit into the picture! (back to the top)
Do you long to explore your own spirituality in the company of like-minded people, and get to know others at Neighborhood at a deeper level? Currently, the nine members of the Small Group Ministry task force are in the process of organizing a program for exactly that purpose, and we hope it will take root and flourish at Neighborhood Church. We have determined how we intend to form the initial small groups; selected a team of people whom we’d like to have facilitate the first groups; begun facilitator training; and discussed the content we’d like to propose for discussion during the first small groups’ meetings. We’ve done a lot of research into what has made such programs successful in other churches and have spent a good deal of time putting structure around our vision.
As the Small Group Ministry program expands at Neighborhood, our team will need to
grow to include additional people on small task forces to track the membership of
small groups (who’s in what group, what groups have openings, etc.); select facilitators
and see that they’re trained; work with a minister to supply content for the discussions;
and provide ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the groups. These small task
forces will also help decide when new groups need to be formed to meet the anticipated
growth of small groups in our congregation.
Maybe you can picture yourself in one of those roles in the future. But what can you do now? Well, you can start thinking about joining a small group. The only qualifications you need are a longing to explore your own spirituality in the company of like-minded people, a desire to get to know others at Neighborhood at a level that’s not possible during coffee hour, and a yearning to be part of a program in which we truly minister to each other’s needs. So keep an eye out, and be prepared to say “yes” to upcoming opportunities in Small Group Ministry. (back to the top)
The Small Group Ministry program at Neighborhood Church is being developed to address the needs of those members of our congregation who long to explore their spirituality in the company of like-minded people; who have a desire to know others at a level that’s not possible to achieve during Coffee Hour; and who have a yearning to be part of a program in which we minister to each other’s needs.
By this time, we hope that you have heard pulpit announcements from the Small Group
Ministry facilitators-intraining about what their training sessions have meant to
them. One of the members of that small group has said that in all his years as a UU,
he has never achieved the depth of connection with other UU’s that he has experienced
in just the few meetings that they’ve had with each other.
Want to know more? On Sunday May 23rd, following the second service, the SGM task force is sponsoring a Taster Session that we hope will give you an idea of what you might experience should you choose to sign up for a small group. The agenda for the event is as follows:
There will be a Small Group Ministry table set up on the patio where you can sign up for the SGM Taster Session and receive a ticket for the event. Although the event is free, we will need to limit sign-ups to about 70, so we may not be able to accommodate you unless you have a ticket. We encourage you to plan ahead and join us as we present an introduction to this exciting new ministry at Neighborhood. (back to the top)
Like most of you, those of us who have been working on developing a Small Group Ministry program at Neighborhood Church are delighted that the Rev. Dr. Jim Nelson has been called as our new senior minister. We are especially pleased because Jim comes from a large church with a thriving Small Group Ministry program. His enthusiasm for such a ministry and the new ideas he’ll bring make us truly excited about what’s in store.
Well, we’ve had our SGM Taster Session! Thanks to all who made the event such a
success: the Small Group Ministry task force, the facilitators, the staff, those
who volunteered to help with the event, and especially to those of you who came out
to see exactly what a small group session would be like. We hope you had fun.
What’s next? There will be sign-up sheets on the SGM Table on the patio for two more Sundays—May 30th and June 6th. After that, we’ll take all our lists and form our first small groups based primarily on the availability of our facilitators, and when you indicated you would like to meet.
In mid-June the facilitators will have their lists of people and will begin calling you to let you know when your first group will meet. We’re off! (back to the top)
Last spring the SGM task force initiated a Small Group Ministry program at
Neighborhood Church. Late this summer, we reflected on what we wished to
accomplish with our program and why we hope it expands as we begin our new
church year. Our expectation is that being involved in a small group will
foster a small-church feel for the congregants of our large church and will
draw us into mutual ministry. Participation will deepen our understanding
of UU principles and values, strengthening us and thereby strengthening our
congregation. As we express our principles and values within our groups, we
can learn to identify our own calling and expression of lay ministry.
Our hope is that sharing these experiences in our small groups will challenge
us to action and spiritual growth.
Your Small Group Ministry facilitators will not allow the group to function as a therapy session. Instead, they will encourage you to share your life stories in response to thought-provoking UU oriented themes and to draw insights from them. They will create gatherings that invite intimacy, allow for serious engagement with religious and spiritual topics, and lead toward expression of our principles and values in action. We welcome your participation. (back to the top)
On Saturday October 23rd at 6pm, the Small Group Ministry Task Force will host a potluck supper in the Chapel. We want an opportunity to get folks together to welcome our new ministers and to celebrate the first open enrollment period for the Small Group Ministry program.
While you may join a small group at any time, open enrollment is when members recommit to their current groups, ask to change groups, or decide to leave the program for a while. It’s mainly a time, however, when we commit to finding a small group for everyone who asks to be part of the program. Please take a moment to take part in our first ever open enrollment period by signing up on the patio after church.
And do join us at the potluck on October 23rd. You don’t have to be part of the Small Group Ministry program to enjoy the fellowship. We’d like to see you there! (back to the top)
The Small Group Ministry Task Force cordially invites SGM facilitators, group members, and anyone interested in learning more about Small Group Ministry to our second potluck dinner on Friday February 11th from 6-9pm in the Ross Chapel. During this evening of food and fellowship, ministers Jim Nelson and Kathleen Owens will talk about the importance of SGM at Neighborhood Church, and will guide us through a short SGM experience. Current and future facilitators will be introduced, and the co-chairs of the Small Group Ministry task force will report on the recently developed SGM guidelines. Please bring an entrée, side dish, or dessert that serves 6–8 people, and join us for an evening of friendship and sharing.
A training session for current and future facilitators will follow on Saturday February 12th, from 9am until noon in the Music Room of the Programs Building. Led by Jim, Kathleen, and SGM Task Force members, we will have presentations and discussions around all aspects of the Small Group Ministry program at Neighborhood as we gear up for expanding the number of small groups next fall. Coffee and croissants will be served. (back to the top)
Cassius Clay did it. Norma Jean Baker did it. Marion Morrison did it. Neighborhood Church did it. And now the Small Group Ministry Program is doing it. We’re changing our name! Our purpose hasn’t changed. We still intend to have our program address the needs of those members of our congregation who long to explore their spirituality in the company of like-minded people, who have a desire to know others at a level that’s not possible to achieve during Coffee Hour, and who have a yearning to be part of a program in which we minister to each others’ needs. Only now we’ll do this in Chalice Circles. Kind of catchy and alliterative, isn’t it?
Whatever our name, as we approach the anniversary of the “Taster Session” that kicked off the program, the more than one hundred members who are currently in a Chalice Circle are finding the experience more meaningful than they ever thought possible. We’re beginning training of new facilitators in April so that by September when we have our open enrollment period, we’ll be able to offer the opportunity to be part of a Chalice Circle to many more members. Future Newsletter articles will have more information. Stay tuned! (back to the top)
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