Rev.
Calvin O. Dame In
April of 2006 Calvin concluded his ministry at the Unitarian
Universalist Community Church of Augusta, ME. We are all
thankful for Calvin's ministry in Augusta as their small group
ministry program helped spark our association's present small
group and covenant group minsitry movement.
Listen
to Glenn Turner and Peter Bowden discuss the development
of Small Group Ministry within the Unitarian Universalist Association,
including the role of Calvin and the Augusta, ME congregation.
A
Small Group Ministry Resource Book
The story of Small Group Ministry in August, ME, an overview of their
model, and more. This resource, along with Bob Hill's Covenant Group
News, served as a catalyst for the UUA's small group revolution. Available
in hard copy from the UUA Bookstore.
Small
Group Ministry Session Book. We have selected twenty-five of our
newest and best SGM sessions that we know will work well in any covenant
group setting. Topics include Curiosity, Shadow, Power, Perfection,
Longing and more. This book is available via the UUA
Bookstore.
What
Makes Small Group Ministry Different Than Other Groups? Comments from Small Group Ministry Facilitators at the UU Community
Church, Augusta, Maine
April 25, 2000
People share themselves; There is more intentional sharing.
The purpose of Small Group Ministry is ministry - to be the church
with one another.
It's a place to explore spiritual questions.
There's
a sense that every Ministry Group is one part of the whole church
- interconnection.
The intent is for Ministry Groups to provide ongoing ministry to its
members and to provide an ongoing connection with the minister. This
creates a true, church-wide ministry, that the minister him or herself
could never hope to create alone.
The Minister has loosely-held authority over the Ministry Groups,
which can really help to sort out any difficulties that may arise.
Ministry Groups are coordinated - they provide an interconnection
throughout the church.
Small Group Ministry tends to not be intellectual, as so many other
groups or meetings can be.
Small Group Ministry is essentially spiritual- its not intellectual.
Small Group Ministry provides members an opportunity to share our
spiritual development with each other.
Small Group Ministry represents a different level of commitment. There's
a covenant that goes with it: to create a safe space in which to explore
issues that are spiritual.
