Small Group Ministry is intentional lay-led small groups that deepen and expand the ministry of the congregation.
"Small" means a group with a maximum of 8-10 people. Groups of this size provide an opportunity to relate on a more intentional level.
"Group" is a gathering of individuals, sometimes selected at random, sometimes selected for a specific interest or characteristic. These groups meet over a period of time.
"Ministry" is the process or act of caring or being present with another. This relates to the spiritual as well as the physical and emotional well-being of the group participants.

The Power and Promise of SGM are Intimacy, Ultimacy and Growth.
Intimacy is increased depth of relationship that comes from meeting over time, willingness and ability to listen without comment or advice, to learn from others, and to share from the soul.
Ultimacy focuses on meaning and significance, rather than details, information or outcome.
Growth: Small Group Ministry provides opportunities for members to develop skills and grow in confidence as leaders within and beyond the group, and the potential to grow churches in numbers, and in generosity, cooperation, and sense of well-being. This growth occurs when people feel supported.

Three agreements between the groups and the congregation as a whole are suggested:
*To abide by a set of relationship ground rules, called a covenant. This includes ways to listen and to be heard.
*To welcome new members to the group or to the program overall, keeping the groups open to new people and new ideas.
*To engage in service to the congregation and larger world. This helps the group deepen its internal relationships, increases the connection with the congregation, and gives from the abundance of the group experience.

Leadership has two functions which can be done by one person or shared: The Group Leaders are chosen and trained by the minister(s) and/or designated lay leadership (Small Group Ministry Coordinator) as part of shared ministry in the congregation. Group Leaders meet with the minister and Coordinator for spiritual support, enhancing group development, and awareness of new resources. Each meeting of the group is led by the Session Facilitator who follows the Small Group Ministry model. The Session Facilitator may be the same person each meeting, or rotated within the group.

The Session plan is a guide and a springboard for discussion. The Standard Format includes:
*An opening reading that introduces but does not guide the topic.
*A check-in during which each person briefly shares about such questions as, "What's most on your mind today?" or "How is it with your spirit today?"
*A time for the focus or theme of the meeting with sharing from personal stories, guided by questions in the Session Plan, and learning from listening to others, rather than wanting others to agree with a perspective.
*The check-out gives opportunity for each participant to say how the session was for him/her.
*A closing reading.
Resource: Implementing Small Group Ministry from the UU Small Group Ministry Network.

In an article written for the Pacific Western Region of the UUA News on February 2, 2017, entitled More Like a Marathon Than a Sprint, Rev. Dr. James Kubal-Komoto reflects on the recent involvement of so many people, including UU congregations, in action for social justice, for example the Women's March in Washington and marches in locations across the country. He wonders whether this level of congregational participation will continue in the days ahead.

In the article, he identifies certain deciding factors in whether a congregation participates in social justice in the wider community. One of them is closely tied to small group ministry. His article, reprinted here with permission, follows:

Unitarian Universalists by the hundreds and perhaps by the thousands participated in the Women's March in Washington, D.C., and in sister marches in cities across the United States to stand up for our shared values of compassion and justice for all people. I suspect this was the largest Unitarian Universalist public witness since the 1963 March on Washington. A weekend later, Unitarian Universalists across the country participated in demonstrations again at our nation's airports.

Will this level of participation continue in the weeks, months, and years ahead, or will it fizzle? It may depend on three things:

1. One study shows a deciding factor in whether a congregation participates in social justice in the wider community is ministerial leadership. Another study shows a deciding factor in whether ministers provide such leadership is participation in a small, relational group of colleagues. (Participation in such a group is also linked to less congregational conflict, greater congregational growth, and longer ministerial tenure.)

Take home: If you are a minister, I encourage you to make participation in such a group, whether a UUMA cluster or an interfaith group, a priority. If you are a lay leader in a congregation with a minister, encourage your minister's participation. If you don't already belong to such a group, especially if you are geographically isolated, consider starting an online group with colleagues.

2. Similarly, studies show the most important factor in whether individual congregation members participate in social justice activities in the wider community is also participation in a small, relational group. It doesn't have to be a social-justice oriented group. It could be a 12-step group, a knitting circle, a Bible study, a book group.

Take home: If you want members of your congregation to be more active in social justice, bolster small group programming within your congregation. Talk to your regional staff about how you might do this.

3. What doesn't make a difference in congregational involvement in social justice? Incredibly, prophetic preaching. A study of congregations during the Viet Nam War era showed how often ministers preached prophetic sermons had no effect on whether church members participated in anti-war activities.

My own experience serving a congregation that was actively involved in the wider community echoes this. I sometimes did preach prophetic sermons, especially if there was a specific call to action, but I also found that the more my congregation was involved in the wider community, the more important it was to preach pastoral sermons as well as sermons that explored specific spiritual and religious topics or Unitarian Universalist identity.

Take home: Connecting people to specific opportunities to be involved is more important than prophetic preaching every Sunday.

Friends, our efforts to make this world we share more compassionate and just will always be more like a marathon than a sprint. May we be wise in how we sustain ourselves and those we serve on the way.

Warmly,
James Kubal-Komoto

This article includes 2 separate short contributions that describe how each of the authors' churches organize Social Justice and how the covenant groups participate. Alan Backler's church features meeting the needs of the covenant groups by facilitating their connection with Social Justice activities that are available in their community, both within the church, as well as in the community-at-large. Cindy Good's church organizes Social Justice opportunities for all. Each perspective offers different outcomes that are quite interesting.

Alan Backler serves as a SGM facilitator at the UU Church of Bloomington, IN and also is a member of the UU SGM Network's publishing committee that provides information and other resources for all UU SGM Programs. Cindy Good is the Chair of the Social Justice Committee at the UU Church of the Cumberland Valley, PA. She also is a member of a small group.

Small Group Ministry and Social Service by Alan Backler

At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, Indiana (UUCB), each group involved in small group ministry (what we call Chalice Circles) is expected to complete two social service projects each year-one for the church and one of the community. This has been true since Chalice Circles began at UUCB twelve years ago. A special effort is made to choose activities in which all members of a particular Circle can participate together.

Committee chairpersons at our church have come to depend on Chalice Circles to support their activities. Beginning in September, when Chalice Circles are formed for the year, Chairpersons will begin to recruit Circles for a variety of purposes-for example, Chalice Circles get involved in planting flowers and maintaining the church grounds, serving food, setting up an art show, and cleaning-up after the bazaar.

Chalice Circles also get involved in social service activities for the larger community. For example, in the area of homelessness, Circle members prepare hot meals for the Interfaith Winter Shelter, work at the local food bank, collect and organize household items for individuals and families who are moving out of homelessness into apartments of their own, or paint rooms in overnight shelters.

Getting involved in social service activities supports various activities in the church and community and introduces Chalice Circle participants to a variety of opportunities for service that exist both within the church and in the larger community. In addition, these activities give the members of each Chalice Circle a chance to interact with one another in a way completely different from the more formal, deep-listening sessions that are typical of small group ministry. From the beginning, the Chalice Circle Steering Committee has covered expenses that a Circle might accrue while involved in a social service opportunity, thus allowing participants to focus on service.

Social Justice Work for All by Cindy Good

The mission of the Unitarian Universalists of the Cumberland Valley (UUCV) is to transform lives and care for the world. UUCV's Social Justice Committee strives to energize and motivate all who attend UUCV to live our mission by providing a variety of opportunities both inside and outside our walls. From marching in rallies to distributing food for the hungry - from providing school supplies for needy children to cleaning up state parks and local neighborhoods; building relationships with other faith communities to making calls and signing petitions supporting local and state initiatives; caring for Carlisle's homeless to providing educational opportunities for girls and young women in Mozambique - there is something for everyone interested in helping us transform lives and care for the world.

Many of these social justice projects are used by our Small Groups to satisfy their promise to do two annual projects: one within the church community and the other to be done within the community-at-large.

Involvement with UUCV's social justice activities gives participants the opportunity to possibly find their "purpose" or "passion." Many who have participated in an activity for the first time have discovered just how good it feels to give back and they are anxious to do it again.

UUCV's presence at local community activities such as United Way's Day of Caring, Carlisle's Martin Luther King Celebration, Project SHARE's Farm Stand and Carlisle C.A.R.E.S. Homeless Shelter to name a few, creates an awareness for others who may be seeking a liberal religious community such as UUCV.

In addition to actual hands-on activities, we provide educational opportunities. For instance, we show social justice related documentaries such as Groundswell Rising, we have facilitated book discussions on such titles as Just Mercy, and we have hosted a local Imam to give a presentation on Islam. Following this event, we arranged a potluck lunch for Islamic guests and members of our congregation which was well attended and appreciated by all.

We work to welcome everyone, young and old alike, willing to give just a little bit of their time to make this world a better place. Ours is a true team effort and the bigger the team, the larger impact we can have.

From Anne Gero: While the two articles appeared at first as very disparate ways of dealing with Small Group Ministry issues, the review revealed that the different purposes could present the same outcomes. Committees working together can show how similar outcomes can be reached in different ways. This is collaboration-not competition. Perhaps we should do more of this approach.

We would appreciate your comments and articles for future CG News publications. Send them to cgneditor@smallgroupministry.net.

Since its launch in 2004, the UU Small Group Ministry Network has sponsored a consultation booth in the Exhibition Hall at General Assembly. That's 12 years of spreading the good news at GA about the power of covenant groups within our congregations!

Staffing the booth is a great opportunity to share your enthusiasm and experience in SGM with UU's across the denomination. Booth visitors, clergy and lay people alike, come by to pick up resource materials, ask questions, get advice, share their SGM success stories, and network with program leaders from other congregations.

Booth volunteers tell us they enjoyed the experience very much, and found the conversations and exchange of ideas stimulating and valuable. They also enjoyed sharing the Network's resources and directing visitors to the website to learn more about this vibrant program shared by over 600 UU congregations.

Open Hours for the Exhibit Hall & Small Group Ministry Network Booth # 618 are:

Wednesday, June 21: Noon - 7 pm
Thursday, June 22: 10 am - 7:30 pm
Friday, June 23 & Saturday, June 24: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday, June 25: 10:30 am - 2:00 pm

To join the GA Booth Team and share your own enthusiasm and experience, contact us at office@smallgroupministry.net or come by the booth to sign up for times that work for your schedule.

SEE YOU IN NEW ORLEANS!!!

SESSION PLANS ONLINE

The SGM Network invites session plans from individuals and congregations for listing in the Session Plan Directory http://www.smallgroupministry.net/public/sessions/index.html or the new section on Celebrations http://smallgroupministry.net/public/sessions/celebrations.html. Please include a suggested topic and key words with session plan submissions.

Send sessions to office@smallgroupministry.net

SHOP THE NETWORK'S ONLINE STORE
Purchase books and CDs from the SGM Network using PayPal, credit card, or debit card. Titles are listed below under "Publications."

Visit the store: http://www.smallgroupministry.net/sgmstore

CONNECT ON FACEBOOK
Share ideas and enrich the SGM community

Small Group Ministry Network Group - Now 231 members strong!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/158837360893790/

WEBSITE RESOURCES
Complete archives of Covenant Group News and the SGM Journal
Online Resource Directory
Over 750 session plans for download
Network member list. See "Who We Are: Our Members"
Event Announcements
Resources for Sale
Example SGM Brochures
Facebook

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

Implementing Unitarian Universalist Small Group Ministry - A resource for creating Small Group Ministry for your congregation or other setting. Sections include Overview, Life Cycle, Oversight/Direction and Coordination, Leadership, Group Formation and Process, Sessions, Service, Visibility, and Expanding Small Group Ministry.

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.