Unitarian Universalist web links (elders, attending, America, mission, church)

[Green Gaia]

Unitarian Universalist Association-Official site of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) offering a listing of congregations, programs and services, publications, youth pages, and the Journal of the UUA.

Interweave-Website for Unitarian Universalits for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Concerns.

SUUSI-Southeast Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute website.

The Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network-Find out about local groups, events, and join the online community discussion groups.


Unitarian Universalist Historical Society-Articles, resources, links, and contacts on the history if UUism.


The Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship-The Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship serves Christian Unitarians and Universalists according to their expressed religious needs; upholds and promotes the Christian witness within the Unitarian Universalist Association; and upholds and promotes the historic Unitarian and Universalist witness and conscience within the church universal.

Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS)

American Unitarian Association-A new Unitarian organization, dedicated to rebuilding Unitarianism according to the historic Unitarian faith.

What is UUism?-100 Questions That Non-Members Ask About Unitarian Universalism. FAQs on Unitarianism, courtesy of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, N.H.

[Rex]

ReligiousForums.com has now been listed on

http://www.uua.org/

look here- scroll to the bottom

http://www.uua.org/lists/nonsponsored.html

[Green Gaia]

Cool!

[Rex]

http://smallgroupministry.net/


Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Small Group Ministry Network. The mission of this site is to promote shared ministry in our congregations through small group ministry for people of all ages. The resources on this site are written by UU ministers, lay leaders and consultants. Resource submissions of all kinds are welcome.

About this site
I started this website after attending a week long small group ministry workshop with Calvin Dame and Helen Zidowecki on Star Island. I decided to attend the workshop after I discovered that adult "Small Group Ministry" used the same format as the youth group I had been advising in Providence, RI, since 1992. During the week with Calvin and Helen I came to appreciate that our youth group was a form of small group ministry, though lacking some important elements, and that small group ministry with adults is a continuation of what we do with youth. I left convinced that SGM can transform our association, specifically by using SGM to offer continuity from youth to young adult ministry, campus ministry, ministry with adults, families, elders and beyond.

Mission / Bottom Line
The mission of the UU Small Group Ministry Network is to affirm and promote shared ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations through the use of Small Group Ministry and Covenant Groups for people of all ages. I welcome submissions, questions, and feedback.



And thanks Peter for linking to our little space on the net. ! arty:

[Runt]

Fun. Some of the advice they have on there is really good for ANY setting in which people must meet, discuss, and simply GET ALONG! I found it particularly helpful because I'm not only about to be come involved with the Covenant Group Program at my church, but I'm also about to join several other groups this summer that are discussion based... and this advice was very relevant to any discussion group.

Maize, you know more about this stuff than me... why exactly is this called small group MINISTRY? It just seems like religious discusion...kinda like what we have on this site, but with UUs only (which, of course, is about as diverse as this site anyway. :P) I always thought the word "Ministry" refers to teaching or guiding the religious experience of OTHERS... this seems to be discussing the experience for yourself as well as encouraging others to have their own experiences...*is confused*

[Green Gaia]

Small Groups! Yes, I know a little about them, though unfortunatly, I've yet to be able to tend one of these, mostly because of scheduling difficulties on my part.

Small Group Ministries are sometimes called, "Covenant Groups, " they are gathering of abou 10-12 members and friends who come together about once a month to get to know each other better and to share ideas. Meetings are usually held in members' homes, they'll do a chalice lighting, a reading and then discuss on an announced topic.

Small Groups was designed to help people feel more connected to each each and to the church. It's not group therapy or anything like that, but can be therapeutic (or so I'm told lol). They are an excellent way for newcomers to get involved in the life of the church, and usually each group is asked to perform a service project of some kind.

I think they just called it Small Group MINISTRIES because of the sharing of ideas and to promote that is it part of the church. BUT I guess some don't like the connotations that the word "ministries" has so the call their groups, Convenant Groups instead. It doesn't matter to me, I think it's a wonderful idea, no matter what you call it. So Runt, the Convenant group you're about to join, is the same thing.

Here's more about it from UUA: http://www.uua.org/ya-cm/resources/covenantgroup.html

[Green Gaia]

Many, many Unitarian and UU links here

[Green Gaia]

UUWiki