According to a UU book, Small Group Ministry, people come to UU congregations for “the opportunity to talk with others about what matters most in our lives” or to talk about life’s journey. “They come looking for a place to belong (intimacy) and a place to find meaning (ultimacy) about living and dying and the spaces between.”

Covenant groups are about deepening our relationships with one another and they are contemplative. UUFDC board members and staff began such a group in the Fall of 2015 as a pilot group. The sharing with one another has been on a much deeper level than one might experience during coffee hour after service. The participants found the experience to be very meaningful and energizing and have continued to offer this opportunity to UUFDC Members and Friends.

The UUFDC Covenant Groups meet monthly and share deep and personal responses to a series of questions with one question the focus of each meeting. They meet in homes where we can feel more comfortable and relaxed. All of our sharing is kept confidential and not repeated to anyone outside of the group. We are practicing listening. We do not have conversations or comment on what another person has shared during the meeting. We share a covenant with one another which is a set of guidelines or rules that we all agree to abide by.

If you are interested in joining a Covenant Group, contact the office, or Karon Winzenz, or Judy Brodd.

• Put aside our daily lives and worries and be present in the moment
• To listen to one another speak and take turns speaking
• A person may pass and then speak when ready
• What we share at our meetings, stays within the group
• We agree to have an empty chair to symbolize those not yet reached who need us and to suggest the expectation that we may grow new groups
• We agree to meet, once a month in member homes. No food or beverage need be served.
• We will share the responsibility for the readings at the beginning and end of our meetings