UUFOM

Covenant Groups

We haven’t talked about it much lately, but our Fellowship’s Board worked hard to develop statements of Purpose, Values and Vision to help guide the growth and vitality of our congregation. Over the past year, Covenant Groups have helped us realize many aspects of our vision by nurturing individuals and strengthening connections of our members. When someone comes to a new place, it can be hard to find friends and establish connections in the larger congregation. The smaller, more personal nature of Covenant Groups help us realize our vision to “Attract and nurture members and friends seeking spiritual truth.”

The friendly, supportive atmosphere of Covenant Groups also help “Our congregation provide the warmth of friendship in a diverse community committed to our UU principles and encouraged by our religious heritage. Members of our congregation [are] actively involved in each other's lives by celebrating life's triumphs and supporting each other in times of challenge or need.” When you join a Covenant Group, you quickly make new friends who can become an important part of your life.

The questions and topics we discuss at each Covenant Group meeting also support the vision that “Our gatherings provide inclusive social, spiritual and intellectual activities for all ages, stimulating the heart and mind with uplifting experiences, challenging issues, and exciting ideas.” We explore many diverse topics at our meetings such as friendship, success, forgiveness, failure, what we believe and where we are headed. Group members often choose the topics themselves.

Every year, it’s the goal of each Covenant Group to complete a service project to our congregation and the local community. This supports our Fellowship’s vision to “Plan, direct and participate in community activities that demonstrate the Seven UU principles and provide a voice allowing others to learn about them, while serving the needs of the larger community.”

Lastly, our small groups are open to anyone and everyone who is willing to make the commitment of time and energy to this important program. Please consider this an open invitation to join one of our groups and help realize the vision that “Our Fellowship is known in the local community as a welcoming place.” Covenant Groups are open, and you are truly welcome. For more information on Covenant Groups, please talk with our minister, Rev. Jane Thickstun, or a group facilitator. Current facilitators are Jackie Anderson, Kyle Bagnall, Judith Hill, Patty Raines and Roy Wedge. You can read our Fellowship’s Vision Statement at http://www.uufom.org/vision.html.

Yours in Fellowship,
Kyle Bagnall

Classes offered in the past:

Our Unitarian Universalist Story offered by Rev. Jane Thickstun

This is a five-session program that explores our religious identity as Unitarian Universalists within the context of the denomination's history. The program includes readings, group discussions, and activities that focus on the history and heritage of Unitarian Universalism, personal religious values, individual experience, and current theological trends and issues. It offers an opportunity to explore our own spiritual development, identify our religious attitudes, values, and beliefs, and to determine where we may move in the future. See Rev. Jane Thickstun for details.

"Building Your Own Theology"
- "Building Your Own Theology" is a course designed to help us reflect on religion, the core of meanings, values and the convictions from which we live our lives.This class is intended to provide the participants with the opportunity to explore their own experiences, share experiences, explore religious experiences, human nature, history and ethics and from this sharing and reflecting increase our awareness of diverse theologies and develop our own theology. You may contact: Jackie A. or Claire Y.
Ethics
- How do religious liberals decide what is right and what is wrong? How do you decide? Do you find that reflection on ethical matters is an important part of your spiritual quest and you would like to deepen your understanding by considering ethical questions with other religious liberals? “Ethics” is a UU curriculum written by Dick Gilbert, the author of the popular “Building Your Own Theology” curriculum. Participants considered the real-life implications of their Unitarian Universalist beliefs.
Choices for Sustainable Living
- We discussed ways in which our activities have an impact on the earth and how we can be a “blessing to the planet”. The topics covered such issues as Sustainable Living, Sustainable Food, and Sustainable Buying.
New UU Class - It’s for new members, for those who may be thinking about becoming members, or those who are interested in learning more about us. There will be a two-session program conducted by Peter Carlson and the Rev. Jane Thickstun. Meetings will be on April 8 and 15 following the morning service. Lunch will be provided. Come learn more about UU’s. Contact Peter (631-3741) or Rev. Jane (631-1162) for more information or to sign up.
Forgotten Christianities - Instructor: Jon CH.

Discussion groups:

Hot Topics - Every Sunday beginning in the fall from 9:30am to 10:15am. This is a discussion group which is open to anyone who is interested on a drop-in basis. No sign-up is required. Topics are selected for each week by the social justice committee. When possible a "host" will prepare readings for the discussion that are made available a week before the discussion. The host's role is merely to get the discussion rolling (and to kick everyone out at 10:15 am so that the Children's RE program can set up and the participants can attend the service).

The UUFOM Book Club

The book club will be meeting soon. Snacks are provided. While we encourage you to read the book, it will be summarized and the discussion led by someone who has read it. Come join us for a lively discussion.
Previous books read by the Book Club: Trans-Sister Radio, Deep Survival, The Traveler's Wife, DiVinci Code, Kite Runner, Celtic Riddle, 42nd Parallel, The Curious Incident of Dog in the Night-Time, Confessions of a Pagan Nun, The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

EMERSON ENLIGHTENMENT
“What is the hardest task in the world? To think” —Journals, 1836