PAGAN RITUAL - CHECKLIST

Here -- offered in the spirit of guidance -- is a checklist of suggested things to do if you are a ritual coordinator, or are thinking of organizing a CUUPs event at UUCE. It's based loosely on the 1994 UUCE CUUPS group event checklist; feel free to modify it to suit your needs. You can also review what suggestions have been gathered from previous rituals (far below)

1. Pick a date (and one or two alternate dates)
	Confirm with UUCE Office that the sanctuary is scheduled for your event
2. Ahead of time
	a) Divide up items on this list amongst your leadership group and decide who will do what when. b) Send out ritual announcements - Send two sentence event summary by e-mail to the webmaster for the UUpDate. Deadline Wednesdays at noon. Use a descriptive subject line. webmaster@uueugene.org - Send short statement as early as possible to Cameron at cameronwhitewolf@hotmail.com for inclusion on http://www.uueugene.org/CUUPs/Activities.html - Send short statement to the church office for inclusion in the UUCE Newsletter. Deadline: usually third Fridays but earlier in holiday months. office@uueugene.org - Send short statement to church office for inclusion in the Sunday Worship Order of Service. Deadline Thursdays at noon. publications@uueugene.org - Send e-mail to the listserv at cuups@uueugene.org -- the earlier you send it, the more likely you can get volunteers - Create flyer for the Social Hall bulletin board -- remember, not everyone has Internet access. c) Ask for volunteers a few weeks before your event e) Childcare - Ask participants if childcare will be needed; how many kids and what ages - Secure two church-approved child care providers (see Candee Cole for a roster) - Appoint parents to help with childcare if necessary e) Write out a script for the event The minister or worship associate(s) will have some input if this a regular Sunday Worship Service. Be sure to include - Information for folks with no pagan experience - Clear tie-ins to Unitarian Universalism - Something about UUCE or the Eugene / Springfield locality - A numinous experience f) Rehearse or practice the script g) Gather ritual items you may need - Altars and altar cloths - Ritual tools (athame, wand, chalice, crystals, pentacles, cauldrons, feathers, shells, bells, balloons, etc...) h) Sound / Music - Contact the sound folks if you have amplification needs - Check with musicians to see if they need microphones (and how many) - Confirm that any recorded music works on the UUCE sound system - Review microphone placement to insure no feedback from the speakers is produced (i.e. a microphone in the south and in the west will produce feedback) i) Sanctuary set-up - Make arrangements with the custodian / office if you need chairs and tables pre-set in the sanctuary - Confirm if chairs will need to be set up for an event the next day - Confirm what (if anything) needs to be done with the heating system before and after the event - Be sure someone leading or setting up the ritual has a church key j) Any printed hand-outs needed? k) If the event is part of a Sunday Worship Service, the office staff will need the following for the Order of Service - Any quotations or sayings - The names of the people leading the event / ritual - Any songs or hymns - The order in which you're doing things (and what they're called) - Offertory Music / Musician - Milestones candle-lighting ceremony - Readings - Closing words - Any artwork or image you want on the front cover
3. Set-up (be sure to give yourself plenty of time before-hand to set up)
	a) Chairs b) Info Table - CUUPS pamphlets - Future CUUPS events - Sign-up sheets - Other UU information c) UU Chalice & Candle d) Matches e) Other props (altars, lasers, sound, etc)
4. The Main Event
	a) Welcoming statement / opening - UUCE is... - CUUPs is... - We're here right now to... b) Announcements - the next solar festival is... - the next lunar festival is... - the next CUUPs organizational meeting is... - volunteers are needed to... c) Collection - We are a giving congregation and the money collected today will help pay for childcare, sanctuary maintenance, candles, etc. - pass the hat or place a collection cauldron at the front door d) Count the number of attendees e) Ritual (don't depart too much from the regular Sunday service format)
5. Closing
	a) Mingle time b) Seal up collection and place in Office c) Clean up e) Heat off
6. Post-ritual critique - What worked? - What could be improved? - What notes will we write for next moon / year

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