Within the Group

PDF of Covenant of Right Relationship [Revised-9/23/09]

Respect,Consideration,and Support

• Begin and end on time.
• Have a strong commitment to attend every session.
• Let the facilitator know when you will not attend.
• Practice respectful listening and sharing of “air time” by listening to each person’s check in and sharing of the topic without interruption or cross talk (silent empathy).
• The facilitator and group members will call the group back to the covenant when needed.
• Respect the right to pass.  A person may choose to talk later, or to sit/share in silence.

Empathy and Understanding    

Small Group Ministry Steering Committee 2010 Rev. Stephen A. Ames  (541) 686-2775 Brian Lewis  (541) 870-6658 Dick Loescher   (chair) (541) 485-1157 Leora White   (541) 337-5001   Facilitators 2010 Cassiel, Marika 541-302-4927 Clark, Dorothy 541-342-2013 Coleman, Bob 541-461-0956 Cummings, Rachel 541-485-7561 Fishcrup, Lyn 541-653-8922 Gilbert, Leslie 541-520-2624 Loescher, Dick 541-485-1157 Moses, Sandy 541-484-3960 Newman, Connie 541-343-6813

• Speak from personal experience and use “I” statements.
• Refrain from giving advice or trying to fix problems (yours or someone else’s).

Trust and Safety

• Confidentiality:  keep what is shared in the group within the group.  The facilitator is considered to be a “mandatory reporter” to appropriate authorities for suspected abuse or neglect of vulnerable people, or other risks for people’s safety.
• Follow the meeting format.  It provides a safe and predictable environment.

Learning and Contribution

• Remember we are all learners and teachers.       

From the Group to the Church

Respect, Consideration, and Support

• Affirm and promote the principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the UUCE mission statement.
• Do a service project for the church or the larger community.   
  

From the Church to the Group

Nurturance and Support        

• Provide the organizational and logistical support to maintain the Small Group Ministry program.

Optional Meeting Strategies  

• Use a “talking stick or object” to indicate who is talking and when the person is finished.
• Indicate when one is done talking with a gesture or a phrase such as “I am finished”.
• For time management consider having a clock visible to the person speaking for self-monitoring of time, or have a timekeeper or use a timer to indicate when the allotted time for a person’s sharing is reached.
• Save time for response and dialog after all have shared.
  

  
  Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene
  Small Group Ministry Program
  [Revised by the Small Group Ministry Steering Committee
  (Rev. Stephen A. Ames, Brian Lewis, Dick Loescher, Leora White) 9/23/09]

Revised 10-14-09
per Dick Loescher

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