Guide written by Sofia Betancourt.
This guide was made possible by a grant from the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.
Guide also available in PDF format (requires
free reader).
Contents
Introduction
"Spirituality" is a word that gets a lot of contemporary
usage, yet does not have a single, agreed upon mean;ng. For many
of us it invokes a sense of religiosity that goes beyond the measures
and boundaries of doctrines and creeds. Spirituality can be about
the process of living as a person of a particular faith. It can
also focus on the broader notion of how humanity lives and struggles
with the major questions of life. How do we take our teachings,
theories, practices and beliefs and apply them to the wider world?
For Unitarian Universalists, spirituality reflects the diversity
of personal belief found in our congregations and therefore has
a wide range of meanings. In A Chosen Faith: An Introduction
to Unitarian Universalism, Rev. John Buehrens explains that
Unitarian Universalists work to balance mind and spirit in the their
everyday wrestling with the questions of life:
Unitarian Universalism aspires to a special form of religious community-one in which individuals are never asked to check their minds at the church door, but in which they offer one another the possibility of rediscovering an authentic and personal spirituality. We remind ourselves that how we live does matter, even after we die. We are related, forever, to one another. (John A.Buehrens in "Mind and Spirit," A Chosen Faith, p. 169)
When giving a working definition during her workshop on small group
ministry at the Pacific Central District Assembly of 2001, Rev.
Rachel Anderson reminded us that the term "spirituality"
can raise tension in our congregations. She highlighted the importance
of using broad understandings of spirituality so that everyone,
from humanists to theists, would find room to enter into the conversation.
With these concerns in mind, she defined spirituality as having
a "sense of, or experiencing, something larger than yourself."
This "something larger" takes many forms, each of them
distinct and precious as the individual people who join our worship
communities. How then, do we go about sharing our personal sense
of spirituality? How do we come to a sense of innate knowing about
our own beliefs and experiences of life?
In The Force of Spirit, Scott Russell Sanders invites us
into a time of his life when he is intimately examining the ultimate
questions. He prefers the word "Spirit" for his something
larger, "because the word seems to catch the lightness, radiance,
and wind-like subtlety of the power that [he] seek[s]." (p.
3) It is in his poignant and personal reflections on life that Sanders
educates us about how personal stories and memories help us to understand
life's greatest mysteries. His collection of essays is a stirring
invitation to take stock of our own beliefs and to receive the gifts
of learning that our lives offer us.
The purpose of this discussion program is to provide a framework
for Unitarian Universalist discussion groups to share ideas about:
- Unitarian Universalist spirituality;
- the value of our life experiences and what they have to teach
us; how our beliefs and values have changed during our lifetimes;
and
- how our personal stories can help us in examining our own spirituality.
This program encourages the participation of adults of all ages.
We offer it with the hope that it creates a safe space for personal
sharing and reflection on the call of spirit in our lives.
back to contents
GETTING STARTED
Promote the Program
Many congregations have a number of resources for publicizing new
programs in the community. It is always a good idea to create flyers
and post notices on bulletin boards and in newsletters. Announcements
during meetings and services help spread the word. Some congregations
promote new programs by organizing "Kick-off Sundays," which include a sermon by a minister or lay leader about a related
topic.
You might consider targeting specific groups to embark on this
journey. For example, discussion groups or support groups for new
members and worship associates might have a particular interest
in this program. This series is ideally suited for use in covenant
groups (small group ministry), adult religious education classes,
and book clubs. The program might serve as an opportunity to expand
your relationship with other congregations in your area. Consider
inviting members of other churches to join you in this program,
and use it to build bridges between your communities.
Adjust the Format as Needed
This program includes reading, reflection and participation in
three two-hour discussion sessions. We recommend a group size of
no more than ten people. While the discussion guide offers specific
questions, readings and activities, feel free to adapt the program
to your own needs. You can substitute your own questions, adapt
those that are provided here and add thoughts of your own.
Provide a Comfortable Setting
Hold the session in a comfortable, well-lit setting, preferably
with cushioned chairs arranged in a circle. Some discussions will
be carried out in small groups of two to four people, so it is important
to find a space that will enable uninterrupted discussion for small
groups as well as for the larger group. The discussion sessions
call for information to be recorded on newsprint, so you will need
newsprint, markers, and adequate wall space or easels to display
what has been written. Bring nametags for participants to use. You
might ask volunteers to provide refreshments and perhaps a light
snack.
Do your best to hold the sessions in a room that is wheelchair
accessible. Make sure that
the circle of chairs leaves enough space for those using mobility
devices. When people register, it's a good idea to ask them if they
have particular accessibility needs. When you promote the workshop,
tell people that you will do your best to accommodate their accessibility
needs (such as large print materials) if they provide advance notice.
However, if your space is not wheelchair accessible, let people
know. Offer to strategize solutions with them.
Involve the Group in Setting the Tone
The group should take responsibility for creating an environment
that is welcoming and conducive to open dialogue. Bring to the group's
attention the importance of active listening, thoughtful responses
and mutual respect. Also, note that occasional silences are acceptable.
Use people's own experiences as a way to ground the discussion when
it threatens to become too abstract.
Some people have a tendency to be more vocal than others. If a
few people clearly dominate the conversation, you might need to
open a space for those who have not had a chance to speak to do
so if they wish.
As a discussion leader, it is important to establish a balance
between too much control and too little direction. It will be important
to be responsive in your leadership and draw people out, yet keep
the discussion on track.
We suggest that the group draft a set of ground rules at the beginning
of the first session, post them on newsprint, and review them at
the beginning of the second and third sessions. If all participants
give input, everyone will be accountable to the group's needs. Common
ground rules include:
- maintain confidentiality- don't repeat personal stories outside
of the group;
- make personal ("I") statements-don't speak for others;
- give full attention to the person who is speaking; use inclusive
language - be aware of the light/dark dichotomy used by Sanders
in his writing; and
- turn off pagers and cell phones during the program.
Prepare for the First Session
Ask participants to read Scott Russell Sanders' The Force of
Spirit in its entirety before the first session. Encourage them
to keep a journal of their thoughts and reactions while reading
the book, and throughout the course of the program. Let them know
that they will be encouraged to bring in their own life experiences
and spiritual beliefs to share with the group, as well as to reflect
on the feelings catalyzed by Sanders' writing. Remind participants
to bring Sanders' book and their journals with them to the meetings.
Contact your minister or Worship Committee to inform them that
the group will be creating a worship service as one of their activities.
Find out if there is a standard method for planning lay-led services
in the church (or churches if there are multiple congregations involved).
Work with the minister or Worship Committee to ensure that this
act of sharing the results of the program with the larger community
goes smoothly.
Evaluate the Program
Two evaluation forms are provided in the last pages of this guide.
Participant Evaluation Forms should be distributed at the end of
the final session so participants can give feedback to group leaders.
(Note that questions 7 and 8 on the form give leaders a chance to
pose their own questions to participants.) Also, be sure to send
Beacon Press your completed Leader Evaluation Form. We are striving
to meet the program needs of UU congregations, and your continued
feedback and suggestions will bring us a long way toward reaching
our goal. We really want to hear from you!
back to contents
SESSION ONE
Materials: Newsprint, markers, masking tape, chalice, candle,
matches, UUA Hymnal (Singing the Living Tradition, Boston:
UUA, 1993), paper, pens, nametags
Welcome and Opening Check-In (30 min.)
Welcome participants and thank them for coming.
Make sure that everyone knows where to find restrooms, water fountains,
and other necessities. Encourage people to share their accessibility
needs now or throughout the program. Introduce yourself and the
program, offering time for questions. Circulate a sheet of paper
so that people can write down contact information for your records.
Light the Chalice. Share reading #665 from the UUA Hymnal (Singing
the Living Tradition), or another reading of your choosing.
Allow a short time of silence before continuing.
Explain to participants that before you begin, you would like
the group to establish ground rules.
Tell them that ground rules are used to make a safe space for
personal sharing. Ask a volunteer to record the group's suggested
guidelines on newsprint. If certain rules you find important are
not mentioned, suggest them yourself (see "Getting Started" for common ground rules). Once the group has finished brainstorming
ideas, check to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the
ground rules. Ask participants if they are willing to enter into
a covenant to abide by the rules they have created. If this is already
a covenant group, or a group that meets regularly outside of this
particular series, take this time to review your current ground
rules and see if the group wishes to change them in any way.
Tell participants that every session will begin with a check-in.
Ask that the sharing go around the circle, with people offering
a brief description of how they are doing. If the program is scheduled
right after a busy time of day you may want to suggest a theme for
the check-in, to help people make the transition to group work.
For this first session, ask that participants introduce themselves
and state their expectations for the program. Make sure that everyone
has a nametag. Possible ideas for check-in themes include:
- sharing an image from Sanders' essays that particularly moved
you;
- sharing a short memory that came to mind when reading The
Force of Spirit;
- sharing a brief reflection from your journaling; or
- sharing a snapshot from your day that could be transformed into
a reflective essay.
back to contents
Small Group Discussion: Why This Moment?
(15 min.)
Separate into groups of 2 or 3 people. Allow each person about
5 minutes to share.
Scott Russell Sanders describes the moment of turning 50 in the
year 2000 as a time when it became impossible for him to ignore
the fundamental questions of life. For him it was the entering of
a new millennium, starting his second half-century, having his children
leave the house and marry, and experiencing deaths in the family
that ignited the fire of inquiry in him. What is it about this time
in your life that encouraged you to enter into this discussion series?
back to contents
Large Group Sharing: Who Are We and Why
Are We Here? (25 min.)
What were the common themes that presented themselves in your small
groups? Were these themes also found in the weaving of Sanders'
essays? Are there specific types of life events; liminal periods
such as births, coming of age, marriages, and deaths; or concerns
that most promote spiritual reflection? What are the main questions
inspired by life? (Refer to Sanders' list on the top of p. 2
if there is a lag in the conversation.)
Break (5 min.)
Invite participants to take 5 minutes to stretch, get refreshments,
and use the bathrooms.
back to contents
Writing Exercise: Reflecting on Something
Larger than Ourselves (30 min.)
In his first essay, "The Force of Spirit," Sanders
writes:
I want a name for the force that
keeps Earl McClure asking questions while the tide of life withdraws
from him....This power is larger than life, although it contains
life. It's tougher than love, although it contains love....I
recognize this force at work in children puzzling over a new
fact, in grown-ups welcoming strangers, in our capacity, young
and old, for laughter and kindness, for mercy and imagination.
(pp. 14-15)
Sanders knows that he may upset both theists and nontheists with
his words. And yet he states, "I must run those risks, for
I cannot understand the world, cannot understand my life, without
appealing to the force of spirit." (p. 15)
Ask the group to spend about 10 minutes journaling. Tell people
that they will be invited to share, but that they will not be required
to. Use the quotations above to introduce this topic to the participants.
Think about the question of your ultimate concern-your idea of the
force (or forces) that drives us to examine the questions of life.
Write a brief reflection on your feelings and ideas, and how they
have evolved with time.
After the writing, invite people to read a part of their journal
entry aloud. They can also share what came up for them without reading
aloud, if they prefer. Remind the group that their writing need
not be perfect. Sanders' prose is a challenging example of beautiful
writing.
Reflection on the Session (10 min.)
Encourage participants to go around the circle and offer a few
sentences on how this session was for them.
What was particularly moving? What was challenging? Is there anything
that the group should bear in mind for the next meeting?
Closing Reading
Thank the participants for their presence and participation.
Close with reading #700 from the UUA Hymnal (Singing the Living
Tradition) or with another reading of your choosing.
Extinguish the chalice. Ask for volunteers to help restore
the room to its original state.
back to contents
SESSION TWO
Materials: Newsprint, markers, masking tape, chalice, candle,
matches, UUA Hymnal(Singing the Living Tradition, Boston:
UUA, 1993), paper, pens
Chalice Lighting and Check-In (15 min.)
To open this session, light the chalice and read #528 from the
UUA Hymnal (Singing the Living Tradition) or another selection
of your choosing. Allow a short time of silence before continuing.
After the reading, ask people to go around the circle and share
briefly. Have people checkin quickly and if they wish, invite them
to share a moment when they learned something from hearing another's
story since the last session.
back to contents
Small Group Discussions (45 min.)
Let participants know that they will be meeting in small groups
for three fifteen-minute sessions, sharing personal stories with
one another. Tell them that a break will follow the three sessions.
Encourage participants to meet with different people in each mini-session
in order to have a chance to share with most of the group.
SMALL GROUP 1: THE INTERDEPENDENT WEB OF ALL EXISTENCE (15 min.)
Sanders' essays are rich with natural imagery, and lessons are
gained through time spent in nature. He uses nature to illustrate
life, death, memory, spirit and social justice.
Separate into groups of 2 or 3 people.
Ask participants to spend five minutes each sharing a story from
their lives that illustrates something they learned from the natural
world, or an understanding of our seventh principle (Respect for
the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part)
that is meaningful to them.
SMALL GROUP 2: RELATIONSHIPS (15 min.)
Sanders takes us on a journey where we celebrate and commemorate
relationships with others through life experiences. In The Force
of Spirit, he writes of parenting, being parented, marriage
and teaching. He illustrates how those relationships shape us, defining
who we are and what we can become.
Separate into groups of 2 or 3 people.
Ask people to group with participants who were not in their first
small group. Invite them to spend five minutes each sharing a story
from their lives that illustrates a deepening of a relationship
and how they were changed by that connection.
SMALL GROUP 3: DEATH AND LOSS (15 min.)
Sanders blesses us with beautifully intense writing on his experiences
with death and the questions raised by those events.
Separate into groups of 2 or 3 people.
Ask participants to vary their groups yet again. Invite them to
spend five minutes each sharing a story from their lives that deals
with death, dying or loss. Their stories can also focus on the memory
of someone they have lost.
Break (5 min.)
Invite participants to take 5 minutes to stretch, get refreshments,
and use the bathrooms. Let them use this time to prepare themselves
to return to the larger group for processing.
back to contents
Large Group Discussion: Sharing Our Stories
(30 min.)
In "The Power of Stories," Sanders gives us ten
reasons for telling stories:
They entertain us. They create community.
They help us to see through the eyes of other people. They show
us the consequences of our actions. They educate our desires.
Stories help us to dwell in place. They help us to dwell in
time. They help us to deal with suffering, loss, and death.
They teach us how to be human. And stories acknowledge the wonder
and mystery of Creation. (p. 85)
How did it feel to hear the stories of the other members of your
small groups? What was it like to open windows on your life to other
people? How did the stories shared illustrate our grappling with
the ultimate questions of life? What is the importance of sharing
our stories, and how can we work personal sharing into the ministry
of our broader community?
Preparing for the Next Session (10 min.)
Tell the group that the next session will be a cooperative project
to prepare a worship service for the wider community that focuses
on life stories as tools for wrestling with spirituality.
Ask them to think about the last two sessions, and how they could
share some of what they have accomplished with the larger congregation
(if the group is made up of members of multiple congregations, ask
them if they would be willing to offer the service at each church).
Encourage participants to include in their journal any thoughts
on readings, hymns and overall structure that occur to them before
your next meeting
Reflection on the Session (10 min.)
Encourage participants to go around the circle and each offer
a few sentences on how this session was for them.
What was particularly moving? What was challenging? Is there anything
that the group should bear in mind for the next meeting?
Closing
Close with reading #680 from the UUA Hymnal (Singing the
Living Tradition) or with another reading selection of your choosing.
Extinguish the chalice. Ask for volunteers to help restore the room
to its original state
back to contents
SESSION THREE
Materials: Newsprint, markers, masking tape, chalice, candle,
matches, UUA Hymnal(Singing the Living Tradition, Boston:
UUA, 1993), paper, pens, photocopies of the Participant Evaluation
Form
Chalice Lighting and Check-In (15 min.)
To open this session, light the chalice and share reading #529
from the UUA Hymnal (Singing the Living Tradition) or another
selection of your choosing. Allow a short time of silence before
continuing.
After the reading, ask people to go around the circle and share
briefly. Have participants check-in quickly and if they wish, invite
them to share a short description of a moment in worship that for
them was profound.
back to contents
Large Group Discussion: The Worship Experience
(30 min.)
In his final essay, "Silence," Sanders offers
a snapshot of worship that for him is transformational. He writes,
I often yearn, as I did that morning, to withdraw
from all our schemes and formulas, to escape from the obsessive
human story, to slip out of my own small self and meet the great
Self, the nameless mystery at the core of being. (p. 159)
What are the components of worship that are transformational for
you? How could we best address the issues that we have been exploring
in a worship service? Is there a way that, through the usage of
story, we could provide a setting for an exploration of spirituality
for the wider congregation?
Break (5 min.)
Invite participants to take 5 minutes to stretch, get refreshments,
and use the bathrooms.
back to contents
Focus Groups: The Components of Worship
(20 min.)
Split into groups of 2 to 3 people.
Ask participants to choose a focus group (readings, music or message)
based on their interests and their journaling since the last session.
Using the themes and ideas brought up in the large group, gather
ideas about readings, music or the message for a worship service.
For the message, suggest using a mélange of voices, a blending
of stories to best illustrate the themes and ideas of the group.
Remind participants that a worship service does not require that
a single person preach from the pulpit.
back to contents
Weaving the Worship (30 min.)
Return to the larger group, and begin by having participants
share the work of the focus groups.
You will most likely find that the work of the focus groups blends
well together. Use this time to finesse the service, giving it an
order, and utilizing a standard order of service from your church
to help the group with worship structure. The group may need to
meet again outside of the discussion program to finalize their work.
Suggest a meeting with the minister or Worship Committee before
the order of service is finalized.
Reflection on the Series (15 min.)
Encourage participants to go around the circle and offer a few
sentences on their feelings about the program.
What was particularly moving? What was challenging? Is there any
feedback that they would offer for improvements to the program overall?
Use this time to ask people to fill out their participant evaluation
forms.
Closing
Close with reading #680 from the UUA Hymnal (Singing the
Living Tradition) or with another reading selection of your choosing.
Extinguish the chalice. Thank participants for their sharing,
enthusiasm and participation. Ask for volunteers to help restore
the room to its original state.
back to contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank the following people for their support on
this project:
Devorah Greenstein, Julia Watts and Sofía Betancourt of Starr
King School for the Ministry; Advisory Committee: Donna Bivens,
Co-Director, Women's Theological Center; Rev. Nancy Bowen, Clara
Barton District Consultant; Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley,
Adult Programs Director, UUA Dept. of Religious Education; Jacqui
James, Anti-Oppression Programs and Resources Director, UUA Dept.
of Religious Education; Rev. Meg Riley, Director of UUA Washington
Office, Dept. for Faith in Action
We are grateful for assistance from the New Hampshire Vermont,
Pacific Northwest, Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Priestley, Pacific Central,
and Northeast Districts and for support from the Unitarian Universalist
Veatch Program at Shelter Rock.
For further reading we recommend the following Beacon books:
Come as You Are: Reflections on the Revelations of Everyday Life,
by G. Peter Fleck
The Miracle of Mindfulness, by Thich
Nhat Hahn
A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, by
John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church
The Pleasure of Their Company, by Doris Grumbach
back to contents