Workshop 5: How Are Decisions Made? Governance and Polity Part of The New UU In This Section Introduction From The New UU The meaning of freedom and tolerance is revealed more clearly by the way people behave than by the generalizations they utter.... Workshop-at-a-Glance From The New UU Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 2 Activity 1: What a Free Church Means to Me 10 Activity 2: The Founding of the Dedham Church 25 Activ... Spiritual Preparation From The New UU Consider your own history of participating in congregational governance. What roles have you held? How have you felt about your participation?... Welcoming and Entering From The New UU Materials for Activity Name tags, durable or single use Bold markers Paper and pen/pencil for sign-up sheet Small table Optional: Refreshments Preparati... Opening From The New UU Activity time: 2 minutes Materials for Activity Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, for all participants Chalic... Activity 1: What a Free Church Means to Me From The New UU Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Post blank newsprint. Description of Activity... Activity 2: The Founding of the Dedham Church From The New UU Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Story, "The Founding of the Dedham Church" Preparation for Activity Print out the story "The Founding o... Activity 3: Covenants Within and Beyond Our Congregation From The New UU Activity time: 35 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Background on Congregational Polity Newsprint, markers, and tape Copies of Singing t... Activity 4: Learning from Leadership From The New UU Activity time: 15 minutes Preparation for Activity Invite the president, or a past president, of the congregation to address the group for no more than ... Closing From The New UU Activity time: 3 minutes Materials for Activity Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, or copies of Singing the Journey (supplement to the hymnbook), f... Leader Reflection and Planning From The New UU Review with your co-facilitator(s) how each activity went. What worked well? What might you do differently another time? Review the Parking Lot questions. Alternate Activity 1: Covenant as Promise From The New UU Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Covenant as Promise Newsprint, markers, and tape Pens or pencils Optional: Your congregation... Alternate Activity 2: Our Congregation's Organizational Structure From The New UU Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, Our Congregation's Structure Organizational chart or summary for your congregation... The Founding of the Dedham Church From The New UU From Our Covenant: The 2000-01 Minns Lectures, The Lay and Liberal Doctrine of the Church: The Spirit and the Promise of Our Covenant, by Alice Blair... Handout 1: Covenant as Promise From The New UU A covenant is not a contract, but rather a voluntary relationship.... Leader Resource 1: Background on Congregational Polity From The New UU The idea of congregational self-governance developed on this continent because the Puritans who arrived from Europe wanted to have responsibility for th... Leader Resource 2: Our Congregation's Structure From The New UU Talk with lay leadership and the minister to discover the answers to these questions. This discovery process will give you a starting point for... Find Out More From The New UU Governance for Unitarian Universalist Congregations is a handbook which has information about both the history and practice of governance. Go… and... PREVIOUS: Find Out More UP: The New UU NEXT: Introduction Download all of The New UU (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.