Workshop 2: From "I" to "We"

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition: Developing Lay Leadership

This workshop focuses on the relationships that are the center of our congregations, beginning with a deeper exploration of covenant. Participants examine their congregational culture to discover which voices and perspectives are at the center of congregational life, which are on the margins, and why that matters.

In This Section

Introduction to Workshop 2
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

This workshop focuses on the relationships that are the center of our congregations, beginning with a deeper exploration of covenant.
Opening
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

Gather the group in a circle. Invite each person in turn to say their name and pronouns, and, if they wish, to share anything that has come up for them as they thought more deeply about their own leadership story or their “What Is My Faith?” creation.
Activity 1: What Is Covenant?
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

(25 minutes) Materials Newsprint, markers, and wall-safe tape Group covenant from Workshop 1 Handout 1, Congregational Covenants Preparation Obtain a copy of your congregation’s covenant (if you have one). Add the text to Handout 1, Congregational Covenants. Copy Handout 1 for all participants.
Activity 2: Mattering and Marginality
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

This activity is adapted from an exercise developed by Dr. L. Lee Knefelkamp, described in “Integrating Jewish Issues into the Teaching of Psychology” by Evelyn Torton Beck, Julie L. Goldberg, and L. Lee Knefelkamp, Chapter 17 in Teaching Gender and Multicultural Awareness (edited by Phyllis Bronstein and Kathryn Quina
Activity 3: From “I” to “We”
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

(30 minutes) Materials Newsprint, markers, and wall-safe tape Handout 2, “I” to “We”: From Individualism to Collective Identity Preparation Copy Handout 2 for all participants. Decide which areas of your congregational culture you will ask each group of three to consider….
Activity 4: The Margin, the Center
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

(25 minutes) Materials Newsprint, markers, and wall-safe tape Handout 3, The Margin, the Center Participants’ copies of Handout 2, “I” to “We”: From Individualism to Collective Identity Preparation Copy Handout 3 for all participants. Description Invite participants to remember the…
Faith in Action: Seeking Voices from the Margins
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

Ask yourself what groups, constituencies, or individuals in your congregation might consider themselves to be “on the margins.” Compare your reflections with those of other congregational leaders. Together, consider the voices that may be missing or muted as your congregation makes decisions about direction.
Closing
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

(5 minutes) Preparation Optional: Customize the Taking It Home handout for your group before emailing or photocopying it. Copy Taking It Home for all participants, or plan to email it. Description Distribute copies of Taking It Home or tell the group when you will email it. Thank participants for…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

Consider and discuss these questions with your co-facilitator: Looking at each activity in this workshop, what worked as well as or better than you had anticipated? What did not work as well as you had anticipated? What issues came up for you, personally, in trying any activity yourself? What came up in the process?
Taking It Home: From "I" to "We"
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

Take-home suggestions and resources for participants in Workshop 2 of Harvest the Power, 2nd edition.
Alternate Activity 1: News You Can UUse
From Harvest the Power, 2nd Edition

In this activity, small groups write brief pieces describing the doings of their 10-years-in-the-future congregation, one that actively cultivates a “we” culture and puts relationship at the center of its religious and spiritual practice.