Practice Makes Possible Blog

Aspen tree forest w/ sign reading ''practice makes possible blog'

We believe the purpose of Congregational Life is to equip everyone in the congregation to live into their Spiritual Leadership. Here we share reflections to inspire and support Unitarian Universalists tending to Spiritual Leadership in themselves and their community.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 62.

  • A collage of autumnal gatherings from nature on a dark background.

    This month we are delighted to share a voice from our pews. Author Rumni Saha recently shared a version of this essay with her congregation, and sent a copy to our NER office as well. We asked her permission to share it with you. Doing so is a faithful risk by our sibling in faith, and Faithful...

    By Rumni Saha | September 27, 2023 | From Tending to Tradition
  • A wooden sign reading 'WELCOME WE ARE OPEN' hangs on twine from a bright blue, open door.

    My grandparents had a découpage plaque by their front door with President Kennedy’s famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” A simple collection of words I could read for years before I started to really consider what they meant, and what...

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | August 21, 2023 | From New England Region
  • A black and white photo from the March on Washington, with a crowd of protesters, the reflecting pool, and the Washington Monument in the background.

    A few weeks ago, I joined Joe, Meck, and our Region’s Spiritual Leadership for Culture Change Community of Practice (join anytime!) for a conversation on Tending Our Tradition through Reparations. We were looking at how this practice of Spiritual Leadership invites us to bring forward the gifts...

    By Hilary Allen | July 27, 2023 | From Tending to Tradition
  • A group of people sit on chairs together in a circle under the sun and trees.

    [This post is a follow up to "When We Wonder Together" (Practice Makes Possible - March 7, 2023)] In March, the theme for the bi-monthly gathering for our community of practice Spiritual Leadership for Culture Change (SL4CC) was "Discernment for Faithful Risking." We distinguished discernment fro...

    By Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan | June 21, 2023 | From Faithful Risking
  • A group of people sit on chairs together in a circle under the sun and trees.

    [This post is a follow up to "When We Wonder Together" (Practice Makes Possible - March 7, 2023)] In March, the theme for the bi-monthly gathering for our community of practice Spiritual Leadership for Culture Change (SL4CC) was "Discernment for Faithful Risking." We distinguished discernment fro...

    By Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan | June 21, 2023 | From Faithful Risking
  • Two dark hands pass off a silver baton on a black background.

    Among the things that has kept regional staff busy lately is conducting transition interviews. When a settled ministry ends, we meet with the departing minister to get their responses to a set of questions designed by the Transitions Office. We also meet with the board and ask them the same...

    By Meck Groot | May 31, 2023 | From Tending to Tradition
  • Welcome sign in multiple colors reading "all ages, all colors, all cultures, all genders" with a table, chairs, and white brick wall in the background.

    “Have you been to the bathroom yet?” It’s not the typical pre-workshop conversation my colleagues and I share as we set up projectors, easels, and workbooks for participants. My answer was no, so my colleague proceeded to describe what she found there. There was a beautiful painting in an...

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | March 7, 2023 | From Covenanting
    Tagged as: Covenant
  • Three people and two dogs wander in the distance in heavy fog. The image is in black and white.

    In our experience, most Unitarian Universalist congregations are not culturally predisposed to using discernment as a way to determine direction, focus or action. Our congregations generally use "the democratic process" in which group decisions are made by majority vote....

    By Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan | March 7, 2023 | From Faithful Risking
  • Three people and two dogs wander in the distance in heavy fog. The image is in black and white.

    In our experience, most Unitarian Universalist congregations are not culturally predisposed to using discernment as a way to determine direction, focus or action. Our congregations generally use "the democratic process" in which group decisions are made by majority vote....

    By Meck Groot, Joe Sullivan | March 7, 2023 | From Faithful Risking
  • A lit glass globe sits in a bed of stones and gems atop a dark glass chalice. The chalice is on maroon carpet.

    Each Sunday I step into the pulpit and call to worship the congregation sitting in the sanctuary of our 1842 New England Meetinghouse. The sanctuary is simple and elegant. Tall windows line each side, reaching up two stories to the high ceiling, with four chandeliers. The clear panes bring...

    By Ellen Spero | February 22, 2023 | From Covenanting
    Tagged as: Covenant