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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  • A windowsill with a book in the foreground, "My First Wonder Woman Book" and a bag in the background, a hallway and doorways stretching into the distance.

    It’s September - time to welcome back our UU congregations returning for the 2024-2025 church year. Of course, not all of our congregations are on the agrarian / academic calendar, and whether we are returning to a brand new church year this month, or rolling into it from a busy summer of...

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | September 12, 2024 | From Covenanting
  • A vibrant landscape of a stream through thick forest with the sun shining through the trees in the distance.

    This church year, a small group of leaders and religious professionals from New England congregations gathered together as the Contexts Learning Community. We had a shared interest in exploring more deeply what is happening to church attendance and participation, especially amongst younger people...

    By Hilary Allen | August 14, 2024 | From Centering Gifts
  • The side of a church, showing a window with a broken shutter and a sign that reads 'Kingston First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist Est. 1717 ALL ARE WELCOME'.

    It will be Love that leads the course of healing for First Parish. A Love that will hold space for tears, for fear, for outrage and betrayal. A Love that will encourage (a word whose derivation is ‘to make strong’) the congregation toward not just healing, but growth.

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | July 12, 2024 | From Covenanting
  • The image reads '5 Ways to a Cool Cong. Summer!' in blue superimposed on a yellow starburst.

    Summer’s coming! Kick off those flip-flops and slather on the SPF! We’ve got five surefire tips to get more out of your congregational life this summer!

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | June 14, 2024 | From Covenanting
  • A close-up of white, fuzzy dandelion seeds spread out against a bright blue sky in the background.

    What is bringing you JOY? How can we make things EASIER for you? Last month, we focused on the first question. This other question - how can your congregation make things easier for you? - is both powerful and in a way, countercultural.

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | May 17, 2024 | From Practice Makes Possible Blog
  • A target is spray-painted onto wood blocks, with a hatchet hanging by the blade from the bullseye.

    What is bringing you JOY? How can we make things EASIER for you? What good questions for all of us. Whether we are parents, children, youth, or elders; whether we are long-time engaged volunteers, or occasional worship-goers, trust me-your congregation wants to know the answers to these questions.

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | April 15, 2024 | From Practice Makes Possible Blog
  • Welcome and a smiley face are written on a green chalkboard.

    The practice of Tending Our Tradition asks us to be stewards of Unitarian Universalism by bringing forward what remains liberatory and life-giving from our past while addressing the harms that have also been part of our story.

    By Erica Baron | March 15, 2024 | From Tending to Tradition
  • A row of tea lights are lit against a dark background, only the one in the foreground is in focus. The flames morph into hearts as they descend backwards.

    Love is the doctrine of this church….Love is the spirit of this place….We Side with Love…

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | January 29, 2024 | From Covenanting
  • From a perspective set above is a red and yellow hot air balloon against a grassy field.

    For those of you not embroiled in this particular time of year known as search season, now is when many of your sibling congregations have compiled their “records” to be shared with candidating ministers. It is a busy time of collating months of conversation and inward reflection about the...

    By Hilary Allen | December 14, 2023 | From Doing Our Inner Work
  • From above, seven people hold hands around a table before eating.

    We are a species wired for connection, for collaboration, for community; various fields of study have affirmed and documented this. But when did you know it? Maybe you were fortunate to grow up in a country, a culture, a church, a home where community was as central an element as water and air....

    By Wren Bellavance-Grace | November 29, 2023 | From Practice Makes Possible Blog