Opening

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Worship table or designated space
  • Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle
  • A copy of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook
  • Participant evaluations from previous workshop
  • List of this workshop's Goals
  • Covenant established in Workshop 1

Preparation for Activity

  • Practice reading "Wild Geese," by Mary Oliver (Reading 490 in Singing the Living Tradition) aloud.
  • If you have taken a significant break since Workshop 13, be prepared to remind participants of the content of that workshop.
  • Review participant evaluations from the previous workshop. Discuss with your co-facilitators any patterns or concerns that have emerged. Prepare to briefly share feedback with the group, while keeping confidentiality.

Description of Activity

Light the chalice or invite a participant to light it while you read "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver aloud. Do not read this responsively.

If you have taken a significant break since Workshop 13, remind participants of what transpired in that workshop.

Share feedback from the previous workshop evaluations. Acknowledge shared patterns and observations to give participants a sense of how people in the group are thinking and feeling about the program. Be conscientious about maintaining confidentiality. One technique is to say, "Some people felt... ," rather than saying, "One of you felt... ." If time allows, invite participants to share one-minute observations or new insights they may have gained since the last workshop.

Remind participants of the spirit of their covenant and invite them to reaffirm their agreement to abide by the covenant.

Share the goals of this workshop.