(10 minutes)

Materials

• Newsprint, markers, and wall-safe tape

Preparation

• For your own use, list the elements of covenant that you would like to suggest as the facilitator. You might include:
  • Speak from our own experiences and perspectives.
  • Be willing to learn, with the spirit of “a beginner’s mind,” even when we may bring some expertise.
  • Be responsible for our own participation and spiritual growth, with integrity and enthusiasm.
  • Listen generously to the experiences and perspectives of others, creating a supportive space for each person to learn.
  • Be mindful of “taking space and making space” to ensure that everyone has opportunities to speak and to listen.
  • Respect the confidentiality of personal information and stories shared here.
  • Gently hold one another accountable for creating a community of faithful practice.
  • Work with others to use what we learn to help further the mission of the congregation or the covenantal UU community.
• Post blank newsprint where all participants can see it. Title it “Our Covenant with One Another.”

Description

Explain to participants that covenants are a foundational aspect of liberal congregations, and the practice of establishing a covenant is an essential act of leadership.

Invite participants to suggest guidelines for how they will be with one another during the program. Write all suggestions on newsprint. When the group has no more suggestions, add any items from the list you prepared.

Ask participants if they would have concerns about or difficulty agreeing to any items listed. Discuss those items, and decide as a group whether to keep or eliminate them from the group covenant.

On a new sheet of newsprint, rewrite the covenant title and the agreed-on items. Read the covenant aloud, and ask for verbal assent from each participant. Optional: Invite participants to each sign the covenant.

Save the written covenant to post during future workshops.