Covenant Groups

The Covenant Groups Program is a nation-wide UU adult education program.  It is  sometimes called Small Group Ministry, or Chalice Circles in other UU churches.  It’s an integral part of our adult education at South Church.  Small groups of 6-10 people commit to meet twice a month from mid-October through May. (There is an opportunity in January to revisit your commitment.  You can either stop at that time, or join a group if there is room.) These groups create small communities of inspiration and support within South Church.  Through interaction with each other, group members learn to listen deeply to themselves and others while they develop personal understandings of topics related to spiritual maturity and Unitarian Universalist principles.  Volunteers from the congregation facilitate group meetings.  We are always looking for new conveners.  If you are interested in becoming a convener, please contact one of the current conveners for more information.  

Our groups are designated as:

 1)  ZOOM ONLY.  These groups require no in-person meetings and offer people from a wide geographic area the ability to join. 

 2)  IN-PERSON. These groups will primarily meet in person.  If there is a Covid resurgence and it is not safe to meet in person, these groups will meet on Zoom as it seems best, by agreement among the facilitator and group members.  

As you are determining which group to select, sign up for a Zoom Only group if you think you may not be comfortable meeting in-person throughout this year—or if you prefer the zoom format or the day and time the group meets.

In past years, people have said this about their small groups:

 

  • It really helped with the isolation during this pandemic.  My small group was a lifesaver this past year.
  • I appreciated the format. It distills how to relate and gives us a form of communication to follow. The structure of the group creates safety and mutual respect.
  • I was surprised at how often I realized I had never thought about a subject we were asked to think about.
  • Small group let me share from the heart and gave me a sense of community in a time of transition. Also enjoyed deep listening and that helped me do more of that in general.
  • I was surprised by how much love there is.
  • We became spiritual friends.

Sign Ups

Sign ups begin mid-August and close early October. Small groups begin meeting in mid-October with specific dates dependent on their group’s schedule.  Group meeting dates can vary to work around holidays and other events. Once you have registered your convener will notify you of the first meeting and discuss the group’s meeting schedule as the year unfolds. 

There is a reset period during the last week of January in which group members can easily withdraw and new members can be added if there are places in a group.

If you’d like someone to talk with about the small groups and group registration process please contact Laurie Bilby at covenantgroups@southchurch-uu.org 

Here are our small groups for 2023-24:

1st and 3rd MON 9:30-11:30 amIn-person (Dover) - Dave Drucker

2nd and 4th MON 6-8 PM Zoom only - Mary Burke

1st and 3rd TUES 6:30-8:30 PMIn-person (Portsmouth) - Ann Sherpick

1st and 3rd WED 1-3 PMIn-person (Portsmouth)  - Joanne Holman

1st and 3rd WED 6-8 PM In-person (Portsmouth) - Lance Hellman

1st and 3rd THURS 1-3 PMIn-person (Portsmouth) - Bob Vaccaro

1st and 3rd SUN 8:30-9:50 amIn-person (South Church) - Laurie Bilby

To register click on the link below after August 20th and before October 8th and follow the directions:  www.southchurchsmallgroup.org.

You’ll be contacted by your group’s convener in mid-October with the details of your first meeting.

 

You can also use the QR code below to register! Covenant QR

More information, and some FAQs can be found HERE!