Chalice Circles

• Are you looking for something more than Sunday services and committee meetings?
• Are you looking for closer connections to other people in the congregation?
• Do you have too many activities and not enough time for reflection?
• Do you want to practice deep listening and respectful relationships?

In our society of frequent relocations, diminished family support, and massive demands on our time, many people come to church to find friends and community. Many also seek to be lifted out of the ordinary, to be drawn up from the mundane, and to find relief from the omnipresent materialism of our culture. Yet it can be difficult in the hubbub of coffee hour or the flurry of committee meetings to forge close connections with our fellow congregants and to make space for reflection and sharing on deeper issues.

Chalice Circles are an attempt to meet these needs. Chalice Circles are designed to allow participants to get to know one another -- experience intimacy -- while deepening their own spiritual growth through contemplation of topics of universal human significance such as how we live, what we believe, how we act, and what meaning we can decipher from the mystery of life -- experience ultimacy. Group members share thoughts, feelings, and life experiences through a process of self-exploration, attentive listening, and respectful practices that create open-hearted and open-minded engagement. Chalice Circles are small group ministries that enhance the quality of life of their members through the ongoing practice of right relationships with self, each other, and the wider world.

At UUCUV, Chalice Circles groups meet monthly from October through June at a variety of times. All groups meet at the Meeting House and are convened by members of the congregation who have been trained in the Chalice Circle model and who meet regularly with the minister. Groups are formed in September, but space is left for newcomers who wish to join a group during the year.

If you are interested in joining a group, please continue reading to learn what a Chalice Circle is and is not, to understand What Is the Commitment?, and to view a sample Chalice Circle session. To sign up for Chalice Circles, fill out the registration form and send it in.

There is a Chalice Circle group waiting to welcome you!