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Rehearsing the choir for Christmas Eve service \u2013 First Universalist Unitarian Church, Wausau<\/p><\/div>\n
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Singing with the tenor section \u2013 newVoices Choir, Appleton, WI<\/p><\/div>\n
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Leading worship at the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Appleton, WI<\/p><\/div>\n
Lifespan Faith Formation<\/u><\/p>\n
I envision my ministry firmly embedded in life-long faith development by which I mean that all aspects of ministry and congregational life are interrelated and grounded in the mission and vision of the congregation.\u00a0 Worship services are the one place we come together often as a community and they are designed with the idea that although we are all on different faith journeys, we are supported by community and congregational life.<\/p>\n
Worship services should be augmented by a vibrant small group ministry.\u00a0 I use the phrase \u201csmall group\u201d in a very broad sense. I think of small groups as being both internally and externally focused and encompassing all age groups and areas of congregational life.\u00a0 Because our congregants connect into congregational life in a variety of ways, our building and calendar should be filled with diverse activities to help us grow our spirits to help heal the world.\u00a0 To provide a deeper sense of how a diversity of small group opportunities enables the ministry I hope for, I offer a list of possibilities, both internally focused and externally-focused, with which I have become familiar:<\/p>\n
Internally focused:<\/strong><\/p>\n Spiritually based <\/strong>small groups gather for meditations and religious ceremonies in addition to the usual weekly worship services.\u00a0 Examples are meditation groups drawn to specific traditions like Buddhist sanghas, Christian bible studies, Neo-pagan circles, New Age mystic gatherings, and Native American drumming circles.\u00a0 Other examples might be celebrations of world religious holydays like Christmas, Passover Seder, or Winter Solstice.<\/p>\n Learning based <\/strong>small groups are focused on intellectual and skill development.\u00a0 Good examples are themed discussion groups which engage in general topics like UU History, ethics, or book clubs. Or they may be devoted to more specific issue\/topic based discussions on things like homelessness, racism, or environmentalism. These small groups might be formal training classes on topics such as stewardship development, \u201cBeyond Categorical Thinking\u201d, \u201cBeloved Conversations\u201d, healthy congregations, welcoming congregations, or an introduction to Unitarian Universalism for those new to our faith.<\/p>\n Experiential based <\/strong>small groups are designed for community building include exercise classes, sports, choir\/music, theater, crafts, building maintenance\/remodeling, game nights, and lock-ins.<\/p>\n Congregational management<\/strong> consists of small groups like the governing board, the staff, committees and special teams.\u00a0 The people who serve in this way should consider their work ministry to the congregation as well as to each other.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Youth programing<\/strong> is very important to my ministry.\u00a0 I consider it to be a form of small group ministry focused on those in the normative 0-18 year old developmental range. (Note that because everyone develops at different rates, this does not necessarily mean there is a direct correlation to age range.)\u00a0 Youth programming should incorporate aspects of the spiritual, learning, and experiential small groups listed above, just modified for a younger audience.\u00a0\u00a0 I hope the ministry of my congregation offers youth programming that extends beyond traditional \u201cReligious Education\u201d.<\/p>\n Externally focused: <\/strong><\/p>\n Social action<\/strong> focused small groups support charitable activities such as shelters, fund raisers for the less fortunate, or community gardens.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Social justice<\/strong> small groups are driven by activities such as witnessing, petition drives, organizing, and partnering with other agencies to lift up social justice issues and ways to address them.<\/p>\n Interfaith<\/strong> partnering is an area I believe Unitarian Universalists should be naturally drawn to support.\u00a0 Our interfaith small groups should demonstrate leadership in the interfaith community.<\/p>\n A mentor at Coming of Age retreat \u2013 Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Appleton, WI<\/p><\/div>\n Pastoral Care<\/u><\/p>\n I seek to be a counselor, compassionate listener, holder of vulnerabilities, and healer, so that each of us knows we are loved and that we can be in healthy relationship with each other. I expect to provide this as a team with other lay ministers, (lay leaders with extensive training), and a caring committee.<\/p>\n Throughout my life, I have been told that I\u2019m very approachable.\u00a0 People from all walks of life and of all ages feel comfortable sharing their feelings with me, asking nothing more than that I hold them confidentially.\u00a0 During my Clinical Pastoral Education unit, I chose to be a chaplain to those on the memory care and ventilator wings of my facility, the most challenging.\u00a0 These experiences taught me the valuable lesson that often just being really present with someone is enough to help them feel loved and cared for.<\/p>\n Leading a discussion \u2013 Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Appleton, WI<\/p><\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/revjimcoakley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Picture7.jpg\")
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