Rev. Michael McGee & Rev. Linda Olson Peebles, Team Ministers,
UU Church of Arlington, Virginia
Participant: "The small group has been important in my life.
As a new member it helped me to learn more about Unitarian Universalism
in general, and the people of the congregation. Early on I felt
more connected to the church quicker that I would have just going
to church on Sundays. Also, while the groups aren't therapy sessions,
by sharing our concerns and joys it eased the difficult time I
going through with the divorce."
Participant: It's been wonderful to get to know the people in
my small group. We support each other well, and enjoy good company.
We've learned a lot about our strengths, weaknesses, opinions,
beliefs, travels, histories, families, friends, heartaches, and
joys. It is a wonderful program that is developing better people,
and a stronger and larger community of UUs.
Participant: This has meant fellowship and insight to me. Every
two weeks I anticipate a time to experience intimacy and nurture
my spirituality.
Participant: I have been satisfied with and have enjoyed participating
in small group. After years of being part of the church I finally
actually know important things about some wonderful folks. And,
they know some important things about me. The fellowship has filled
a great void in my life; also, the topics are stimulating and
thought provoking. We are very fortunate to have this opportunity
in our lives.
Participant: I have found myself able to talk frankly regarding
my own feelings, something I do rarely within my family. I am
also impressed with the ability to LISTEN demonstrated by all
the members and the confidence of each person that the group is
truly listening to them.
Participant: These are positive experiences; sharing life stories
and sharing views, with quite different philosophies on the topics
in many cases.
Participant: A great chance to stop, breathe, and focus on questions
and topics that allow for personal and spiritual growth. Discussions
have been intimate and beneficial. It has been a time to talk
about spiritual matters — a nice break during the
week.
Participant: SGM has provided me with opportunities for really
knowing eight other people in ways I didn't know them before.
We are sharing our spiritual journeys in very personal and intimate
ways every time we meet.
Participant: I thought SGM might lead to more social events with
members of my group, i.e. more phone calls, emails, lunches, movies,
dinners, etc., and I was very anxious about that possibility.
However, to my great relief, this did not happen except once.
I love the intentional, spiritual, time-limited period for small
groups ministry, every two weeks, with no expectation or offshoots
into more socializing. I like the universality of our discussion
questions and the fact that the more I learn about all the individuals
in my small group, the more I am aware of the similarities we
all share as part of the condition of our being human.
Participant: I felt pretty lost and outside of the church. Having
meet the people in my group in their homes and gotten to know
their stories gives me a deeper connection to them and the church
itself. I know them and I like that they know me as well.
Participant: It has challenged my thinking covering many spiritual
topics. It has supported me emotionally. It has nurtured my soul
It has made me feel part of a community of wonderful, caring people.
Participant: Small Group Ministry has given me a great sense
of belonging to a community.
Participant: Interesting, pleasant social interchange. I would
rather more time on intellectualizing, chewing a topic to death
rather than extensive check-in time.
Participant: The important thing to me about being a part of
the Small Group Ministry has been the sense of community that
has developed. During the year we have shared many meaningful
parts of our lives: the death of a parent, the difficulties of
growing older, the joys of a child's achievement, a daughter's
wedding, the building of a business, a loved one's depression.
We have also come to know other's pets, learned about each other's
families, walked through each other's gardens, sat around in each
other's homes. The sharing of all our highs and lows, the profound
and the mundane bits and pieces of our lives has brought to me
a feeling of intimacy with other members of our church to the
greatest degree that I have known since I joined the church in
1975.
