Up Close and Personal
Experiential Exercises for Building a Spiritual Community

By Donna J. Moore

---

Theme and Description

This is a collection of experiential exercises to build community and foster intimacy among participants in a congregation. In each mini-program, participants are exposed to an idea and encouraged to discuss and reflect on that idea. This process of experiencing an idea leads to a greater understanding of a concept than one would gain by simply reading about that concept.

Goals for Participants

To build community and foster communication among participants;
To explore new concepts through structured experiences;
To break out of an intellectual mold by sharing experiences, feelings, and beliefs.

---

Age Range

Adult. Also appropriate for senior high youth groups.

Size of Group

The best group size varies for the different mini-programs.

Space Requirements

Requirements vary for the different programs, but generally a workshop space is appropriate.

Number and Length of Sessions

28 sessions, 7 sessions for getting acquainted, 6 mini-programs, 4 suggestions for ritual and ceremony, 7 closing, 4 miscellaneous
Length: The length varies from 15 minutes to about two hours. Many are one hour.

Leader Training

No special training is required. Shared leadership by group members is encouraged.

Leader Preparation

Varies according to activity, from very little to more complex gathering of materials.

---

Strengths

Encourages a congregation to develop deeper ties of community among its members.
The different mini-programs are very adaptable to different needs and settings.
Includes several useful resources for leaders, including information about conducting structured experiences and tips for evaluating the different exercises.
Provides meaningful "stand-alone" exercises which fill a real need in adult programming.

Limitations

The independent nature of each exercise means there is no context for that exercise. Leaders may want to create a context relevant to the group.

Adaptability

Also appropriate for senior high youth groups.
Each exercise is adaptable to many situations such as programs before or after the worship service, retreats, committee meetings, one-time adult RE programs, etc.

Reviewed on June 30, 2004

Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon St. | Boston, MA 02108 | 617-742-2100