The Covenant Circles program at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos has set forth the following vision and mission statements for itself:
Vision:  To forge and nurture fully realized individuals in ever broader and stronger connections with both the congregation and the community
Mission:

• Intimacy:  forging deep connections among small groups of individuals
• Belonging:  nurturing a deeper commitment to and relationship with the congregation
• Sharing:  speaking of and listening to expressions of ultimate value and concern in a circle of safety and trust
• Articulation:  fostering new and creative ways of expressing personal faith and values
• Service:  to both the congregation and the wider community
• Growth:  development of individual purpose and identity

As facilitators for this pilot program, we would like to introduce ourselves and our hopes for this program.
Warren Houghteling:  I volunteered to facilitate a covenant group because I have found the way of relating to others that these groups promote to be incredibly enriching and rewarding.  The experience of listening deeply to others without the need to respond or comment, and of sharing deeply in the presence of this kind of listening, has been very powerful for me.  I feel that I hear others more clearly and come to know them more deeply than I do in other forms of social interaction.  I experience a bond based not on agreement of thought or opinion but on deep respect and trust in our ability to hear each other and be heard by each other.  In my experience, learning the skill of relating in this way not only brings me closer to specific individuals but also makes me more open to and engaged with my immediate community and the wider world.  I hope that the covenant group program will lead to stronger connections between individual church members, between individuals and the church as a whole, and between the church and the broader community.

Carl Newton:  When I participated in the facilitator training in Albuquerque, I discovered the potential of small group ministry and knew that I would like to have the opportunity to be in a covenant circle.  For more than a year I have studied how other churches have presented their programs.  What makes our program especially interesting is that Rev. John will be providing readings in the context of his sermon topics, so that we may go to greater depths in exploring our personal and communal visions and missions.  I expect to get from the program sinews of connections with circle members that will gratify my desire for a greater feeling of being plugged into the interdependent web within our diverse religious community.

Mary Hrbek: Since joining our church, I have become very interested in religion.  Unitarian Universalism opened a window onto the world for me that I didn’t know existed.  I’ve learned a great deal from reading and from the stories that others in this congregation have been generous enough to share.  In 2005, I was able to attend Russell Lockwood Leadership School, where I participated in a credo group, which was similar in format to a covenant group.  I see our Chalice Circles as a unique setting in which to delve with others into questions of ultimate meaning.  My life’s journey has been enriched by being a member of this community and I look forward to sharing the challenges and rewards, which the deeper intimacy of Chalice Circles will bring.

We hope you’ll be able to join us for this exciting new program, and that you might consider joining us as a group facilitator as the program expands.  If you have questions regarding the program, please join us for the January 13th forum hour beginning at 9:30 am, where we’ll demonstrate the basics of the program and give some time to answering your questions.  If you cannot join us on the 13th, please feel free to talk to us after services, or contact Rev. John.