Approximate Agenda for Covenant Group Meeting

 

 

 

DINNER  (6:30-7:00 PM)

 

LIGHTING OF THE CHALICE (7:00):

“Then let us tell the stories of our lives, and include all sorrows:

 

We recall the fear we felt in childhood, being small and alone.  We recall chances we missed, feeling insignificant and afraid.  We recall families we have left, bravely to be on our own yet painfully uncertain of ourselves.  We recall baffling conflicts that have felt incurable.  We recall injustices suffered, in silence and in protest.  We recall wrongs we have done, being centered on ourselves, until painful alienation set in.  We recall friends and loved ones who have gone from our sight, into death’s dateless night.

 

We recall these things and set out on the loneliest journey, toward the healing of our hearts.  Let us put our sorrows into a story, now in the time of quiet reflection:  Once upon a time, in a place, in a certain season of my life…”

            ( - George Kimmich Beach, UU author)

 

CHECK-IN (<2 minutes each à 7:00-7:20)

 

MAIN TOPIC (7:20 – 8:10)                        (Continued from last time)

OPENING THOUGHTS FROM EACH MEMBER (<2-3 minutes each à 7:20-7:45)

“Timelines”:  For each decade in your life not reviewed last time, briefly summarize a lesson (or lessons) you learned or something memorable which happened to you and seems to define that time in your life.

 “OPEN” DISCUSSION (7:45-8:10)

After hearing from everyone, perhaps it will be interesting to consider the existence of patterns and overall lessons, including:

Was the order in which these events occurred important?

What patterns do I see in my own events? 

Is there anything about these patterns which seems similar for all of us?

If I learned a lesson in one decade, do I still believe and live it now?

What do I hope to learn or achieve in the next decade?

(Or other thoughts/views/questions which occur to group members)

 

CHECK-OUT (<1 minute each à 8:10-8:20)

 

CLOSING WORDS (8:20)

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do.  It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill.  It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.”

                        (- Charles Swindoll, author & theologian)