Journey Groups generally meet online. Registration for new members typically happens in September and the Journey Group start in October. Registering for a Journey Group is a natural next step in engaging with us, as you continue to attend Sunday worship services, subscribe to First Light, our weekly e-news, and “Say Hello” so we can get to know, and welcome, you!
Journey Groups are small monthly gatherings of 5-10 people. They can become a moving and meaningful way to connect with other members and with yourself, and a motivating way to strengthen your own clarity and commitment on your own spiritual path.
Led by a facilitator, who is also a member, Journey Groups explore a monthly theme using the format of respectful listening. This small group ministry approach is an opportunity to go deeper into the same theme being explored in weekly sermons during the month. In our Journey Groups, we find the all too rare opportunity to slow down, hear ourselves think, and appreciate many spiritual journeys.
Each month we publish a reflection guide, a package of readings and recommended exercises about the monthly theme. Journey Group participants use this package to prompt their own explorations and come to their group ready to share their experience of the theme and listen to what is shared by others. In this deep listening format, there is no cross talk, no advising, no debate. We benefit from the opportunity to articulate our own thoughts and witness someone else’s.
The Journey for 2026-2027: Facing the Future Together
| Beginnings | |
| October 2026 | Agency and Acceptance How do we practice agency today, whether in our personal circumstances or as groups in society? What systemic factors make our agency possible (or limit it)? What does acceptance of others look like, and how can it be life-giving? |
| Change and Stability How do we practice adapting to change, especially when change is unexpected or challenging? How do we practice ways of creating stability for ourselves and others in times of profound change? | |
| December 2026 | Humility and Pride How do we understand ourselves and our place inside a larger frame? How do we celebrate our own gifts – and our communities’ gifts – while leaving room for others? |
| January 2027 | Responsibility and Integrity How do we develop a practice of responsibility to our community in a culture that promotes self-interest? Can we be empowered by contributing to the whole without also taking ownership? |
| Forgiveness and Repair How do we practice forgiveness and repair within and beyond our UU Communities? When can these practices strengthen our relationships and communities? How do we see others as more than their mistakes? | |
| March 2027 | Expectations and Surprises How do our expectations shape our relationships and communities? What practices can we use to discern when expectations could be higher and when we might broaden them? How can we stay open to surprises and the unexpected gifts they may offer? |
| April 2027 | Power and Powerlessness How do we become aware of our personal power and use the power that we have to leverage our values? How can we encourage communities to distribute power equitably, and how do we interact with systems when they are inequitable? |
| May 2027 | Community and Individuality How do we practice community without sacrificing ourselves? How do we practice community while managing the diversity of individual needs? How do we choose what is best for the whole? |
The Journey for 2025-2026
| September 2025 | Thresholds |
| October 2025 | Embracing Change |
| November 2025 | Learning from our Ancestors |
| Community Care | |
| January 2026 | Awakening Wonder |
| February 2026 | Discerning Truth |
| March 2026 | Seeking Wisdom |
| April 2026 | Nourishing Nature |
| May 2026 | Liberating Love |
