Visioning Circles

This is a time of profound change in the world, and we’re feeling it at the Fellowship. This year we are engaging in intentional visioning through roughly monthly “Brownbag Visioning Circles” after our Sunday Services. We held our first one November 13, 2022, with 13 folks in-person and 3 on Zoom, plus Pastor Isabel Call facilitating.

The one overarching theme was a desire to celebrate with food, dancing, and singing. “Whatever we do, let’s make it a party that draws people in.”

Participants were encouraged to use the phrase, “I can see us…” Here’s what we heard:

I can see us connecting with other communities

  • *Exchanging with another churches (especially singing, music)
  • Incorporating other churches into Musicale
  • Collaborating with other churches in town on Sunday Services
  • Collaborating with other UU congregations around the country on Zoom
  • Inviting people of other faiths (incl. atheists) to our pulpit
  • Responding to the criticisms of religion through our programming, e.g. how we talk about money and how we pay for our programming
  • Focusing on our commonality with others, rather than the differences

I can see us expanding our activities

  • Having Discussion Groups, especially about religious topics (e.g. Does God exist?)
  • Having more book groups – things to chew on, not swallow, like the history and role of the military in our society
  • Ballroom dance classes
  • *Return of the adult OWL curriculum

I can see us offering our gifts to the larger community

  • Taking things like the OWL curriculum to the larger public
  • Reaching out to people, especially young people, who no longer relate to church, with literature perhaps, explaining what’s unique about us: our lack of a creed
  • Holding classes about relationship skills, gender, role of military in our lives
  • Engaging creativity beyond the Sunday Service to engage more with each other and the broader community
  • 5-10 of us showing up to support some cool thing students are doing

I can see us having large community events

  • Holding another Green Festival
  • Holding a storytelling night, like the Moth or Snap Judgement
  • Hosting open mic story nights
  • Having another peace and justice summer camp for children
  • Hosting out of town musicians, or support them when they come to the Art Center
  • Hosting a sledding festival
  • Hosting Renea Brown’s music students

I can see us having lots of food every Sunday

  • Having big blowouts with food! pasta dinners, Indian food, yodeling and dancing
  • Sharing donuts every Sunday
  • Inviting people to our events (have enough food so we feel comfortable inviting others)

I can see us being in better communication with each other and the world

  • Being more promotional: ads, flyers
  • Offering transportation, especially people at the shelter or campus
  • Being all over social media
  • Following the newsletter, weekly announcements — knowing what’s going on here
  • Following what’s happening in Unitarian Universalism

I can see us upping our social action and activism

  • Being more politically active, recognizing social justice issues and entering into resistance, particularly around racial justice
  • Wearing our yellow shirts regularly making statements
  • Having a process where the Fellowship can say something public
  • Attending City Council and School Board meetings

I can see us investing in our physicality

  • Enhancing our magnificent gardens that drawn people in
  • Moving to a building in downtown Manhattan to facilitate our mission and our future closer to the community in a tangible way
  • Changing the parking lot entrance so it’s so impossible to miss
  • Installing a dance floor

Take note!

Several people had clear visions of their own involvement. Let’s help them!

  • I can see myself writing more letters to the editor on behalf of the Fellowship – Jane Pelletier
  • I can see myself leading a discussion group about hardcore religious topics – Joe Zalewski
  • I can see myself helping! It’ll take time to build back up, but it’s possible – Mary Beth Reese
  • I would go out of my way to participate in Musicale – I’ll do whatever it takes, shave my beard whatever – Gene Sievers
  • We know the people in the Fellowship are engaged, but we’re not always aware of who’s doing what, I want to help us have a BINGO night with names of activities we participate in – can’t get BINGO until you talk to several people – Betty Banner
  • I’d be willing to supply the art project to go along with some event bringing people together – Sylvia Beeman