The Healthy Congregation Team
About the Healthy Congregation Team
The Healthy Congregation Team (HCT) strives toward supporting First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington (FUUSB) members in covenanting. The tools and processes HCT provides are grounded by the FUUSB covenant including these words, ‘To listen carefully to each other, to speak openly and respectfully, and to assume good intentions, especially in times of disagreement.’ We believe practicing listening skills and implementing communication processes is essential to a healthy community. We believe that engaging in productive conflict, where all parties of an acknowledged conflict can come together in a trusting way and feel heard and respected without fear of repercussions, is essential to living our faith’s values.
The HCT is a resource when members have a topic for discussion or conflicts. We provide processes and tools to use It is our goal to be conscientious about what tools we suggest to help people deal with conflict productively.
This video was created by the Healthy Congregation Team (HCT) as part of the FUUSB June 6, 2021 service. The service lifted up listening as a tool integral to a Radical Welcome Back after a year of many hardships and changes due to the pandemic. It explored how listening can build connections and expand our understanding by listening to each other’s experiences during this past year and giving space and attention to what people are feeling as they consider the transition to the opening of the building. In the video, HCT members share their thoughts on the importance of listening and being listened to, and stories of personal work on strengthening listening skills as a communication tool. Deep Listening and Reflective Listening practice as well as Deep Listening Circles are offerings the Healthy Congregation Team provides to the congregation.
We offer training and practice sessions to help you strengthen healthy communication and conflict-resolution skills. We create a space to hear each other and listen deeply through our facilitation. We help you communicate and be heard when challenging issues arise in your team or within our congregation.
● Deep Listening Circles – A Deep Listening Circle is a facilitated gathering about a specific topic. Participants speak authentically from their own experiences and listen deeply to others as they share their experiences. There is no cross-talk or discussion.
● Practice Sessions – We offer short Deep Listening Practice Sessions as an opportunity for the congregation to practice strengthening listening skills as a communication tool that emphasizes the importance of listening and being listened to.
● Restorative Circles – The Restorative Circles process is a way for people in conflict to re-establish their relationships to each other and their community. It is safe, structured, inclusive, and transparent, and includes facilitated gatherings. In a Restorative Circle, we seek to restore broken or strained covenantal relationships.
Email [email protected] with any questions or requests.