Small Group Ministries
Small Group Ministry is a program of intentional small groups that deepen and expand our connections. Weekly/bi-weekly groups are a great way to connect with other Reebers for social time and facilitated spiritual practices. Monthly Covenant Groups are a more structured spiritual practice.
Weekly/Bi-weekly Gatherings
All of these groups are drop-in, and everyone is welcome! Please check your weekly Wednesday email news, or contact the group facilitators, for information on these drop-in gatherings.
Meditation with Susan Podebradsky, Wednesdays at 6:30-7:00
Beginners are welcome! Mindfulness and meditation help us strengthen the ability to be more aware of the truth of the present moment and choose our actions instead of simply being propelled forward by habit. We will have a brief opening reading followed by a short period of guided meditation and then silent meditation (10 minutes total). After the silence you will have the opportunity to ask questions, share briefly about what the meditation experience was like for you, or share how you use mindfulness and meditation in your daily life. We will close with another minute or so of silent meditation to carry us out into the world.
Sacred Breath with our Manager of Music Ministry, Candie Douglas, Thursdays at 6:45-7:45 pm
All are invited! Our time together will include a brief check-in, deep breathing, vocal warm ups and hymn singing. We will look more deeply into the context and meaning of music from our hymnals as well as share tips about reading music. The benefits of deep breathing, settling into the body, vocalizing and connecting to each other are food for the soul.
Book Lovers Club
Club meets for a half hour for general chit chat and enjoyment of treats/any food you might want to bring for yourself, and then for an hour to focus the discussion on books. Join us! Drop-ins welcome. No need to commit to coming to all of the meetings. This group will not follow the traditional book club format of picking a book, reading it, and discussing it as a group. Instead, we are thinking of it as more of a space to share book recommendations, swap books, and eat treats. To help focus discussions, each month has a theme. For example, what is your favorite book, favorite biography, favorite non-fiction, favorite sci-fi/fantasy, etc. Watch your newsletter for more information.
For 2026, based on feedback received, let’s plan to try an alternating Monday and Saturday schedule for the first week of the month (most of the time).
Laughter Yoga
Monthly Laughter Yoga is coming to JRUUC starting up again September of 2026 (not meeting for June, July, and August). If you enjoyed the Laughter Yoga offered at a Sunday service back in April 2025, you’ll be tickled to know that we are now offering a monthly Laughter Yoga session available to anyone and everyone! Members of the Laughter Club of Madison will return to JRUUC on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for one hour of healing laughter in community. Mark your calendar, and bring a friend! Second Mondays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. at JRUUC
Quarterly-ish Potlucks
In case you are new or have not yet participated, this is the story: A Quarterly Potluck is a chance for Reeb folks to sit together for a meal and conversation with 5 to 8 friends you may or may not have already met. The magic computer randomly puts the groups together, and one of the group members will host the others in their home at a date convenient to the participants.
Monthly Covenant Groups
Covenant Groups are part of the Adult Religious Exploration Program at JRUUC. Groups are randomly created at the start of each church year, based on the availability of people interested, and they meet monthly via Zoom. They are closed groups, for confidentiality and community-building, and are made up of 6 to 10 people plus a facilitator. They have several purposes: to build relationships through the practice of deep listening, and is to practice shared ministry with each other and our congregation as a whole. We recognize that all of us are responsible for the ministry of caring for one another and our congregation. Please see this brochure for more information, and sign up using the following form if you’d like to try being part of a Covenant Group this year.
And can you create a form for the Covenant Groups, with the following fields?
Name fill-in
Contact information (please check box for your preferred method):
Email address check box and fill-in
Phone number check box and fill-in
Preferred meeting time (please check as many as are applicable) check boxes:
Tuesday evenings
Wednesday evenings
Friday evenings
Saturday afternoons
Sunday afternoons
Please check box if you’re interested in being a facilitator check box
More Information about Covenant Groups: Small Group Ministry at JRUUC
Small Group Ministry is a program of intentional small groups that deepen and expand our shared ministry. The basic elements of Unitarian Universalist Small Group Ministry have evolved from the experience of many people in diverse congregational settings. Those basic elements are their power and their promise: intimacy, ultimacy, and growth.
Intimacy: Small Group Ministry helps build community and provides opportunities for deeper relationships.
Ultimacy: Small Group Ministry provides an opportunity for deeper spiritual exploration and search for meaning.
Growth: Small Group Ministry provides opportunities to grow leaders, as group members become facilitators. It has the potential to grow our congregation in numbers, as well as in generosity, cooperation, and sense of well-being.
Covenant Groups are part of the Adult Religious Exploration Program at JRUUC. Groups are randomly created at the start of each church year, based on the availability of people interested, and they are made up of 6 to 10 people, plus a facilitator. Groups are open for the first two meetings, to allow people to decide if they would like to continue for the year, and are then closed to encourage trust and depth of sharing.
Covenant Groups have several purposes. One is to build relationships through the practice of deep listening. Another is to practice shared ministry with each other and our congregation as a whole. We recognize that all of us are responsible for the ministry of caring for one another and our congregation.
Each group creates a covenant during their first gathering – a set of relational ground rules or agreed- upon behaviors of how members will be with each other. Having a covenant creates a safe environment and enables a small group to build trust and share spiritual exploration. Ground rules typically include time management, commitment, respectful listening, confidentiality, and speaking from one’s own experience (“I” statements). The group’s covenant is read or acknowledged at the beginning of each gathering. The groups also covenant with the congregation to engage in service to the congregation and larger world. Having clear expectations ensures that all members benefit from the Covenant Group experience.
Covenant Groups meet monthly at JRUUC. Each group begins their time together with a chalice lighting and check-in, and then are guided through times of silence, and sharing and deep listening, based on a reading or set of readings. Members are encouraged to share the stories that come up for them, and to be present to each person sharing. Each gathering ends with a short time in which participants briefly share responses to what they have heard, followed by closing words.
Group facilitators are self-selected, and meet with the minister at the beginning of the month for their own covenant group. Each facilitator serves two roles in their group: holding the space within which participants freely share their lives and minister to each other, and maintaining their group’s connection to the larger program. As they focus on these roles, the facilitators’ sharing in their groups may be a little limited.
Once a year, each group engages in service to the congregation and/or the larger community. Serving together as a group gives members a chance to get to know each other in a different way, to understand how our values and actions shape each other, and to perform service as a group of Unitarian Universalists rather than as individuals.
Each month, the covenant groups reflect together on a theme, which is also the basis for that month’s worship services and religious education for children and youth.