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Welcome Letter 2 - More Information

Template: Welcome Letter 2 - More Information for Exploration

Google Doc: Original

When to Use

Sent 5-7 days after Welcome Letter 1 so as not to overwhelm. Contains deeper preparation materials including Circles of Trust orientation, spiritual direction information, and the full book list.

Template Text

Dear friends,

As we prepare for our UU Wellspring - Sources retreat on [DATE], and for our group to begin soon thereafter, we are reaching out with some materials to explore to help get oriented and grounded in Wellspring.

Though this email looks long, the videos are quite short and manageable. Please set aside a few periods of time between now and our retreat to engage with these materials and reflect using the journal prompt. Your retreat experience will be richer for it.

Circles of Trust

Parker Palmer shares a foundational rule for Circles of Trust and UU Wellspring groups: "No fixing, no saving, no advising, no setting each other straight." The rule is simple, but abiding by it is hard work for people accustomed to straightening each other out as a way of life.

"So what do we do in a circle of trust? We speak our own truth; we listen receptively to the truth of others; we ask each other honest, open questions instead of giving counsel; and we offer each other the healing and empowering gifts of silence and laughter."

-- Hidden Wholeness by Parker Palmer, p. 116

Circle of Trust Videos:

Journal Prompt: What are the hallmarks of a circle of trust? According to Parker Palmer, what is the soul, and what can we do that might inhibit or welcome the soul? What are the obstacles to living an undivided life?

Spiritual Direction

UU Wellspring encourages all participants to have a spiritual companion while in UU Wellspring. There are several ways to accomplish this, which are laid out in the following video. We will discuss this more during the retreat.

Video:

Journal Prompt: What interests you about meeting with a spiritual director? What do you wonder about that might be an interesting topic to discuss with a spiritual director?

Required and Optional Books for Sources

Read as Much as You Can Before the Retreat:

  • Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life, Scott Alexander, editor

Optional (referred to throughout the program):

  • Voices from the Margins edited by Jacqui James and Mark D. Morrison-Reed
  • To Wake, To Rise: Meditations on Justice and Resilience edited by Rev. William Sinkford

Read Before Session 14:

  • Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind by Barbara Becker

Read Before Session 18:

  • Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer

NOTE: We have many of these books in our Foothills library in room 221. The books in the curriculum are also generally available through the UUA Inspirit bookstore or through your favorite online or local bookseller. If you are unable to purchase books and cannot find them at the library, let us know.

Finally, we are including this reminder to watch this short video on respect since we will be introducing ourselves using our pronouns:

With great anticipation of our journey together, [Facilitator(s) name(s)]

Customization Notes

  • Fill in the retreat date
  • Update facilitator names
  • Confirm video links are still active
  • Check book availability in Foothills library

See Also

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