Chalice Circle Covenant	

Write our Circle's covenant here:			

CHALICE CIRCLES

Unitarian Universalist
Church of Berkeley

What is your Religion?

Religion is a human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die.
               UU aphorism quoted by Gary Dorrien

There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.  
                                        George Bernard Shaw

	

Opening/ Chalice Lighting
Leslie Pohl-Kosbau
Hymnal #451

Check-in

Looking at our Covenant

Responsive Reading 
Gloria!
Barbara J. Pescan
Hymnal # 534

	

Flame of fire, spark of the universe
That warmed our ancestral hearth –
Agent of life and death,
Symbol of truth and freedom.
We strive to understand ourselves
And our earthly home.

In a minute or two describe how you find yourself at this moment and mention what you need to put aside to be fully present in this Circle.

Now that we have met together several times let's review our draft covenant to see if we want to keep it as it is or amend it.  

Gloria
The tenacity of Earth and its creatures.
Kyrie eleison
These children who will go on to save what we     cannot.
Baruch ata Adonai
The ordinary tenacity of plans and of people.
Om
The center of the universe which is everywhere,
Not the least place in the human heart.
Alleluia
Love that survives anger, and winter, and despair,
And sorrow, and even death.
Shalom
Love that persists.
Nam myo-ho renge kyo
Calm that is the seed in the dark.
Amen
For endings that are beginnings, for beginnings that are endings.
Alleluia
For the circle, the spiral, the web, the egg, the orbit,the the orbit the release seed, the flower, the fruit, the center, the seed, the flower, the fruit, the opening, the  death, the release, the seed.
death, the release, the seed.
Amen
We are going on.
Amen
It is going on.
Amen
Blessed be.

(Directions) 

		

Sitting in Silence

Sharing/ Deep Listening

Acknowledging/
Contemplative Dialogue

Check-out 

Reading
Hymnal #683
Theodore Parker

Closing/ Extinguishing the Chalice
Anonymous
Hymnal
#434	

Take a few minutes to focus on yourself, relax and breathe deeply.  Withdraw into your own truth in preparation for sharing your story.

From your experience, please contribute your views on religion, the ultimate reality, and what you think is your place in it.

At this time we respond to each others stories with further elaboration from our own experiences.

Here we conclude our first four introductory meeting.   Please tell the Circle what your experience has been: what you found helpful and satisfying, and what you would like for future meetings.

Be ours a religion which, like sunshine, goes everywhere;
Its temples, all space;
Its shrine, a good heart;
Its creed, all truth;
It ritual, works of love;
Its profession of faith, divine living.

Join hands or link arms as you read the closing words together.

May we know once again that we are not isolated beings,
But connected, in mystery and miracle, 
to the universe,
To this community, and to each other.