What's in a Name - Part 2
Groups, Circles, Classes, Clubs... all of these terms refer to people doing something together. Rather than get bogged down in which term means what, the Board has decided to use the term Circle for all our social and religious education group activities.
| CIRCLES | AREA | DESCRIPTION | ENROLLMENT | EXAMPLE |
| Learning Circle |
RE | Class on a specific topic |
One Time |
-Building Your Own Theology |
|
Sharing |
FB | Building deep connections with each other |
One Time |
-Travellers |
| Discussion Circle |
RE | Talk about a topic | Open | -UU World, UU Life -Book Clubs |
| Worship Circle |
FB | Follow a spiritual path with others |
Open |
-New Moon Rising |
| Social Circle |
FB | Have fun | Open |
-Birdwatching |
We'll be using the term Sharing Circle instead of Chalice Circle or Covenant Group, because Sharing neatly describes what happens during those gatherings, while "Chalice Circle" and "Covenant Group" need explaining. Both Learning Circles and Sharing Circles have definite beginning dates and ending dates, and people who enroll are expected to attend regularly. The other three types of Circles are "drop in when you want to."
Using the term "Circle" changes nothing about how any existing group operates; it just provides some consistency and (we hope) reduces confusion. We still have Teams and Committees, and people involved with those do the work of the Fellowship. Each Team, Committee and Circle is assigned to one of the seven Interest Areas. For a full list, please see the UUFSM Directory.
