UUC Small Groups are intersecting circles that allow our large congregation to be vibrant and make all things possible. We are groups, teams, choirs, committees, adhocracies, pop-ups, ages and stages, affinities, practice circles, creative communities, and more. 

Homecoming Checklist

If you are a leader of a UUC small group, Homecoming Sunday is tune-up time! Below is a checklist to make sure your group is ready to roll:

• Are your meetings, gatherings and events showing up correctly on the UUC public calendar?
• Does your group name and info read the way you want in UUC Connect?
• Is your group roster and leadership up-to-date in UUC Connect? 
• Are your meetings/events posted in your UUC Connect group?
• Are you marking group meeting & event attendance in UUC Connect?
• Do you have a plan for promoting your group, gatherings, and programs?

If you need help with any of the above, contact Jessica Monahan or Stacy Carlson for assistance.

Small Groups Resources

And if you are surprised by anything above, here’s a quick review of Small Groups resources at UUC:

We use our UUC public calendar to reflect all on-site, off-site, and Zoom reservations and events, whether they’re open for drop-in, only for a specific group, or require advance registration. The Calendar is also your first chance to tell your story to people who might want to join you. Anyone can see Calendar entries, not just current congregants. You’ll want to make sure your descriptions of your group’s meetings and events are correct and inviting.

UUC Connect is our password-protected resource for members and friends. All UUC Small Groups are organized here. You’ll find your group roster, create events that show up on our check-in kiosks, mark attendance, create event volunteer schedules, and communicate with your group through its Newsfeed (visible only to group members) and through group email (only group leaders can send messages). Through the Small Groups page on our website, anyone can see the types of small groups we offer at UUC and click to learn more about specific groups. You’ll want to keep your group’s information up to date.

Learning Stations in Nathan Johnson Hall or the Sharing Station in the downstairs atrium on Sundays are also great way to highlight your group and opportunities for engagement, using a slide show and display space. You’ll want to reserve a Learning Station now and then (the same way you book a Small Group meeting).

Getting the Word Out

Publicity about events and other information at UUC goes out through a number of channels:

1. The Gateway enewsletter is emailed to subscribers each Friday at 5 p.m. Anyone can subscribe.
2. The UUC newsblog carries all the articles that run in the Gateway. From our website menu, see NEWS & EVENTS > NEWS and scroll down.
3. Most newsblog posts are also published on UUC’s Facebook page.
4. Family and Youth Ministry newsletters are produced by staff specifically for families with participating children. Subscribe via our Family Ministry page (scroll down).
5. Connections slides are shown before and after each Sunday service in the chapel and on the livestream. Slides are created from information in the Gateway and church calendar. There’s a limit to what can be shown, so we strive for variety from week to week. (Please note that we are striving to create a volunteer team who can take this on. If volunteers aren’t’ available, these slideshows will be discontinued.)
6. Announcements from the pulpit are selected from upcoming events and timely news at UUC. Ministers making the Sunday announcements have the final decision about what’s included. Thank you for understanding that the list will always be unable to include everything.

Please review the Publication Guidelines if you have any questions about what is appropriate. Email your submission for publication to gateway@uuchurch.org. Please put the date and name of your event (or article title, if it is not about an event) in the Subject line of your email. (The above Gateway information is also available at any time on our website at NEWS & EVENTS > NEWS > Submit a News Post.)