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Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse – UUCGT

All are welcome here! Every Individual has Inherent Worth and Dignity (The UU First Principle).  We have a mission to free minds, grow souls, and change the world. We are choosing the Way With Heart – Join us!

office@uucgt.org | 231-947-3117
6726 Center Road, Traverse City, MI, 49686
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Healthy Congregations Team

UUCGT Healthy Congregations Team (HCT)

UUCGT strives to be an inclusive community, affirming our differences in beliefs, together with love and support for each other. Sometimes in the course of our congregational life conflict arises. It’s normal and common. At other times, especially in times of change, anxiety may rise in individuals and groups and play out in unhealthy ways. Our Healthy Congregations Team is here as a resource for conflict resolution and proactive learning about ways to develop and maintain healthy social and emotional relationships at church.

Members of the HCT this year are Susan Lio, Barb Termaat, Mary Anne Rivers, Richard Miller, and Rev. Alex Jensen.

One of our primary projects since inception was developing and sharing the Healthy Congregation Policy for our team and the congregation at large. This policy, accepted by our Board in May 2020, provides concrete steps to help those in conflict to focus on mature thinking and to keep emotions in check. You can find the Healthy Congregation Policy in the UUCGT Policy Manual after logging in as a UUCGT member.

“Less judgment, more curiosity.” That’s the motto of the UUCGT Healthy Congregations Team. We hope to inspire your curiosity, too, about how to bring our best to our relationships at church.

HCT Accomplishments for 2021-2022

  1. We provided ongoing offers to participate in small group learning which put healthy communications into practice and can help us grow as individuals and a congregation, for example a few Soul Matters groups and Rev. Alex offered Transforming Hearts.
  2. We prepared for and delivered two Sunday Services sharing our personal learnings about healthy communications, “Strengthening the Weave” and “Awakening Compassion”
  3. We donated child-friendly and adult resources to UUCGT RE developed by Art of Communication (NVCSantacruz.org).
  4. We started pulling together the history of the HCT team.

HCT Plans for 2022-23

Our HCT team has decided to put what we’ve learned into action as we engage in a variety of UUCGT activities, such as Soul Matters and Creativity Matters small groups, Committee on Ministry, Leadership Development and Memorial Garden. We are available to support members seeking tools to help resolve a conflict within our UU community. Our names are at the top of this page.
Find out more details about our expanded offerings for Adult small groups here:  https//uucgt.org/learning/small-groups/
If you are interested in joining the HCT, please contact any of us as well.

Healthy Congregation Team Covenant

Our shared purpose is to educate ourselves and others such that, together, we continuously nurture creation of Beloved Community. We base our work on systems thinking and developing healthy responses to anxiety and change.  By developing self-awareness around the balance between our principles and the relationships we value, we can create healthier, deeper, and clearer communication skills.