Sacred Circle Coordinator

Betsy Stout

The coordinator(s) for Sacred Circle are selected by the Program Committee and approved by the Executive Committee. The coordinator(s) should have been at the conference for a minimum of two years, and participated in Sacred Circle planning at the conference for at least one year.

Sacred Circle is one the most important ways in which the community joins together. Coordinators are encouraged to be mindful that the service belongs to the community as a whole and, while creativity is most welcome, any major change from past practice should be introduced with great care. Coordinators are also encouraged to provide written feedback that might assist the following year's planning to the executive committee. Thought needs to be given to the ways in which children will be included in the service.

Sacred Circle Coordinators are responsible for:

1. Facilitating the planning sessions in the chapel to identify one or more themes that can direct the service, preferably tied to the daily rhythm of the conference. It can be helpful for co-coordinators to contact each other prior to the summer conference.

2. Recruiting people for the daily planning and collecting materials from people who may not be able to attend the meeting. Daily reminders during announcements and again during lunch are useful. Prior to the conference, requests for contributions to the services can be made through the Grapevine.

3. Evaluating offerings of readings, music, dance, or prayer to determine if they are a good fit for the theme of the service and keep to the time frame.

4. Making sure that the service has structure and form, a clear beginning, middle and end.

5. Recruiting musical leadership and ensuring a good balance between new songs and old favorites.

6. Being sensitive to bias in language and themes; cultural, religious or gender.

7. Attending to the special needs of some members of the conference in regards to age or handicap. Sound, movement, and quiet meditation are some of the areas to pay particular attention to.