UNITARIAN COMMUNITY

    The CIRCLE OF LISTENERS is a unique concept for spiritual growth and development within a place and time made sacred by the participants without the need for a formal leader in a sanctuary setting. It relies on the practice of intensive listening without the usual rules and constraints found in other more formal small group programs.
    LISTENERS are volunteers who rely upon their natural compassion and concern to help make a difference in the lives of others. Often, volunteers are burdened by demands and constraints placed on them by the organizations they serve resulting in dissatisfaction and burnout. However, because these volunteers are best equipped to determine their own capacities and available time, they should control the scope and extent of their volunteer involvement.
    Doug Lawson, in his book More Give to Live: How Giving Can Change Your Life, offers four keys to successful volunteering. The first is to provide services to one person at a time, the second is that the person should be a stranger, the third is to expect no specific outcome, and the last is to be prepared for intense activities.
    Providing service to one person at a time keeps the volunteer focused on the specific needs of individuals in order to make a difference in their lives that can be sustained, over time, by those individuals themselves without outside help.
    Serving strangers provides some opportunities to reach out to those who might not have family or other friends to make a difference in their lives. It's interesting to notice how others will be more comfortable in confiding with strangers than they would with their own family or other friends. It's a new take on being a "perfect stranger."
    By one not expecting any specific outcome, the implementation of any change is left to those persons who need to feel the difference and become aware that they're capable of controlling their own lives.
    Being prepared for intense activities is not difficult. Much of what others need is just someone to listen to them. While this sounds easy, it's best to be prepared by realizing that listening also involves appropriate nonverbal responses. John Savage's book on Listening and Caring Skills will assist volunteers to perfect their ability to help others heal themselves by "talking it out."
    Those who want to pursue the rewarding practice of intensive listening to others' needs may work within a Circle of Listeners both to practice their own skills and to assist each other whenever one is temporarily unavailable. The UNITARIAN COMMUNITY will assist in the organization of a Circle of Listeners and help with developing whatever structure and training is necessary.