Sources Supper

The Sources Supper

A Celebration of Our Unitarian Universalist Heritage
A unifying and transforming meal ritual that connects us to our Unitarian Universalist past and inspires us as we move forward.

Overview:
The Sources Supper ritual aims to create a deep connection with our Unitarian Universalist heritage via story telling and conversation around a common meal. The stories represent four founding events in UU history plus two key turning points in later history. The conversations occur around questions following each story. The meal takes place after the first four stories and is intended to be simple and informal, with the conversation going wherever people take it. The final two stories take place after the meal and before dessert. Like all new rituals, it will take time and repetition for groups to feel fully comfortable and settle into a rhythm. The Sources Supper is intended to be done year after year until it becomes part of the religious identity and collective memories of those who participate in it. For the philosophy and story behind the Sources Supper, you can read “Home Grown Religion” by Bill Doherty.

Who Participants and Where?:
We suggest inviting the number of people you can fit into a house and around a dining room table, with a minimum of eight adults and a maximum group of 14-16. We have generally held the first part of the ritual (the first four stories) in a living room, and then moved to the dining room for the meal and the last two stories. The current version of the ritual works with youth and adults; a future version will be adapted for younger children.

Time Line:
Although the length for a Sources Supper will vary with different groups, a generous time frame for a talkative group would be 3.5 hours.

Key Events Recounted in the Sources Supper:
October 27: Michael Servetus executed (1553)
January 10: The Edict of Torda (1568)
September 30: John Murray preaches in Good Luck, New Jersey (1770)
May 5: William Ellery Channing’s Baltimore Sermon (1819)
July 15 – Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Harvard Divinity School address (1838)
May 1 – The Humanist Manifesto is published (1933)

Who Created the Sources Supper?
A group of eight Unitarian Universalists from First Universalist Church in Minneapolis and Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul developed the ritual over a four year period: Siri Anderson, Tricia Bishop, Martha Bolinger, Bill Doherty, Leah Doherty, Bob Friedman, Amy Scott, and Deborah Talen. They were assisted by the Reverend Frank Rivas and the Reverend Rob Eller-Isaacs. Bill Doherty led the project and was the principal writer. Unity Church is now primarily responsible for further development and dissemination of the Sources Supper. During the church year 2008-09, we are developing a way to integrate this ritual into congregational life at Unity Church.

How Can My Church Participate?
After a number of pilots at Unity Church and other congregations around the country, we now are ready to disseminate the revised version of the Sources Supper. Feedback and suggestions are welcome through e-mail to unity@unityunitarian.org.

Resources

Sources Supper Script (pdf)
Sources Supper Leader Tips (pdf)

Attend a Sources Supper

In a Home or — NEW THIS YEAR! — at Unity Church: February 11, 12, 18
This year we are continuing the Sources Supper tradition where we come together to tell the story of Unitarian Universalism and apply it to our lives today. It’s an opportunity for community building and spiritual deepening. It’s also a way the church is act on its “end” statement of deepening our sense of UU heritage and history. This year there will be two options: in one another’s homes on February 12 and 18, and at the church on February 11.

Few of us, even those raised Unitarian Universalists, can describe our history fluently and connect it with our current challenges and opportunities as a religious people. But this is changing here at Unity as we address questions in the Sources Supper such as these: How did we begin as a religious movement? What are the key turning points and breakthroughs in our tradition? Who are the martyrs and heroes in our progressive religious journey? How did we come to be a non-creedal faith that nevertheless stands passionately for something in the world? And most important of all: what does this story have to do with how we practice our faith and live our lives today?

The Sources Supper ritual aims to create a deep connection with our Unitarian Universalist heritage via story telling and conversation around a common meal. The stories are about four founding events in UU history plus two key turning points in later history. The conversations are based on questions following each story. An informal meal takes place in the middle. The whole event, including gathering, ritual, and dinner takes about 3.5 hours. The time goes fast.

As mentioned, the Sources Supper is intended to be done year after year until it becomes part of the religious identity and collective memories of those who participate in it. The ritual, which follows an easy-to-use script, works with adults and youth of 12 years and older. We are glad to report that the children’s version is now ready for piloting this winter and spring.

The Saturday, February 11, ritual at church will begin at 5:00 p.m. and end by 8:30 p.m., with child care provided. The in-home rituals on Sunday, February 12, and Saturday, February 18, will be from 6:00-9:30 p.m. Hosting is not burdensome: you just need a table that seats 8-12 people. Everyone shares the reading of the stories. The church provides the scripts and guidelines for the ritual. Simple is the rule of the land for the potluck meal—generally a soup, salad, appetizers, desserts and drinks. We can even provide a recipe for a soup that’s been popular at Sources Suppers.

Sign up for Sources Suppers in the Parish Hall following the services on Sunday or by contacting the Church Office by phone at 651-228-1456 or by email at unity@unityunitarian.org.

There is a big, bold vision behind the Sources Supper: let this be the last generation of Unitarian Universalists who don’t know where they came from. Let the next generation stand inside a tradition they know and love—and then take it to new places.