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Greenfield Group Discipline (.pdf document)Voted- Fall 2007 (previious versions: pre-1999, 1999 - 2007) Greenfield Group, founded in 1927, is a study group for Unitarian Universalist ministers. Greenfield Group Discipline - ver. 2007 Greenfield Group, founded in 1927, is a study group for Unitarian Universalist ministers. We meet twice a year for Convocations, for three days starting the Monday after American Thanksgiving and the last Monday of April. Greenfield.Group is limited to twenty eight members (plus “Saints”). Article 1. Membership To become a member of Greenfield Group a person must be:
There is no waiting list. Recommendations must be submitted anew at each Convocation. Invitees names must be sent to the Scribe at least two weeks prior to the gathering and shall be posted for all to see at the meeting. Article 2. Saints All founding members of Greenfield Group are “saints” which confers upon them all the privileges but none of the obligations of membership. In addition, the Group may vote to confer the status of Saint upon any member who has been retired from the Group for a least one convocation. Sainthood is meant to reflect our high esteem for the retired member due to service in the Greenfield Group and the longevity of the membership of the retired member. Article 3.Attendance Attendance is expected at all sessions of each Convocation, including chapel services, from the first session on Monday afternoon through lunch on Wednesday. The Scribe should be notified if circumstances require an individual to come late or leave early. Absences from an entire convocation shall be excused for reasons of personal health, family emergency, sabbatical leave, conducting funerals, or for other reasons excused by the group at the business meeting. It is the member’s responsibility to inform the Scribe of an absence. Grace may be extended by vote of the group if the absent member requests it. Two unexcused absences in any continuous three-year period will mean being dropped from the membership unless the group votes otherwise. Article 4. Financial Obligations of Membership Annual dues (currently $20.00) are to be paid at the Spring Convocation. A $10 Snack fee is to be paid at each gathering. Room and board costs are set by the Convocation facility. If the facility where a Convocation is held requires firm reservations, any member who has not notified the Scribe that he or she cannot attend, is responsible for the full fee, unless the Scribe has been notified in time for the facility’s satisfaction (currently 14 days). Any un-excused or excused absences not given notification to the Scribe two weeks prior to the Convocation will pay the full amount if Greenfield Group is charged for their reservation. Article 5. Special Room Reservations No specific room at Convocation is reserved in advance, except for consideration of health or other primary requirements. In such cases reservations must be made through the Treasurer. Article 6. Practices (the Eleven-Fold Path) Members are expected to accept tasks assigned to them including all the required reading. Members are expected to bring a copy of the hymnal with them for use in chapel. Silence is to be observed in the dining room before grace and in the chapel before and after all chapel services. Chapel services are to be affirmative and devotional in nature, not a continuation of the Convocation’s theme. All major papers are due to the respondents one month before all Convocations. All major papers, book reviews, responses, short papers, etc., are to be duplicated at the writer’s own expense so that copies (30) are available for members and the Historian. Digital copies shall also be made available to the webmaster for inclusion in the online archives of the Greenfield Group. All writers of papers, responses, and reviews, who because of emergency cannot attend, should arrange for their work to be read by a substitute and notify the Program Chair. The Change of Pace is intended to be aesthetic or recreational in theme. Happy Hour is limited to the half hour before supper and the period after evening Chapel. Consumption of alcohol is limited to happy hour and dinner hour. There is no smoking indoors at any Convocation. Smoking is permitted outside during breaks and in accordance with retreat site rules. If a member of the group has a personal issue regarding the group, that member may bring that concern to the attention of the Moderator or Vice Moderator. That officer, in consultation with the other officers, will see to the issue being appropriately addressed. This may involve the whole group creating time and space in the program to address the issue. Article 7. Changing the Program All changes in the Convocation program or process are to be cleared with the Program Chair. Article 8. Roles and Duties of Officers. Moderator The Moderator bears ultimate responsibility for the operation of the group and is especially responsible for the observance of its discipline, traditions and purposes. He or she chairs and conducts all meetings of the group, including general discussion of papers. The Moderator bears responsibility during all discussion sessions for:
The Moderator works with the Program Chair to implement the program. Between meetings the Moderator is responsible for working with the Scribe, the Treasurer and the current Program Chair to ensure the continuity of the group. The Moderator is responsible for contacting the invitees regarding the next meeting (agenda, meeting place, assigned readings), the discipline, and the website. The Moderator will greet the invitees before the start of the meeting on Monday afternoon and review the disciplines for the meeting with them. Vice Moderator The Vice Moderator leads the group in the process of picking future topics. He/she arranges for grace at meals. He/she assists the Moderator in facilitating the process and group dynamics during the meetings. He/she fills in for the Moderator as needed. He/she prepares to ascend to the role of Moderator. Program Chair At each Spring Convocation the members of the Greenfield Group pick two topics which will be discussed in the next Spring (one year later) and Fall. The program chair for each planned program and the people, who want to participate on the Program Planning Committee, volunteer at the time the group picks future issues. The Program Chair chairs the Program Planning Committee. He/she works with the Moderator to structure and implement the format of the Convocation. He/she provides the Scribe with complete information and bibliography for the next Convocation no later than four weeks following the convocation preceding the program. He/she reminds those with assignments of their responsibility. He/she finds substitutes for those with program responsibilities who are absent. Program Planning Committee The Program Planning Committee, facilitatied by the Program Chair, is responsible for preparing a topic proposal to present to the members of the Greenfield Group at the fall Convocation. This will require working out the topic and readings between Convocations. Last minute arrangements are disouraged! This task includes
Every effort should be made to ensure that assignments over time are given to all members of the group and not limited to few people. This may not be possible when a topic calls for certain expertise, interest, gender balance, etc. The Scribe will make available for the web site a list of past responsibilities to aid in the task of equal distribution. Anchor The Anchor reviews, summaries and if possible synthesizes and achieves consensus for the Convocation as a whole. He/she presents the anchor report on the last day of the Convocation. He/she gives a copy of the anchor report to the Historian and the Webmaster. Scribe The Scribe keeps the membership list and sends out all notices. He/she keeps the minutes of the meetings and handles all general correspondence. The Scribe receives all nominations for prospective members. The Scribe reviews all absences and decides if they are excused or unexcused. He/she reports on absences to the group, records “grace” extended for excused absences, and informs those whom “grace” is not extended that they have been dropped from membership. The Scribe keeps a current version of the Discipline and sends it regularly to the membership. He/she also keeps a list of assignments from the past five years and makes this list available for the web site. He/She will provide the caring maven with a list of saints, resignations and those expected absences at the next convocation, about a week before the convocation. Treasurer The Treasurer receives and disburses funds and makes financial reports to the membership. He/she handles all reservations and housing arrangements, including special requests for room assignments. Webmaster The Webmaster shall maintain the greenfield group web site (uugreenfieldgroup.org), keeping it up to date as regards meeting dates, topics, membership lists, posting papers, reviews, minutes, anchor reports, receipts, etc., as they become available from members. The webmaster’s work requires timely provision of information by other responsible members of Greenfield Group. Historian The Historian secures from all essayists, respondents, reviewers and anchors copies of their presentations and deposits them in the group’s depository at Andover/Harvard Library. (To be changed to Meadville Lombard Library). He/she acts as an “institutional memory” of the history and traditions of the group. Assistant Historian He/she collects extra copies of papers and makes them available to members at later Convocations. Keeper of the Spirits and Keeper of Soft Drinks and Snacks The Keeper of the Spirits determines the spirits needed (taste and capacities) of the members and purchases spirits and snacks for each Convocation. The Keeper of the Spirits may appoint a Purchaser of the Spirits when it is advantageous to do so. The Keeper of the Soft Drinks and Snacks determines the amount of soft Drink and snack food needed and purchases the same for each Convocation. Together they are responsible for the following Arrange with the management at each Convocation for ice supplies. Set up and take down tables, etc. for the distribution of drinks and snacks at happy hours, securing help from members as needed. Set prices for drinks and snacks. Request extra contributions as necessary and collects moneys to repay self for purchases. Report to each business meeting of the group. Caring Maven He/She will be responsible for providing, for signatures of members of the group, and mailing of caring cards to those who resign, saints, and those unable to attend a gathering of the group. Nominating Committee Each spring the Moderator appoints a Nominating Committee of three persons who recommend a full slate of officers to the group at the Fall Convocation. Officers serve for a year beginning at the Spring Convocation. Keeper of the Gong and Stapler The Keeper of the Gong shall be the custodian of the Greenfield Group Gong which calls up to order at meetings, announces chapel and meals, as well as serves as a general Attention getter. The Keeper of the Stapler shall be sure to have the Greenfield Stapler on site at all convocations with an adequate supply of staples. (end) |
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