Alternate Activity 2: Faith Statements (35 minutes), Workshop 2: Unitarian Universalist Journey

In "Harvest the Power," a Tapestry of Faith program

Materials for Activity

• Workshop 1, Handout 2, Three Tenets of a Faith for the Free
• Handout 3, Faith Statement Worksheet
• Leader Resource 3, Walking Toward Morning
• Writing journal or notebook for each participant

Preparation for Activity

• Copy Workshop 1, Handout 1, for all participants.
• Copy this workshop's Handout 2 and Leader Resource 3 for all participants.

Description of Activity

This activity guides participants to discern and articulate their own faith as expressions of values, blessings in life, beliefs, and reverence.

Distribute Handout 1 from Workshop 1. Invite participants to silently read (or re-read) James Luther Adams' description of a faith for the free. Allow a few moments. Then distribute Leader Resource 3, Walking Toward Morning. Again, invite participants to read and reflect.

Begin a discussion with the question, "What does it mean as a Unitarian Universalist to have faith?" Allow ten minutes of conversation. Suggest this definition of faith from religious historian William Cantwell Smith:

Faith at its best has taken the form of a quiet confidence and joy which enable one to feel at home in the universe.

Now distribute Handout 3, Faith Statement Worksheet, along with journals and pens or pencils. State that understanding their own faith and being able to articulate it is an important part of their leadership in a congregational context. Invite participants to begin writing a faith statement, using the questions on the worksheet as prompts. Tell them they will have 15 minutes to work on their faith statement here and may take the journal home to continue writing if they wish.

Tell participants when ten minutes have passed. After 15 minutes, re-gather the group and invite volunteers to share any thoughts or read a short piece of what they have written.

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Last updated on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

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