Tapestry of Faith: Amazing Grace: A Program about Exploring Right and Wrong for Grade 6

Opening

Part of Amazing Grace

Activity time: 5 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Conundrum Corner poster/banner
  • Leader Resource 1, Church Sign
  • Chalice and matches
  • Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape
  • Optional: Recording of "Amazing Grace" and music player
  • Optional: Nametags and markers
  • Optional: Decorative cloth for Conundrum Corner

Preparation for Activity

  • Place Leader Resource 1, Church Sign, on display in the Conundrum Corner.
  • Optional: Have your recording of "Amazing Grace" ready to play. Though you may not have played the theme song for the past several sessions, you might play it today if you are doing Alternate Activity 2, Theme Song Revisited.
  • Optional: Write chalice-lighting words on newsprint, and post.
  • Optional: Prepare and post an agenda of the day's activities.

Description of Activity

As participants enter, greet them. If you have newcomers, greet them warmly and be sure they know others in the room. Give them nametags if others have them. Ask newcomers and old timers alike to look at the Conundrum Corner, but do not say anything more about it. In answer to any questions about it, say you will be talking about it later.

If playing "Amazing Grace," stop the music or reduce the volume to a very low background level.

Lead the group in the day's opening rituals-a chalice lighting, a moment of focusing silence, and a moment of sharing.

Light the chalice, or let a youth do so, and speak these words (asking the group to join you if you have posted them):

May this light help us find the way to forgive others and ourselves for doing wrong.

Ask the group to be silent for a moment as they reflect on the opening words and settle in for the session. End the silence by saying, "blessed be," or other appropriate words.

If your group recently did Session 11, Rules, Rules, Rules, ask whether any of them have acted on the idea suggested by Faith in Action: that they work to change rules in their lives. Then say that in this session they will talk about forgiveness. Ask whether any of them have ever said that they forgave somebody when they really did not want to forgive. Do not press for details, but accept any brief explanations the youth offer.

Extinguish the chalice without ceremony and move the chalice table aside as necessary to allow movement in the room.