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, Butterfly and Wave, for Conundrum Corner
  • 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 Leaders Resource 1, Butterfly and Wave, on display in the Conundrum Corner.
  • Optional: Decide if you will continue to play "Amazing Grace" at Opening and Closing. Feel free to take a break if you feel the routine is getting old. You could also vary the practice by playing different versions of the song. If you decide to continue, have your recording ready to play.
  • 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 see how far our actions reach.

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.

Ask the youth if they can remember doing something that had greater or different results than they expected. Did those results have other results, like ripples in a pond?

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