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
  • A narcissus flower or a photograph of one. See Leader Resource 1, Narcissus Flower
  • Chalice and matches
  • Recording of "Amazing Grace" and music player
  • Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape
  • Optional: Nametags and markers
  • Optional: Decorative cloth for Conundrum Corner

Preparation for Activity

  • Place the narcissus or a photocopy of Leader Resource 1, Narcissus Flower, on display in the Conundrum Corner.
  • Have your recording of "Amazing Grace" ready to play. Since this is the last session, even if you haven't been playing the song for every session, you probably will want to play it today.
  • Optional: Write chalice-lighting words on newsprint, and post.
  • Optional: Prepare and post an agenda of the day's activities.

Description of Activity

Play "Amazing Grace" while participants gather. Use any version you like, bagpipe, voice, or another. 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.

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 understand and develop good values.

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 to comment on the results of the random acts of kindness suggested for Faith in Action of Session 15. If the group did not do that activity, introduce the concept briefly now and challenge youth to try some random acts of kindness on their own.

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