Tapestry of Faith: Creating Home: A Program on Developing a Sense of Home Grounded in Faith for Grades K-1

Spiritual Preparation

Part of Creating Home

Every adult has a unique ancestral history. As a leader, you will model for participants the way you embrace and honor your own.

Your history with the word "home" is likely to creep into your presentation of this program. To acknowledge your personal associations with "home" and to gently set aside any negative or unsettling connotations before your session begins, use this spiritual preparation activity:

Locate the place where the group will meet. Take off your shoes and stand at the threshold of the space. If the threshold is a doorway, place your hands on the frame. If there is no door, stand where all participants will step into the space and imagine a threshold there. Close your eyes. Ground yourself by pressing your feet down and slightly bending your knees.

Think about the children and adults who have passed this way to begin or to end a time for learning. Absorb their energy and enthusiasm.

Now ponder the single most important thing you learned from your own home experiences. Concentrate on the names of the children you will soon meet in this space, and open your eyes. Cross the threshold into a new place where you and the children can create home in the context of a congregational community, while exploring new ideas.