Session 3: Love is the Spirit of this Church

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Love Connects Us, Grades 4-5

In This Section

Introduction
From Love Connects Us

Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more. — Malvina Reynolds (from the song “Magic Penny”) This session explores the essence of a beloved community as sharing the good times as well as the bad with each other; this is what creates a true spirit of love in a religious…
Session-at-a-Glance
From Love Connects Us

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: Story — The Mish-Mash Heart 10 Activity 2: Creating Our Own Mish-Mash Hearts 15 Activity 3: Cat’s Cradle 10 Activity 4: Sharing Joys and Concerns 10 Faith in Action: Multigenerational Mish-Mash Hearts Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1:…
Spiritual Preparation
From Love Connects Us

Find a place where you can be quiet with your thoughts. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for about five minutes, perhaps repeating a word or phrase to separate yourself from the activities of the day. When you feel settled and relaxed, think about the times you have felt a strong sense of…
Welcoming and Entering
From Love Connects Us

Materials for Activity Handout 1, Scrambled Word Puzzle, and pencils Preparation for Activity Copy the handout for all participants. Description of Activity Give a copy of the scrambled word puzzle and a pencil to each participant as they arrive….
Opening
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle, and matches or LED/battery-operated candle Newsprint, markers, and tape A large, clear bowl and a selection of stones on a large plate (at least one for each participant) Preparation for Activity Set up chalice. Fill the bowl with…
Activity 1: Story - The Mish-Mash Heart
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Copy of the story, “The Mish-Mash Heart” Sample mish-mash heart (see Activity 2) Preparation for Activity Read the story several times so you are comfortable telling it to the group….
Activity 2: Creating Our Own Mish-Mash Hearts
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Card stock in a variety of colors Fabric pieces, ribbons, and other decorative items Glue sticks, scissors (including left-handed scissors), and hole punch(es) Preparation for Activity Cut card stock into equal-sized heart shapes. Set out on work…
Activity 3: Cat's Cradle
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Pieces of string or yarn about 24” long Leader Resource 1, Playing Cat’s Cradle Preparation for Activity Tie together the ends of each string or yarn piece to create a loop. Make a loop for every two participants. If you are unfamiliar with Cat’s…
Activity 4: Sharing Joys and Concerns
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Votive candles or tea lights, and a lighter and extinguisher; or, a set of LED/battery-operated votive candles, enough for all participants Optional: A large, clear bowl and a selection of stones on a large plate (at least one for each participant)…
Closing
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Taking It Home Mish-mash hearts made in Activity 2 Hole punch and yarn Preparation for Activity Download and adapt Taking It Home and copy as a handout for all participants (or, email to parents). Description of Activity Say in your own words: The…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Love Connects Us

Reflect on and discuss with your co-leader(s): How did the timing go today? What might we do to make it better? How did participants respond to the story? Did they “get” it? How did participants respond to creating their own mish-mash hearts? Were any able to relate their designs to events or…
Faith In Action: Multigenerational Mish-Mash Hearts
From Love Connects Us

Materials for Activity A copy of the story “The Mish-Mash Heart” A sample mish-mash heart made by a leader or participant in Activity 2 Card stock in a variety of colors Fabric pieces, ribbons, and other decorative items Glue sticks, scissors (including left-handed scissors), and hole punch(es)…
Alternate Activity 1: Pyramid Building
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Plastic cups (six for each team) Rubber bands (one for each team) String and scissors Preparation for Activity Calculate how many teams of four to six participants you will have, and obtain the appropriate materials….
Alternate Activity 2: Song - Magic Penny
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A recording of the song “Magic Penny” by Malvina Reynolds, and music player Preparation for Activity Obtain a recording of the song “Magic Penny” by Malvina Reynolds on a CD or downloaded from the Internet, and a music player….
Alternate Activity 3: Ranking Order
From Love Connects Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity A list of committees at your congregation Pencils Timepiece (minutes) Preparation for Activity Calculate the number of three-person teams you will have. Copy the committee list for each team. Find out the responsibilities of each committee on the…
Taking It Home: Love is the Spirit of this Church
From Love Connects Us

Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more. — Malvina Reynolds (from the song “Magic Penny”) IN TODAY’S SESSION… the children heard a story, “The Mish-Mash Heart,” about how love becomes richer when it is given away or shared. We talked about the ways we share our love with…
The Mish-Mash Heart
From Love Connects Us

Recently at a multigenerational event at a Unitarian Universalist congregation, everyone was encouraged to create a heart. They were given some construction paper and some glue and some markers to design their heart. Emily worked diligently to create the most perfect, beautiful heart she could….
Handout 1: Scrambled Word Puzzle
From Love Connects Us

Unscramble the words to create a message about our beloved community. VLOE PTISIR HHCCRU RSVECEI LWA WLDLE GTTOEERH ACEEP LEPH TREAHNO VCENNAOT…
Leader Resource 1: Playing Cats Cradle
From Love Connects Us

Cat’s Cradle images and text come from The Project Gutenberg eBook, My Book of Indoor Games, by Clarence Squareman.To play Cat’s Cradle, two or more people make shapes out of a loop of string as they pass the string back and forth between their hands….
Find Out More
From Love Connects Us

Learn about the singer and songwriter who was awarded a doctorate in 1939 despite the Depression and the fact that she was Jewish, socialist, and a woman, at this website dedicated to Malvina Reynolds….