Tapestry of Faith: Signs of Our Faith: A Program about Being UU Every Day for Grades 2-3

Alternate Activity 2: Leadership in Action - Leading a Round in Congregational Worship

Materials for Activity

  • Newsprint, markers, and tape
  • A copy of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook
  • Optional: Computer with Internet access or a music player

Preparation for Activity

  • Refer to Activity 3, Song - "Come, Come, Whoever You Are" for help preparing to teach the song to the group. The instructions below will then help you teach the song as a round. You can hear it sung as a round here.
  • If possible, invite the music director or another adult who is comfortable leading songs. You will need at least two singing sections, with an adult co-leader for each.
  • Write the words to "Come, Come, Whoever You Are," Hymn 188 in Singing the Living Tradition, on newsprint, and post.
  • Arrange a date for the children to lead the round in Sunday worship.

Description of Activity

Every session offers one or more Leadership in Action (LIA) activities. In this activity, the children lead a musical round in a worship service.

Tell the children you will teach the group to sing "Come, Come, Whoever You Are" as a round. Explain: In a round, different groups start the song at different times and continue singing it. Name a familiar song often sung in rounds, such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Now, divide the group in half or thirds. Lead one section of the group to begin singing "Come, Come, Whoever You Are." After the first line, have the second group start singing. Have each section sing the entire song several times.

Now tell the children they will have a chance to lead the congregation in singing this song in a round. Suggest this will be a challenge worth trying!

Have the group choose one or two participants to announce the name of the song and explain that singing a song of welcome is a sign of our UU faith.

On the day the children will lead the singing, ask families to bring children a half hour before worship so they can practice. Have small groups of children stand in different sections of the sanctuary to help lead.

Afterward, use these questions to process the activity:

  • What was it like leading the congregation in this song?
  • Why might it be a good idea for a UU congregation to learn this song?
  • Would you want to lead a song in the congregation again?