Tapestry of Faith: Toolbox of Faith: A Program That Helps Children Discover the Uses of Faith

Opening

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Chalice and candle or LED/battery-operated candle
  • Lighter and extinguisher, if needed
  • Newsprint, markers, and tape
  • Optional: Tool of the Day - a hardhat

Preparation for Activity

  • Print the opening words on newsprint. Post the newsprint where the children will be able to see it when they gather in your Council Circle space.

Description of Activity

Life is sometimes difficult. We all need a "hardhat," or resiliency, to help us through. Participants will learn to define resiliency as bouncing back from problems.

Invite participants to sit in a circle in your Council Circle space. Light the chalice. Indicate where the opening words are posted for any children who are unfamiliar with them. Lead the group in reciting:

We are Unitarian Universalists

with minds that think,

hearts that love,

and hands that are ready to serve.

Introduce the Tool of the Day - a hard hat. You might ask, "What do you think makes this a Unitarian Universalist tool?" Allow participants to share ideas. Affirm that there truly is no one answer. You may say:

The hard hat represents resiliency. Resiliency means bouncing back from problems. Unitarian Universalism is a faith that values each person's search for meaning and search for truth. One of our Principles says that we value a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Among other things, this means finding out how to bounce back from the hard times. Everyone's hard times are different, and the ways people can get though hard times and bounce back afterward are also different. But for all of us, resiliency is a key part of growing in faith and deepening in religious understanding.

Tell the group, in your own words:

One Source of our faith is the "words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love." These prophetic women and men had to learn how to be resilient. One such story is about the prophet, Miriam, sister of Moses.

Ask participants what they already know about Moses and the story of the Exodus. Tell them that the Book of Exodus comes after the Book of Genesis and before the Book of Leviticus in Hebrew scripture.

Encourage participants to share what they may have discovered, if they had time to browse the Bibles before the session. Provide the context as needed; some may not know that the Israelites (Hebrews) were enslaved in Egypt for a number of generations.