WINDOWS AND MIRRORS
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Children
SESSION 9: LEAN ON ME
BY BY GABRIELLE FARREL, NATALIE FENIMORE AND JENICE VIEW SUSAN LAWRENCE, MANAGING EDITOR/DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR AISHA HAUSER, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES PROGRAM DIRECTOR/DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR
© Copyright 2009 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 11/8/2014 11:53:39 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
SESSION OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you. — Althea Gibson, 20th-century African American tennis champion
This session explores the ways the bonds of relationships are crucial in times of self-doubt. When members of our family are struggling with insecurity, we offer support, care and love. This can be as simple as offering a hug when a sibling is feeling sad. It can be as involved as going to our child's school to advocate for extra help when they need it. We sacrifice our time and comfort in order to support others.
Our Unitarian Universalist values call on us to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. This begins with those closest to us. The source for this session derives from the wisdom of the world's second largest religion, Islam. The story is about how the prophet Mohamed, the founder of Islam, was afraid of the first revelations he received from Allah. Mohamed's first wife, Khadija, was steadfast in her support of him and her trust in Allah. It was her trust, people believe, that helped give Mohamed the courage to fulfill his calling and bring Islam to the people of world.
Participants will be asked to envision this story from Khadija's perspective. This will encourage them to consider what it means to support someone who is feeling insecure and afraid.
The Faith in Action activity creates an opportunity for the group to offer their collective support. This will take research and consultation with your minister and religious educator to identify members of the congregation or a group within the congregation who need support, or if there is a cause the children can lead the congregation in supporting.
GOALS
This session will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
SESSION-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: Story — The First Supporter | 10 |
Activity 2: Writing Khadija's Story | 15 |
Activity 3: Trust Walk | 10 |
Activity 4: Window/Mirror Panel — Lean On Me | 10 |
Faith in Action: Congregational Support | |
Closing | 5 |
Alternate Activity 1: Role Play Khadija's Story | 10 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Find a place where you can be quiet with your thoughts. Make yourself comfortable; light a candle to mark the time as different from your other activities. Close your eyes and breathe deeply and perhaps repeat a word or phrase to separate you from the activities of the day. After you open your eyes, consider:
SESSION PLAN
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
This ritual welcoming reminds participants of the relational nature of the group experience. Gather the children in a circle around the chalice. Invite them to take a deep breath and release it, and create a deep silence for a moment.
Ask a volunteer to take a reading from the Opening Words Basket and read it aloud. Invite another volunteer to light the chalice. Then, lead a greeting:
Now we will take a moment to greet the people next to us. If you are next to someone who is new to our group, offer a welcome, tell them your first and last name, and learn their name.
Lead the group in singing the hymn you have chosen. Singing a congregational favorite helps children grow in their sense of belonging in congregational life.
If you choose not to sing, use a bell to signal the group to still themselves for another moment of silence.
Ask the child who lit the chalice to extinguish it. Ask the child who read the opening words to return the reading to the Opening Words Basket.
Including All Participants
If you have a non-sighted participant who reads braille, obtain the braille version of Singing the Living Tradition from UUA Bookstore. The bookstore orders from an outside publisher, so order several weeks ahead.
ACTIVITY 1: STORY — THE FIRST SUPPORTER (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Before you begin, ring the chime (or other noisemaker). Make eye contact with each participant.
Read or tell the story. Sound the chime again at the end.
Invite the children to think silently on their own about the story.
Say:
Now we are going to practice listening and discussing skills—both are needed to help us understand the story from multiple perspectives. Let's find out what one another thought about the story.
Remind them not to assume others share their opinions. Ask everyone to use "I think" or "I feel" statements. Encourage the group to listen to each comment and then share some silence. Use the bell or chime to move between speakers.
Begin a discussion by asking participants to recap the story in their own words. What they recall indicates what they found most meaningful or memorable.
Then use these questions to facilitate discussion, making sure everyone who wants to speak has a chance:
Pose these questions and invite a few volunteers to share:
Conclude by articulating what the story teaches about supporting those we care about during difficult times. Ask the group to think about:
Thank everyone for their observations and sharing.
ACTIVITY 2: WRITING KHADIJA'S STORY (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Tell the children this is an opportunity to write the story they just heard from Khadija's point of view. They will work in groups of three and, when they are done, they will have an opportunity to share their work with the larger group. Suggest that they create a conversation between Khadija and Mohamed to read aloud as a script.
Say something like:
Ask yourselves what was difficult about standing beside Mohamed. What do you think Khadija's family said to her? Where do you think she got her strength? What might a conversation between Khadija and Mohamed have been? Between Khadija and another family member or a friend? Feel free to imagine this. Consider these and other ideas as you write together.
Arrange children in groups of three to write. Allow about five minutes. Then regather the groups and invite them to present their stories or scripts.
Discuss this activity:
ACTIVITY 3: TRUST WALK (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
These exercises present an essential idea—the value of interdependence. The group tests the boundaries of their trust in one another by experimenting with dependency. The trust walk also challenges group members to expand their perception of the world to include information picked up by senses other than sight. These exercises work best outdoors, but a large indoor space will do.
Ask group members to pair up. If there is not an even number of participants, be prepared to pair a co-leader with a child.
Explain the trust walk:
One partner shuts their eyes or covers them by tying on a scarf. The other is the guide and will lead their partner around the space by touch. You can decide whether to allow speaking or not. The guide is responsible for the safety of their partner.
Encourage children to explore unusual areas where the ground or the air might feel different. Have all pairs return after a specified time and switch roles.
Including All Participants
Be mindful of accessibility issues. Modify the activity if someone is in a scooter or wheelchair. You can allow a participant to lead someone verbally to a point in the room if it would be difficult to move as a pair.
Some people are uncomfortable being blindfolded; make sure you explain the activity clearly so people know what to expect. Anyone can opt out if they are uncomfortable with the activity.
ACTIVITY 4: WINDOW/MIRROR PANEL — LEAN ON ME (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite the children to bring their Window/Mirror Panels to work tables. Distribute Window/Mirror Panel basket(s) and the handouts or templates you have made from Leader Resource 1.
Explain that in this piece of the Window/Mirror Panel they may express their relationship with another person in terms of support they have given, have received or wish to give or receive in a mission or calling. You might say:
Think of a mission of yours that someone else believes in enough, and believes in you enough, to give you extraordinary support to accomplish. Or, think of someone whose mission or calling you have enough faith in to make some sacrifices of your own to help them accomplish. You might even think of a shared mission, in which you and another person support each other.
Tell children they may use writing or any materials available to transform the Lean on Me figures to represent the scenario of support. Point out that the two figures are mirror images—even though the mission may have begun with one of them, they are in fact mutually supporting each other.
Suggest children cut out the figures to get started. Some might like to fold their piece of paper in half and line up the folded edge to the line down the middle of the template where the two figures' backs meet. Then they can trace just one figure, cut out the outline except for the back, and unfold the paper to have a mirror image.
Alert the group when they have just a few minutes to finish their work and put away their Window/Mirror Panels.
CLOSING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Explain that the session is almost over and we now have to work together as community to clean the meeting space. First, everyone should clean up their own personal area, put away materials they were using and store their Window/Mirror Panel. Then they may clean another area or help someone else. No one should sit in the circle until all are done.
Then bring the group back to the circle. Ask them to think about what happened today that was good or what they wish had gone better. If you are running short of time you can ask them for a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on the session.
Invite each participant to say, in a word or sentence, why it is important for them to be a part of this faith community. You may go around the circle for responses; allow individuals to speak or pass.
Then ask everyone to hold hands and say together:
Keep alert;
Stand firm in your faith;
Be courageous and strong;
Let all that you do be done in love. — 1 Corinthians 16
If this is the first time the group is using "namaste," briefly explain its origin and meaning. Then, lead the group in the word and bowing gesture. Or, substitute "thank you." Invite each participant to bow their head to the individuals on either side and then bow to the center of the circle and say "thank you" together.
Distribute the Taking It Home handout you have prepared. Thank and dismiss participants.
FAITH IN ACTION: CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group to hear adult visitor's stories.
Then, invite the children to look through the local paper and the congregation newsletter. Have the group decide if there is an issue that the congregation can take a stand on in solidarity with a group.
Or, ask your minister if a member of the congregation or a group within the congregation needs some kind of support the children could provide. Invite your minister and the congregant(s) to present their goal and their need to the children. Together, consider a plan of action: How do we show our support to this cause or to this person? Could we ask members of the congregation to sign a petition? Could the congregation put a sign on our building in support of this cause? Ask the congregant(s) whether they want this support. Then, follow through on the plan.
Once this Faith in Action is complete, it will be important to process the outcome with the participants. You might ask some of the following questions:
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Reflect on and discuss with your co-leader(s):
Approach your director of religious education for guidance, as needed.
TAKING IT HOME
No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you. — Althea Gibson, 20th-century African American tennis champion
IN TODAY’S SESSION…
We reflected on our willingness to support people we care about whether they are our family or friends. Sometimes, we sacrifice our time and comfort to support others. The group heard the story of Khadija, the first wife of the prophet Mohamed; Khadija is considered the first convert to Islam. Mohamed was afraid of the revelation he received to bring Islam to the world. Khadija stood by him and helped convince him that Allah was good and would not lead him astray.
EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about…
What it means to be a supporter to a family member or friend. Talk about a time in your family when someone needed support. As a caregiver, was there an opportunity to advocate for your child in relation to school? As a child, was there an opportunity for you to advocate for another member of your family? Has anyone in your family shared a doubt in themselves, and has another family member helped restore their self-confidence?
EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try…
Consider a family friend or a member of your extended family who could use support. Is there a person who has been having difficulty? Does someone need support because they have adopted or given birth to a new child? Consider ways your family can offer assistance, perhaps plan to bring over a meal that you all make together.
FAMILY DISCOVERY
As a family, look through the local newspaper and find a cause that you believe in. Is there an opportunity to support equal marriage rights? An animal shelter? Environmental action programs in your area? Choose one or more cause to support and make a plan as a family to take action.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: ROLE PLAY KHADIJA'S STORY (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Description of Activity
This activity extends Activity 2, Writing Khadija's Story. Invite a few volunteers to role play Khadija's story. Have the group decide which version of Khadija's story they will role play, perhaps by a show-of-hands vote. Ask for volunteers to play each character in the story. This can be as elaborate or simple as the group is willing and able to make it. After the role play, discuss the activity.
WINDOWS AND MIRRORS: SESSION 9:
STORY: THE FIRST SUPPORTER
From Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs by Sarah Conover and Valerie Wahl (Boston: Skinner House, 2010). Available from the UUA Bookstore. All rights reserved.
Khadija was a wealthy businesswoman who needed to hire someone she could depend on to do her trading and to care for her goods when her caravan reached Syria . After a brief search, she hired Muhammad ibn Adjullah, known throughout Mecca as the "The Trustworthy." He accepted the position and performed his tasks responsibly.
After he returned with an excellent recommendation from those who accompanied him, Khadija decided he would make the best of husbands—even though he was fifteen years younger. She asked Muhammad to marry her. He agreed. Together, they had six children and their business continued to flourish.
One day, Muhammad and Khadija's lives changed forever. Muhammad had gone to a cave on a nearby mountain to meditate, something he did frequently. This time, however, the angel Gabriel appeared, filling the cave, and then the horizon, with his enormous presence. He said he had a message from Allah for Muhammad: This message began the revelation of the Qur'an.
When the Angel disappeared, Muhammad raced home. He was trembling as he said to Khadija, "Cover me!" She covered him with a blanket until he was calm.
"O, Khadija! What is wrong with me?" he said. "I am afraid that something bad has happened to me." He then described his overwhelming experience in the cave.
As she listened to his words, Khadija did not share his fears. She realized that something tremendous and awe-inspiring had happened to her husband, but she was sure it was something good. She comforted him by saying, "No, it's not possible that it's something bad. It must be good news! By Allah, He will never disgrace you, for you are good to your family and relatives, you speak the truth, and help the poor and the destitute. You serve your guests generously and help those in distress."
Khadija felt sure that Muhammad had received a true message from God. Seeking to reassure him, she asked him to go with her to see her cousin, Waraqa who was knowledgeable about Jewish and Christian scripture.
Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of Muhammad, O, my cousin!"
Waraqa then said, "What have you seen?" Muhammad described what had happened to him. Waraqa then said, "This is the same Gabriel whom Allah sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people will turn you out."
Muhammad asked, "Will they drive me out?"
Waraqa replied, "Every prophet of God who said something similar to what you have said was treated with hostility. If I live until you have this problem, then I will support you strongly."
Waraqa died soon after he met with Muhammad. However, Khadija was convinced of Muhammad's prophethood and never wavered in her support of her husband. When the Prophet Muhammad was commanded by Allah to call the people to worship one God alone, Khadija did not hesitate to express in public what she had known in secret for some time. "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah," she said, "and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."
With that one public statement, Khadija lost her position as one of the most prestigious people in Mecca and became an outcast. Even so, she refused to hide, and made a point of going with her husband to the Ka'bah in the center of town for prayer.
Her clear thinking plus her generous giving of her time and wealth were an enormous help to the small group that declared their faith in public. Some of her money went to free slaves who had embraced Islam and were being cruelly treated because of it.
Eventually all the members of Muhammad's tribe who had kept him from harm, and all poor Muslims, were driven out of Mecca and forced to live in a small ravine in the nearby mountains. Here, the Muslims were exposed to bitterly cold winter nights, and later the fiery hot days of summer with very little food and shelter. No one was allowed to buy or sell with the Muslims. Because she was from a different tribe, and wealthy, Khadija was not forced to join them. However, it was unthinkable to her that she not be with, and support, her husband and the other Muslims. Knowing that it would be especially difficult for her due to her advanced age, she nevertheless moved out to the ravine.
After three very long and difficult years, the boycott was lifted and the Muslims were allowed to re-enter the city, but the years of hardship had taken their toll. Khadija's intellect and faith remained strong, but her body could not recover from its deprivation, and she died soon after.
Some years later the Prophet Muhammad said of her, "She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand."
WINDOWS AND MIRRORS: SESSION 9:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: WINDOW/MIRROR LEAN ON ME FIGURES