Tapestry of Faith Resources

From the High Hill: Odyssey Writing for Elders
by Reverend Anne Odin Heller
Elder participants mine the stories of a lifetime to create a presentation to share with peers, loved ones, and co-congregants. Two weekend retreats—one for preparation, one for presentations—frame an individual period of remembering, sorting, and writing. Participants reflect on stories that delight, challenge, and invite new wisdom, and then discern next steps as new goals emerge from this process. Includes leader guidelines, a participant guide for writing a personal Odyssey, and suggestions for the congregation to celebrate and honor the Odyssey writers. From the High Hill is a significant tool to enrich a congregation’s ministry to elders.

Discussion Guide: Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation
In his memoir, Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel shares his faith journey as an American Muslim and the call to religious pluralism which led him to found the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). Acts of Faith frankly discusses the appeal of religious fundamentalism to young people, observing that young people’s spiritual hunger entwines with their desire to make a mark on the world. Patel challenges those who believe in religious pluralism to support young people, providing what is needed to help them ground themselves in a faith that both fuels their deepest passions and feeds their cooperation across faiths to make the world a better place. Although Patel’s memoir focuses on young people, his call to interfaith understanding and respect through side-by-side service and justice making work resonates with adults of all ages and life stages. Learn more about the "Common Read" project. Purchase Eboo Patel's Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation

Discussion Guide: Elite: Uncovering Classism in Unitarian Universalist History
Mark W. Harris's 2011 Skinner House book explores historical events and trends that have led Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations to serve primarily upper-middle class, educated, professional people. The discussion guide invites UUs to read Elite together and reflect on the questions it raises: Who are we? What do we believe? Who is welcome to belong with us? Three, 60-minute sessions are each expandable to 90 minutes; Session 1 can be used as a stand-alone program.

Discussion Guide: The Spirit Leads: Margaret Fuller in Her Own Words
Edited by Barry Andrews, the 2010 Skinner House book The Spirit Leads presents quotations from the letters, journals, and published writings of 19th-century feminist and Transcendentalist Margaret Fuller. The discussion guide by Polly Peterson engages participants in Fuller-style "Conversations" on social, intellectual, and theological topics of Fuller's time and our own. Eight 60-minute sessions can each be expanded to 90 minutes. Suitable for small group ministry/covenant settings.

Discussion Guide: The Death of Josseline
Unitarian Universalist Association Common Read, 2010-11
A flexible guide for facilitating a single session or several meetings to process readers’ experiences of Margaret Regan's 2010 Beacon Press book, The Death of Josseline. The book explores ethical, moral, and spiritual challenges presented by complex immigration issues, using stories from the U.S./Mexico border. Regan calls us to the religious act of bearing witness to brutality and despair along with extraordinary courage and commitment.

Adapting Small Group Ministry for Children
By Gail Forsyth-Vail
As an alternative to traditional Sunday RE classes, this resource presents a new approach for children and junior youth programming, using insights from the small group ministry model offered by many congregations for adult, young adult, and youth groups. Originally developed for the North Parish of Andover (Massachusetts), it offers guidance for envisioning and implementing an RE program that addresses the faith development needs of children and their families and the goals, needs, and capabilities of the wider congregation. It includes eight sample sessions for worship followed by structured small group reflection and activities for grades 1 and 2; 3, 4, and 5; and 6, 7, and 8. Drawn from the UUA's Tapestry of Faith programs, the sample sessions illustrate how congregations can use this rich resource to craft additional sessions.

Discussion Guide: Understanding the World's Religions: A Study Guide to Huston Smith's The World's Religions
By Rev. Gary Kowalski
Nine sessions guide an adult group to explore the world's major faith traditions through the lens of Huston Smith's The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions (San Francisco: Harper, 1991).

Sharing the Journey: Small Group Ministry with Youth
By Jessica York and Helen Zidowecki
Many UU congregations have embraced the use of small group ministry or covenant groups with adults; small group ministry can help individuals build relationships, experience a greater sense of belonging, and feel supported in their spiritual journey in the congregation. Yet it is only beginning to be used with youth. This resource answers questions and provides encouragement for congregations seeking new ways to engage Unitarian Universalist youth.

Nurturing Children and Youth: A Developmental Guidebook (Toolkit Book)—in print
By Dr. Tracey L. Hurd
Grounded in current research and theory, this book describes typical progressions in physical, cognitive, social, emotional, moral and spiritual growth for each phase of development, from infants to young adults. Each of the age-chronological chapters presents key characteristics and ways to support young people in the context of Unitarian Universalism. Written for parents, ministers, religious educators, and teachers, this book helps meet the needs of children and youth in our faith communities.

Stories in Faith: Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales (Toolkit Book)—in print
By Gail Forsyth-Vail
This resource is an invitation to begin a unique spiritual journey, one in which stories help us develop our faith and make meaning in our lives. This distinctly Unitarian Universalist collection of 19 wisdom tales culls from many cultures and traditions, using the seven Principles and six Sources as a framework for reflection and further exploration. The book offers thoughtful advice for respectfully approaching materials from a culture other than one’s own and encourages engagement with wisdom tales as an opportunity for lifelong inspiration and spiritual growth. This is a useful resource for worship, religious education programs, and families.

When Youth Lead: A Guide to Intergenerational Social Justice Ministry (Toolkit Book)—in print
By Jill M. Schwendeman
Based on a view of youth as equal participants in congregational life, this resource offers adults who work with youth guidance to construct and maintain a healthy, spiritually vital youth ministry. Teens are an enormous generative force for our faith communities, and adults have much to learn from youth about passion, friendship, discrimination, equality, faith and more. Social justice work is an effective tool for bringing generations together, and the suggestions in this excellent resource have the potential to build rich partnerships among children, youth, adults and elders. Includes practical tips for 101 social action projects.

Coming of Age Handbook for Congregations—in print
By the Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Comprehensive and practical, the Coming of Age Handbook for Congregations is a treasury of tools for adults who lead coming of age programs. This handbook is filled with workshops for youth, small group ministry sessions for parents, social action projects and rites of passage. Participants explore theology, spirituality, history and other topics through discussion, drama, music, writing and art. Addressing all the components of UU Coming of Age programs it is a comprehensive resource for congregations to design their own approach to this rite of passage.

Spirituality and the Arts in Children’s Programming
By Dr. Nita Penfold
The eight chapters of this resource guide adults to create and implement arts experiences in a religious education context. This resource includes both pedagogical guidance and practical instructions for projects that help children experience spiritual growth and depth through various arts. This resource describes how to choose, plan, lead and process visual/tactile arts, writing, and drama and movement/dance activities as religious, child-affirming experiences.

Making Music Live
By Nick Page
This resource presents a compelling argument and detailed, practical advice for incorporating musical expression, primarily singing, into Unitarian Universalist religious education. The author’s enthusiasm and expertise will surely inspire and encourage even those who do not consider themselves "musical." In eight chapters, topics include when and how to employ singing activities, how to find the right kind of song for a particular session, song-teaching strategies, ways to add layers of music-making and/or movement to a singing activity. This resource also includes thoughtful guidance on the borrowing of music and traditions from cultures not one’s own.

Together in Faith: Finding Home in Times of Trauma or Disaster
By Dr. Tracey L. Hurd
This workshop is designed for children, families and multigenerational groups as a way to pause and gather with intention to make sense of trauma or disaster. It offers the opportunity to step toward wholeness during a time when daily routines and the blessings of life need amplification. It offers not a cure, but a framework for coming together for comfort and meaning-making when a disaster of any kind affects a community.

Making Meaning after Disaster: A Workshop for Unitarian Universalist Adults
By the Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Conceived in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, this workshop helps congregations reflect and heal after a natural disaster, attack, or other traumatic event. Whether such events occur far away or in our own backyard, they can affect the way we make meaning and how each of us understands life’s purpose and the workings of the universe.

A Study Guide to Milk
By the Rev. Mark Belletini
This discussion guide for the 2008 film Milk includes background information, discussion questions, and resources for putting faith in action. Milk is a film biography of Harvey Milk, a great leader of the 1970s Gay and Lesbian rights movement who, as an elected member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, was the first openly gay politician in the United States. Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone were assassinated in November 1978 by Dan White, also a member of the Board of Supervisors.

Guía de estudio de la película Milk
By the Rev. Mark Belletini, translated by Francisco Javier Lagunes Gaitan
Milk es la biografía filmada por Gus Van Sant (1952- ) sobre los últimos años de la vida de Harvey Milk (1930-1978), quien fue un gran líder del movimiento lésbicogay de la década de 1970, así como un miembro electo de la Junta de Supervisores de San Francisco, el primer político abiertamente gay de los Estados Unidos [Nota: en esa época no se usaba un acrónimo extendido como BGLTQ—Bisexual, Gay, Lésbico, Transgénero, Queer (literalmente, 'raritos,' también lexicalizada como: kuir) y Questioning (dudosos)]—para designar la diversidad de las poblaciones no-heterosexuales, e incluso la palabra 'lesbiana' no se usaba mucho, pues lo lésbico se consideraba ya incluido en 'gay']. Milk y el alcalde de San Francisco, George Moscone (1929-1978) fueron asesinados en noviembre de 1978 por Dan White (1946-1985), quien había sido miembro de la Junta de Supervisores y buscaba que Moscone lo volviera a designer para ese puesto.

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