Tapestry of Faith: Building Bridges: A World Religions Program for 8th-9th Grades

Alternate Activity 2: My Unitarian Universalism

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Credo statements and any other material created in a Coming of Age program
  • Photographs of youth taken at congregational events
  • Other mementos from congregational programs involving this group of youth
  • Tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Locate records of participation by the youth in the group in past congregational events, for example, photographs from social events and justice actions, videos of youth worship services, and credos written in Coming of Age programs. Seek permission, as needed, to share these materials with the group. Start by asking your religious educator for material. You can also contact the participants' families. If any youth are new to the congregation, ask families for mementos of the youth from an earlier faith home.
  • If you do not think you can obtain enough material on most youth, skip this activity.

Description of Activity

Youth reminisce about congregational experiences.

Display the material you collected. If you have credos to share, tell the group the original meaning of "credo," which is "set one's heart to." Your credo is what you set your heart to, not just what you believe or do not believe at this point.

If everyone agrees, create a game by posting credos and old photographs (of the youth as children) and asking participates to guess who wrote which credos and whose photos are posted. Let youth talk about their memories. Guide discussion with these prompts:

  • How does looking at these mementos make you feel about the congregation?
  • Do you have other mementos at home?
  • How have you and your faith changed since you took these pictures or wrote these credos?
  • If you are new to the congregation and do not see yourself reflected in these materials, can you imagine and share with the group the ways you hope to interact with the congregation?
  • Can you share a word or two that conveys what Unitarian Universalism means to you personally?

Take a group photograph. Plan to display it in a prominent place as a memento for each of the youth of their life in the congregation.