Activity 2: Singing "Turn The World Around" (5 minutes)
Materials for Activity
- Copies of the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook supplement, Singing the Journey, for all participants
- Optional: A piano, a guitar, or another instrument for accompaniment
Preparation for Activity
- Gather copies of Singing the Journey, enough for all participants. If your congregation has large print and/or braille editions of Singing the Journey, gather these for participants who might need them.
- Determine which parts your group will sing of "Turn the World Around," #1074 in Singing the Journey. The first part of the song is easier to sing than the remainder. If you do not have accompaniment or do not know the song well, you may direct the group to only sing the first part.
- Optional: Arrange for musical accompaniment to sing "Turn the World Around."
Description of Activity
Introduce the activity with these or similar words:The song "Turn the World Around" by Harry Belafonte was a result of his own journey back to some of his roots. He visited the Republic of Guinea in West Africa and met a storyteller, who told him a traditional story about the roots of all humanity. The storyteller said that we come from the fire (the sun), the water, and the earth, and that when you put these things together, they turn the world around. He also said that all of us are here for a short time, and that our differences are quite small. If we take time out to really understand each other, he said, and care about each other, then together we can turn the world around.
Invite participants to rise in body or spirit and sing "Turn the World Around" by Harry Belafonte, #1074 in Singing the Journey.
Including All Participants
If your congregation has large print and/or Braille hymnbooks, gather these for participants who might need them.The invitation to "rise in body or spirit" accommodates participants of all physical abilities.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
