Tapestry of Faith: Faith Like a River: A Program on Unitarian Universalist History for Adults

Alternate Activity 3: Faith like a River

Activity time: 45 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Newsprint, markers, and tape
  • Craft materials and supplies such as clay, wire, beads, fabric, paint, paper, markers, magazines for collage, scissors, glue, and tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Write on newsprint, and post:
    • What event or person covered in the workshops spoke deeply to you?
    • What quality of that event or person would you like (or not like) to incorporate in your own life?
    • How will you commit to carry that quality forward? Will you do it alone or will you invite others to join you?
  • To refresh participants' memories, prepare a sheet of newsprint or a handout that lists the events and people discussed during the workshop series. Use the Workshop-at-a-Glance tables to help you.

Description of Activity

Introduce the activity using these or similar words:

History is never a closed book. As Unitarian Universalists, we re-examine and continue the stories begun by our religious forebears, those we spoke about in these workshops and those we did not. Of course, we have the choice to close the book of history and return it to the shelf. Or, we can make our history a living history in which we ourselves play a part. Our inheritance as Unitarian Universalists lives on in our corporate forms of worship, governance, institutions, and Principles, but as individuals we also have the opportunity to play a unique role in its history.

If we choose to make our history a personal living Unitarian Universalist history, how might we go about doing that? One way is to incorporate something about a Unitarian Universalist forebear into our own lives.

Display or distribute the list you have prepared of people and events the program included. Then, indicate the posted questions and read them aloud. Invite participants to reflect on the questions, and use the craft supplies provided to create a work that expresses their responses, sharing with one another as they create.

Re-gather the group and invite volunteers to share their works and describe the quality they commit to carry forward.