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

Opening

Activity time: 25 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle
  • Pillows or cushions, meditation pillows, or seiza benches (a bench specially designed for kneeling during mediation) for sitting on the floor
  • Newsprint, markers, and tape
  • Leader Resource 2, Hinduism Background
  • Leader Resource 3, Images of Hindu Gods

Preparation for Activity

  • Read Leader Resource 2, Hinduism Background, so you will be comfortable presenting it.
  • Cut apart the images in Leader Resource 3, Images of Hindu Gods.

Description of Activity

Answer any questions you could not answer from the last workshop.

Invite youth to sit on the floor or kneel on a pillow or seiza bench. Light the chalice with these words:

We light this chalice in celebration of Unitarian Universalism and the sustaining faiths of all people of the world. May the flame represent the fire of our commitment to understand all faithful people and to build bridges that connect us as one human family.

Invite participants to check in by saying their names and briefly sharing something they know or have heard about Hinduism (an image, concept, or person). Ask what questions they have about Hinduism, and write their questions on newsprint. Answer the ones you can. Tell the group that during this workshop, many of their other questions will be answered. After the workshop, you will seek answers to any remaining questions, which you will share at their next meeting.

Read, or share with youth in your own words, the information in Leader Resource 2, Hinduism Background, as you pass around images from Leader Resource 3, Images of Hindu Gods. Ask participants to identify some of the important terms from Leader Resource 2, and list them on newsprint.

Including All Participants

A participant with physical limitations regarding sitting on the floor can be accommodated in a chair. If you feel this will bring an uncomfortable amount of attention to this participant, invite all youth to sit in chairs.