Name tags Markers or crayons...

Be ready to talk privately with participants who begin to describe situations at home that suggest a safety concern. Speak to your religious educator to ensure compliance with your congregation and state safety policies....

Every congregation has its own approach to structuring religious education. You can implement Love Will Guide Us with any model your congregation uses. This chart provides a snapshot for long-range planning. Be sure to read the sessions thoroughly to develop your own, complete list. ...

One of the more important things that Unitarian Universalists try to do is to "seek the truth in love." This might sound easy to do. "So, what's so hard about it?" you might ask....

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Ball of yarn Optional: Scissors, including left-handed scissors Description of Activity In addition to building community through sharing information about important events in participants' lives, this version of sharing joys and concerns uses a...

Activity time: 15 minutes Preparation for Activity Invite a long-time member of your congregation to come share recollections of the congregation's history. Explain the Rev. David Pettee's story of seeking his family's truth, and give them the story "Hard Truths" to read. Make sure the guest is...

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Craft sticks (popsicle sticks), two for each participant; a variety of colors of yarn Scissors Optional: Toothpicks, two for each participant; a variety of colors of embroidery floss Preparation for Activity Consider the manual dexterity of the...

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Paper and a pencil for each participant Description of Activity Distribute paper and pencils. Invite the group to play Two Truths and a Lie. Explain: Each participant writes down two things about themselves that are true, but which others might not...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story, "Hard Truths" Preparation for Activity Read the story and prepare to share it with the group. Review the discussion questions....

Reflect on and discuss with your co-leader(s): How did the timing go today? What might we do to make it work better? What worked well? What didn't? What connections did we make with the participants? What connections did the participants make with each other? How was this evident? How could we...

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Taking It Home Optional: God's Eyes made in Activity 3 Preparation for Activity Download and adapt Taking It Home and copy as a handout for all participants (or, email to parents). Description of Activity Explain that the session is almost over and...

Materials for Activity Newspaper, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Post a few sheets of blank newsprint. Description of Activity Find out as much as possible about a significant and controversial issue, and present your findings as a letter to the editor and/or a letter to a relevant...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle, and matches or LED/battery-operated candle Newsprint, markers, and tape Question mark ornaments cut from card stock (see Welcoming and Entering) Markers, pens, and pencils Preparation for Activity Set up chalice. Write the words of...

Materials for Activity Card stock in various colors Scissors Hole punch String or yarn Pencils Optional: Markers Preparation for Activity Draw a question mark on card stock and cut it out to make a template....

Find a place where you can be quiet with your thoughts. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for about five minutes, perhaps repeating a word or phrase to separate yourself from the activities of the day....

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: Story — Hard Truths 10 Activity 2: Two Truths and a Lie Game 20 Activity 3: Weaving God's Eyes 15 Faith in Action: Political Issues Research Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1: Interview about Hard Congregational Truths 15 Alternate...

Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures. — Han Suyin, writer, A Many Splendored Thing The Blake covenant asserts that we "seek the truth in love." This session offers the story of Unitarian Universalist minister David Pettee, who sought the truth about his family's history of owning slaves....

The Earth spins at 900 miles per hour while coursing through space at 68,400 miles per hour. Human nature is basically good, but sometimes good people do bad things. The nature of the Divine is beyond our understanding. The continents are moving under our feet, about 3 to 6 inches a year....

We often hear that science and religion are two things that just do not go together. One relies on facts which can be proven. The other relies on faith and intuition. However, science and religion have a lot in common. They both inspire wonder, questioning, and seeking truth. To at least one man...