Session 12: Seeing Truth/True Seeing

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Love Connects Us, Grades 4-5

In This Section

Introduction to Session 12
From Love Connects Us

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….
Session-at-a-Glance
From Love Connects Us

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…
Spiritual Preparation
From Love Connects Us

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….
Welcoming and Entering
From Love Connects Us

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….
Opening
From Love Connects Us

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…
Activity 1: Story - Hard Truths
From Love Connects Us

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….
Activity 2: Two Truths and a Lie Game
From Love Connects Us

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 3: Weaving God's Eyes
From Love Connects Us

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…
Closing
From Love Connects Us

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…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Love Connects Us

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…
Faith In Action: Political Issues Research
From Love Connects Us

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…
Alternate Activity 1: Interview about Hard Congregational Truths
From Love Connects Us

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…
Alternate Activity 2: Sharing Joys and Concerns
From Love Connects Us

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…
Taking It Home: Seeing Truth/True Seeing
From Love Connects Us

Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures. — Han Suyin, writer, A Many Splendored Thing IN TODAY’S SESSION… we explored what it means to “seek the truth in love” through a true story of the Rev. David Pettee’s research to learn about his slave-holding ancestors. Rev. Pettee’s “hard truth”…
Hard Truths

David Pettee

From Love Connects Us

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….
Find Out More
From Love Connects Us

The Caron-Net website has illustrated instructions for making God’s Eyes. Ancestor Hunt is a free website for searching ancestry. The Mormon church also offers help with genealogy research. A UU World article about the Unitarian Universalist Association’s efforts at truth and reconciliation…

Download all of Love Connects Us (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Session 12: Seeing Truth/True Seeing

Tapestry is Sunsetting

Shop Books & Gifts

From Zip Lines to Hosaphones Dispatches from the Search for Truth and Meaning

Get Inspired for Worship

Poem in a Time of Peril

Find Faith Development Tools

Faith In Action: International Forgiveness Day