Workshop 4: The Many Meanings of Money

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

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of The Wi$dom Path, Adults: Money, Spirit, and Life

In This Section

Introduction
From The Wi$dom Path

We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs. — Gloria Steinem This workshop considers the many ways money influences our choices and relationships at home and in our congregation. While we sometimes view money as a straightforward medium of exchange, at other times we attach social,…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity Minutes Opening 10 Activity 1: The Flow of Money 10 Activity 2: Special Money 10 Activity 3: Money Talk in the Congregation 30 Activity 4: Lucky Money 25 Faith in Action: Lucky Money Choices Closing 5 Alternate Activity 1: Letter to My Dad 20 Alternate Activity 2: Money Talk at Home 25…
Spiritual Preparation
From The Wi$dom Path

Take a few minutes to reflect on your answers to the questions posed in the Opening and share your responses with your co-facilitator or a trusted friend.
Opening
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle, and lighter or an LED/battery-operated candle A chime or a small bell Newsprint, markers, and tape Optional: An object to pass from speaker to speaker during discussion…
Activity 1: The Flow of Money
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Prepare and post two sheets of newsprint, each with two columns marked “Inflow” and “Outflow.” Label one sheet “Home” and the other “Congregation.” Prepare and set aside a sheet of…
Activity 3: Money Talk in the Congregation
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Case Study – East Red Velvet UU Fellowship Handout 2, Healthy Communication Practices Preparation for Activity Read both handouts and copy them for all participants. Arrange six chairs in a circle for role-play volunteers and chairs…
Activity 2: Special Money
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Special Monies Posted newsprint sheets from Activity 1 Preparation for Activity Read Leader Resource 1, Special Monies, for scholarly background information on how and why we earmark special money. If you wish, copy the leader…
Activity 4: Lucky Money
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Story, Sam and the Lucky Money Newsprint, markers, and tape Writing and drawing paper, and pens and markers Preparation for Activity Read the story so you will be able to present it. Make copies for all participants. Recruit volunteer readers and…
Closing
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle Taking It Home handout A copy of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Preparation for Activity Customize Taking It Home and make copies for all participants.
Leader Reflection and Planning
From The Wi$dom Path

Make time for reflection and discussion with your co-facilitator after the conclusion of the workshop. Consider these questions: What worked well in today’s workshop? How can these elements or approaches be repeated or amplified in the future? What was most challenging? What could be done to make…
Faith In Action: Lucky Money Choices
From The Wi$dom Path

Description of Activity Challenge one another to keep track of purchases for a single week. Ask each person to look over purchases with a critical eye, asking: Are there “shiny baubles” or items I am buying out of habit that aren’t giving me deep pleasure anymore? Is there something I might…
Alternate Activity 1: Letter to My Dad
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 3, Letter to My Dad Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Review and make copies of Handout 3. Recruit a volunteer to read the handout aloud and give it to them in advance….
Alternate Activity 2: Money Talk at Home
From The Wi$dom Path

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 4, Case Study – The Miller Family Handout 2, Healthy Communication Practices Preparation for Activity Read both handouts and copy them for all participants. Arrange five chairs in a circle for role-play volunteers and chairs outside the…
Taking It Home: The Many Meanings of Money
From The Wi$dom Path

We can tell our values by looking at our checkbook stubs. — Gloria Steinem Think about your money inflow and outflow. Create a pie chart of where you think you spend your money and then do a quick analysis of your actual spending. Can you identify pockets of special money in your household?…
Sam and the Lucky Money
From The Wi$dom Path

Sam and the Lucky Money, text copyright © 1995 by Karen Chinn. Permission arranged with Lee and Low Books, Inc., New York, NY 10016. Sam could hardly wait to get going. He zipped up his jacket and patted his pockets. It was time to go to Chinatown for New Year’s Day! Sam thought about sweet…
Handout 1: Case Study – East Red Velvet UU Fellowship
From The Wi$dom Path

East Red Velvet UU Fellowship is in the midst of budget planning for the next program year. Each committee was asked to submit a budget request for consideration. Last year’s budget included significant staff salary and benefit increases, so the unstated goal of the Stewardship Committee is to…
Handout 2: Healthy Communication Practices
From The Wi$dom Path

Listen attentively to what others are saying. Be willing to discuss difficult issues. Use “I” language. Stay connected through conflict. Don’t disengage. Paraphrase what you heard the other person say. Understand boundaries. Be open to what you can learn from others. Respect confidentiality.
Handout 3: Letter to My Dad
From The Wi$dom Path

By Tyrone Boucher, from his website, Enough: The Personal Politics of Resisting Capitalism. Used with permission. Hey Dad, Thank you so much for your thoughtful response to my email! I want to respond by bringing up stuff that is really timely right now in regards to my giving and my own…
Handout 4: Case Study – The Miller Family
From The Wi$dom Path

The Miller family is facing some financial challenges. The oldest child is applying to private colleges with tuition costs that will add a significant financial burden to the family budget. It is the end of a long week and the question of how to pay for college has come up during the family’s…
Leader Resource 1: Special Monies
From The Wi$dom Path

From “The Social Meaning of Money: ‘Special Monies’,” by Viviana A. Zelizer, The American Journal of Sociology, vol. 95, no. 2, September 1989. Special money in the modern world may not be as easily or visibly identifiable as the shells, coins, brass rods, or stones of primitive communities, but…
Find Out More
From The Wi$dom Path

Congregational systems theory: UU University 2006, Part 2: Congregations as Emotional Systems (video). Peter Steinke, Healthy Congregations, A Systems Approach (Alban Institute, 2006). The many meanings of money: Viviana A. Zelizer,…

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Workshop 4: The Many Meanings of Money

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