As the last leaves fall and we wake to frosty mornings, we know colder, shorter days and longer, darker nights are on their way. This month’s resources remind us that humans have always created special ways to gather, share, tell stories, and strengthen community bonds, to help each other through the most challenging times.
November’s Concepts, Values and Practices for Religious Education
Consider engaging these themes in your programming and communications this month; see more info on each in the links.
Key UU Values: Interdependence, Generosity, Pluralism
Key Concepts: Covenant, Community, Connection, Gratitude, Care
Key Embodied Practices: Faithful Conversations, Sacred Stories and Joyful Connections
Seasonal Resources on Communion
Thanksgiving is the dominant national seasonal theme in November. It is a special holiday for many Americans, when friends and families make time to travel and prepare for a shared meal and special time together. The holiday’s origin story, however, is more complex and problematic — a colonial project of historic whitewashing that still causes harm today. As such, the holiday reminds us of two opposing realties: our gratitude for human connection and deep interdependence in community — and of the ways we too often dismiss and dehumanize those we do not consider part of it. UUs often plan a “Bread Communion” instead, as a reminder of the promise of beloved community and a recommitment to collective reciprocity.
But what is “communion”, in our humanist faith? Finding out together is a wonderful way to welcome faith development to claim a seat at the table, in upcoming congregational offerings.
For young children or multiage groups, consider this resource: The Ritual of Communion from Tapestry of Faith. It explores communion as a ceremony of sharing that embodies our UU values of generosity, pluralism, and interdependence. It prepares participants for this activity: two versions of the Christian Parable of The Loaves and Fishes (one a UU-themed retelling by Sophia Lyon Fahs) and discussion prompts, to encourage shared meaning-making and UU identity development around how we covenant to be together in community — in ways that help nourish everyone.
Communion and Sustenance is a Braver/Wiser reading from Tania Y Márquez, about how food connects us to both our present and past, in gratitude and love. “Food is nourishment andcultura; it carries the love, wisdom, and stories of survival of a people. When I cook the meals I learned from my mother, I am in communion with life and with my ancestors and I receive sustenance for the body and the spirit.” Consider sharing this reading at the beginning of a shared meal, and asking 2-3 person groups to share their memories of food that shaped their sense of belonging, identity, community, and culture.
Seasonal Resources on Conversation
Coming together to break bread gratefully, and share our stories — in ways that are faithful to our UU Values — is a powerful example of UU communion. Especially in this moment of social crisis, it’s important to build our skills for morally-grounded conversations. Consider these resources to develop and strengthen connections through meaningful conversations with family, friends, faith community, and beyond.
Faithful Conversations is a collection of resources that help us bring covenantal values to our discussions — even the difficult ones! Its activities and resources can be used as prompts for personal reflection, family discussion, or for crafting worship and shared learning. It includes several UUA resources for small group ministry with a focus on conversation, as well as:
Agreements for Meaningful Conversations, by Margaret Wheatley
Core Concepts and Values of Faithful Conversations, by CB Beal
Whole Church Worship Resources
What is worship, anyway? And more importantly, what is it for? The UUA webpage on Worship and Inspiration says:“Worship is our shared Unitarian Universalist practice of exploring, connecting to, and creating the ways that our individual lives fit into a larger whole. Not all UUs share the same beliefs or opinions…but our shared worship forms a vessel for us to find meaning together. By devoting ourselves to a regular time of encountering and engaging that which is greater, wiser, and more compassionate than our individual selves, we create opportunities for transformation and meaning-making.”
When we worship as a whole church community, we grow closer in faith — and into closer alignment with our UU theology of love at the center. Consider talking ABOUT worship and what its meaning and value is in your community, using the quote above as a starting point. A Tool Kit for Worship Leaders may help leaders ground a shared vision, and develop their congregation’s capacity for great worship. Ready to try something new? The following suggestions support UU faith development in shared worship, by creating a more inclusive and accessible experience for all.
Make this Canva template for a kid-friendly OOS, adapted from one shared by Religious Educator Amanda Alice. It also includes examples for pew card or OOS inserts that encourage congregants of all ages to develop new understandings, habits, and practices for shared worship.
The recent RE Summit on New Models of Religious Education offered resources for a worship service called “A Piece of Fertile Ground”, ready for you to adapt & share with your congregation! Check out the Sunday Worship elements, as well as an Order of Service template (to download and edit).
Story:
One common and beloved part of UU worship is the story for all ages, often led by the religious educator as a multigenerational service element. One way to make whole church worship more accessible and inclusive is to center the message in a powerful story, instead of a sermon. Stories can serve as a homily told in parts, with other worship elements threaded throughout. Want to dig into more great ideas for storytelling in worship? This resource from Worship Lab includes why, how — and lots of suggestions.
The Goddess and the Redbird by Christina Leone Tracy
Redbird learns to let go of sunny days and embrace the season’s blessings of slowing down, rest, and renewal. Its focus can ground conversations about congregational changes: how is letting go of “what was” an essential part of opening up to the blessing of “what will be”.
Song:
Singing together is a beloved part of UU worship, and a powerful way to connect with our community. It’s also an important way to learn about our faith! Worshiping (and singing) together more as a whole church? Consider choosing, with your music professional or committee, a set of kid friendly hymns to be sung while children and teachers are present in worship. There may be opportunities to practice those same songs in RE spaces, too. Over time, kids will come to know these songs by heart, and may even be able to share their skills as song leaders in whole church worship.
Come, Sing a Song with Me: A Songbook for All Ages from the UU Musicians Network, includes 25 of the most popular and accessible songs fromSinging the Living Tradition andSinging the Journey, in simple arrangements and a larger 9 x 12 format.
Coloring sheets:
Did you know? Research shows that coloring and doodling are good for all ages — enhancing focus, concentration, and recall, while reducing stress and anxiety. In particular, coloring mandalas can also calm our bodies and help us learn new skills, like being in worship longer. Check out the Doodles and Coloring Pages from Worship Web to try it out in your congregation.
Join the Faith Development Conversation
Our latest Threshold Conversation, on The Theology of Covenant got real about what it means to live in covenant today. We unpacked how covenants differ from rules and contracts, what makes them aspirational instead of just behavioral, and how they’ve shifted from our Judeo-Christian roots to something more liberating and inclusive over time. Folks named how covenants can be weaponized and how to be attuned so that our covenants are not used to replicate or enforce the status quo of white supremacy culture. The Q&A time took us even deeper, with conversation about what it takes to build trust and accountability, ideas for keeping covenants alive on staff teams, making them work across generations and neurotypes, and finding better ways to call each other back to right relationship. You can watch the replay here. Our next topic: Trauma-Informed Faith Development.
JUUst Breathe is a Unitarian Universalist podcast on faith development, hosted by Ember Kelley. This season, we focus on UUs embracing a whole church religious education approach and deepening community connections across generations, guided by the map from Deeper Joy. October’s episode was all about “covenant lighthouse”, and November’s will focus on “opening up harbor” — a good fit for all the holiday gatherings and conversations ahead of us. Prefer video podcasts? Juust Breathe is also on YouTube.