Gail Forsyth-Vail

Gail Forsyth-Vail, a credentialed religious educator, master level, is the author or developmental editor of several UU history curricula and resources. Before retiring, she served as interim director of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Lifespan Faith Engagement Office.

From Gail Forsyth-Vail

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Adapted from "Charles Darwin" in Stories in Faith: Exploring Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources Through Wisdom Tales, (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007). From the time he was a little boy, Charles Darwin was an explorer....

Story | By Gail Forsyth-Vail | November 9, 2014 | For Children, Grades 4-5 | From Windows and Mirrors

A couple of decades ago, many of our Unitarian Universalist congregations celebrated a Thanksgiving “seder,” a ritual patterned after the Jewish Passover seder. In my congregation, we retold the story of the “First Thanksgiving.” Tables were decorated with white cloth, bittersweet, and...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | November 4, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Holidays & Ceremonies, Social Justice

[Editor's Update, Nov. 18, 2014—As the nation awaits a Grand Jury decision on whether Office Darren Wilson will be indicted for shooting Michael Brown, many UUs are preparing to respond to the decision by "showing up" in a faithful way. The Ferguson Response Team of the UU New England districts...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | September 30, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Families & Faith Development, Multiculturalism, Racial Justice

The selection committee met this summer. We thoughtfully considered the 14 books nominated for the 2014-15 Common Read. There were beautifully written books that addressed social justice issues—immigration, voting rights, racial justice, and climate change—and several that looked at ways to...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | August 5, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Adult Faith Development, UU Identity

“Will you be part of the Gay-Straight Dialogue group?” It was the mid-1980s and I had just become the Director of Religious Education (DRE) at the Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill, MA. The Reverend Janet Bowering, after deep reflection, had decided that her Universalist faith called...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | June 24, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Faith Development

Must we strive for excellence in everything we do? Is there a downside to the message our kids receive that they should always do their best?...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | June 13, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: High School-Aged Youth Faith Development

Storytellers make choices all the time. We choose which parts of a story to lift up and which to downplay or omit; which characters to develop, and how; and which dilemmas to emphasize. This is especially true when it comes to stories from the Bible. It was so with the great biblical films and...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | May 6, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Judaism

An 18-inch blanket of snow surrounds my house and it is far too early to put the winter clothes into storage. Yet, the birds are singing every morning, the days are longer, and grocery store conversation has turned to spring. Springtime...a time of delight for the human spirit!...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | March 30, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Beliefs & Principles, Christianity, Spirituality

I first experienced a UU camp retreat when I was still in high school. At Ferry Beach in Saco, Maine, I found a community trying to live according to its highest values in a place apart from an outside world which often felt so violent, unjust, and broken. For me, Ferry Beach was a place where...

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | March 4, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: High School-Aged Youth Faith Development

February 2, Groundhog Day, presents a small, persistent cultural marker of a spiritual observance hundreds of years old....

By Gail Forsyth-Vail | February 2, 2014 | From Call and Response
Tagged as: Paganism, Spirituality, Winter

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