• Leader Resource 1, Sentence Starters
• Small basket or bowl

• Follow the instructions on Leader Resource 1, Sentence Starters, to prepare the sentence starters.

Introduce the activity with these or similar words:

We're going to introduce ourselves by sharing something about our own experiences or beliefs. As the basket comes to you, tell us your name. In the basket are sentence starters. Draw out a sentence and complete it aloud. There are no right or wrong answers, only your answer. If you pick one that you can't or don't want to answer, feel free to try a different one. Pauses for thinking are fine. After completing your response, pass the basket on.

Model the process for participants, encouraging brevity.

Be supportive of all responses. After each person has had a chance to complete a sentence, explain how this activity has reflected Unitarian Universalist theology:

Unitarian Universalist theology has both individual and group components. Personal experience is the beginning of Unitarian Universalist theology. Each of us develops our own beliefs. At the same time, we support and challenge one another in those beliefs through our sharing together about what we believe. This is not an easy task, but we have just been doing theology, in a distinctively Unitarian Universalist manner. As UUs, we expect people to bring their own experiences and understandings of religious questions rather than to subscribe to a particular set of beliefs or a particular theological viewpoint. However, we also expect that in the course of sharing with one another, our theologies will be shaped and deepened, or even changed.