Tapestry of Faith: The New UU: A Program for Welcoming Newcomers to Unitarian Universalist Congregations

Alternate Activity 1: Introducing Tapestry of Faith

Part of The New UU

Activity time: 30 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Computer with Internet access and a computer projector
  • Optional: Copies of material printed from the Tapestry of Faith website

Preparation for Activity

  • Go online and preview these resources: About Tapestry of Faith and Tapestry of Faith PowerPoint Presentation. The About Tapestry of Faith page has a link to a video introduction of Tapestry of Faith from former UUA President Bill Sinkford.
  • Set up and check the computer and projector in your meeting space, confirming you can access the Internet.
  • Optional: Print out and copy the online material you wish to share with participants.
  • Optional: Invite your congregation's religious educator or a member of the Religious Education Committee to share an overview of the programs your congregation is using for children's, youth, and adult faith development.

Description of Activity

If your congregation is using Tapestry of Faith as its primary source of religious education programming, participants will benefit from knowing something of its philosophy. Say:

We've learned some general approaches to Unitarian Universalist faith development. I'd like to introduce you to our primary source of programming, Tapestry of Faith. We'll do that by watching a brief video. Bill Sinkford, who you'll see in this presentation, is the past president of the UUA.

Open the About Tapestry of Faith web page, and click on the appropriate video link. Watch the video together. Then, click on and explore About Tapestry of Faith and the Tapestry of Faith PowerPoint Presentation.

If you do not have an Internet connection, distribute the printed copies of these resources. Invite participants to follow along as you read the material on each page. Invite and respond to questions.

Invite your religious educator or a member of the Religious Education Committee to present information about programs for children, youth, and adults. If you do not have a guest presenter, go to the Tapestry of Faith web page and scroll down to view the various programs available.

Demonstrate the Tapestry of Faith search function. Invite participants to input a keyword, an age group, and a resource type and review the resources that appear. Repeat a few times to explore the variety of resources available.