Tapestry of Faith: Resistance and Transformation: An Adult Program on Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

Opening

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Worship or centering table
  • Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED battery-operated candle
  • Timepiece (minutes)
  • Chime or bell
  • Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook, for all participants
  • Participant journals
  • Writing materials, including paper, pens, pencils, color pencils, and markers
  • Optional: Cloth for worship/centering table
  • Optional: Microphone
  • Optional: Keyboard or piano

Preparation for Activity

  • Arrange the worship or centering table, including the chalice, so all participants can see it when they are seated.
  • Choose a social justice hymn from Singing the Living Tradition that is familiar to participants. Possibilities include Hymn 119, "Once to Every Soul and Nation;" Hymn 121, "We'll Build a Land;" Hymn 140, "Hail the Glorious Golden City;" Hymn 146, "Soon the Day Will Arrive;" Hymn 157, "Step By Step;" Hymn 162, "Gonna Lay Down My Sword and Shield;" Hymn 168, "One More Step;" and Hymn 170," We are a Gentle, Angry People."
  • Write these questions on newsprint, and set aside:
    • Which workshop, theme, historical figure, or event from the course of this program have you found to be most inspirational? Why?
    • How will this workshop, theme, historical figure, or event influence your life or your social justice work?
  • Optional: Invite a musician to teach and/or accompany the hymn.

Description of Activity

Invite a participant to light the chalice while you lead a unison reading of Reading 449 from Singing the Living Tradition, "We hallow this time together by kindling the lamp of our heritage."

Lead the group in singing the hymn you have chosen.

Make sure that each participant has their journal and something to write with. Then, post the newsprint you have prepared. Invite participants to take ten minutes to respond in their journals. After ten minutes, ring a bell or a chime and read this quote from Isaac Newton:

If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Remind participants that this is the last workshop. Say they will use their time together to synthesize material from previous workshops, consider where Unitarian Universalist work for social justice is moving today, and identify where their own work fits in the ongoing Unitarian Universalist history of resistance and transformation.