Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Faith Like a River: A Program on Unitarian Universalist History for Adults

Opening

Activity time: 5 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED battery-operated candle
  • Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, for all participants
  • Optional: Decorative cloth
  • Optional: Keyboard or piano

Preparation for Activity

  • Set up a worship or centering table with the chalice and (optional) decorative cloth.
  • Distribute copies of the hymnbook.
  • Optional: Arrange for musical accompaniment or a song leader.

Description of Activity

Gather the group around the chalice. Say:

The words of the hymn you will sing, "As Tranquil Streams," were written in 1933 to celebrate the growing connections between Unitarians and Universalists and published in the 1937 book Hymns of the Spirit, the first joint effort of the American Unitarian Association (AUA) and the Universalist Church of America (UCA). In 1960, after the denominations voted to merge, this song was the processional at the combined worship service.

Light the chalice and lead the group to sing Hymn 145, "As Tranquil Streams."