Tapestry of Faith: Love Connects Us: A Program on Living in Unitarian Universalist Covenant for Grades 4-5

Taking It Home: All Work Together

We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth. — George Bernard Shaw

IN TODAY'S SESSION... we explored what it means to "help one another." We heard the true story of how Unitarian Universalist churches in the Central Midwest District banded together to address homelessness in their communities. We explored working together by making a "machine" using our bodies and drawing maps to a facility which could use our volunteer services, near our congregation. We embodied the "tied together" theme of the curriculum by going on a walk with our whole group tied in a cluster, so we could only move forward by helping one another.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. How do we help one another in our family? How does our Unitarian Universalist community help one another? How does our family help people in the wider community, and how do others help us? Are there times when we do not want help? How do we know when to help and when to let someone manage alone?

A Family Adventure. What can your family do to be of service in your congregation or in your larger community? Perhaps your family can sign up to lead hospitality on a Sunday for your congregation, making coffee and bringing snacks. You might usher or greet people as they enter for a service. Maybe someone in your neighborhood needs help with gardening, shopping for groceries, or cleaning out a garage. You might even plan a block party, so your neighbors can get to know one another better, to promote mutual help.

A Family Game. Play the "machine" game participants played in this session: One volunteer stands up and starts making a repetitive movement and sound to begin the machine. While the player continues their movement and sound, remaining in the position they chose, the next volunteer joins in with a position, movement, and sound that coordinate with or connect to the movement of the first player. One by one, players join in, adding their movement and sound to The goal is to build a single, increasingly complicated (and perhaps inexplicable) machine.