Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Love Will Guide Us: A Program for Grades 2-3 that Applies the Wisdom of the Six Sources to the Big Questions

Faith In Action: Celebrating Community

Materials for Activity

  • Archival photos and memorabilia from your congregation, such as pictures of members doing things together, old picture directories of congregational members, or a video of a children's play or a worship service

Preparation for Activity

  • Arrange to provide a meal for a large number of people. Do you have access to a kitchen facility and equipment? Tables and chairs?
  • Invite the children's families (or everyone in the congregation) to come together for a community supper. Pot luck is the best!
  • Gather and display photos and other documents and artifacts from your congregational community. If you have a video, obtain and test the equipment to show it.

Description of Activity

The purpose of this Faith in Action is to celebrate community together. Photos and archival information will help people who have been involved for a long time to remember. Those who are new can learn the stories. By gathering to share a meal, the group "breaks bread" as community.

Before the meal, welcome everyone and explain that this is a Faith in Action activity in a program for 2nd- and 3rd-graders called Love Will Guide Us. Tell the group this gathering celebrates community while helping us recognize part of our fourth Source, Jewish and Christian teachings. Tell everyone the children learned that Jesus' message of love is one of the many sources that guide us as Unitarian Universalists.

Begin your meal together with a prayer. You might use this Christian blessing:

Thank you for the food we eat,

Thank you for the friends we meet.

Thank you for the birds that sing,

Thank you, God, for everything.

During the meal, encourage people to tell stories about the congregational community. Afterward, show the video and invite everyone to look at the display.

Close by gathering in a circle, holding hands (if comfortable) and saying:

Today we celebrate the spirit of community. Thank you for all the moments and memories we share together.

Including All Participants

Describe the room's accessibility when inviting guests.