Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Riddle and Mystery: A Program on the Big Questions for Grade 6

Activity 4: WCUU - Spiritual Truths

Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Microphone(s), video camera(s) and tripod(s), real or simulated
  • For studio set
    • Backdrop made in Session 1
    • Painter's tape or masking tape
  • Leader Resource 2, WCUU Script - Spiritual Truths
  • Leader Resource 3, Truth Notes
  • Paper for On-Air People's name cards, markers and string or tape
  • Timepiece (minutes)
  • A copy of the Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources (Session 1, Leader Resource 1, or a poster in your meeting space)
  • Supplies to make a tent, such as a bed sheet and four dowels or poles (broomsticks will do) and masking tape to attach sheet to poles, or mural paper or sheets of newsprint, masking tape to attach the paper to a wall and markers for drawing a tent with skylights
  • Optional: Music player for theme song (see Session 1)
  • Optional: Studio lights (flashlights will do)

Preparation for Activity

  • If you plan to record WCUU, set up and test equipment.
  • Copy Leader Resource 2 for everyone who will need a script. This script has nine On-Air People: Two Co-Anchors and a NUUs (pronounced "News") Analyst, who will need scripts, and seven UUs who will each speak about a different belief orientation found in Unitarian Universalism. The On-Air people will need scripts. The UUs' roles are not scripted; they will improvise based on the role descriptions in Leader Resource 3. If the group is small, omit some parts or ask some youth to play more than one part; co-leaders can be Studio Crew. If the group is large, expand the Studio Crew.
  • Print Leader Resource 3. Cut the truth statements into separate slips of paper.
  • Decide how the group will make a tent and obtain the materials. (These may already be stored, if the group made a tent for the WCUU activity in Session 4.) One idea is to attach four dowels to a sheet and have four participants lift the dowels to raise the tent. Another option is to draw the tent on mural paper or a chalkboard. Plan to assemble the tent quickly, just before the broadcast.
  • Make name cards for the seven UUs (Buddhist UU, Christian UU, Hindu UU, Humanist UU, Judaist UU, Muslim UU, and Pagan/Earth-centered UU).
  • Optional: On the UUA website, read Beliefs Within Our Faith, a summary of belief groups in Unitarian Universalism.

Description of Activity

Participants present a WCUU show involving nine On-Air People-Co-Anchor 1, Co-Anchor 2, a NUUs Analyst and seven UUs: Buddhist UU, Christian UU, Hindu UU, Humanist UU, Judaist UU, Muslim UU, and Pagan/Earth-centered UU.

Assign roles, using volunteers for On-Air People and Studio Crew. You might invite the Kid for the Day to be a Co-Anchor or the NUUs Analyst. Tell the On-Air People that all except the NUUs Analyst will need to improvise some of their on-air dialogue. Distribute the truth notes (Leader Resource 3) to youth who will role-play the various UUs. Invite them to read their notes carefully so that, on the broadcast, they can say the ideas in their own words. Tell them they need not say everything on the notes, just a few key points.

Give participants who will follow the script a moment to look it over. Review the script with the youth if any have limited reading skills.

Tell the group when the show should end to keep the session on schedule; assign a Studio Crew member (director or floor director) to watch the time.

Begin the broadcast.

After the broadcast, ask participants how it went. Ask them to summarize how Unitarian Universalists with different religious beliefs might respond to today's Big Question: "What is truth?" You may wish to tell the group more about the belief perspectives represented in the broadcast. Some groups, like UUs with Muslim or Hindu backgrounds and beliefs, are very small. The Humanist group is quite large; at least half of all Unitarian Universalists say they have humanist beliefs. Say, in your own words:

More important than the numbers is the fact that the Unitarian Universalist denomination welcomes people with many different backgrounds, many different ideas, many different spiritual truths.

Define spiritual truth as the truth we find in our own, personal answers to the big questions.