Session 2: Religion to the Rescue Part of Riddle and Mystery In This Section Introduction From Riddle and Mystery This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look,... Session-at-a-Glance From Riddle and Mystery Activity Minutes Opening 5 Activity 1: WIT Time — Alien Brainstorm 5 Activity 2: Story — The Big Question 7 Activity 3: Q&A Church Murals 15 Activity 4: Principles and Sources 7 Activity 5: Then What is a Religion? 5 Activity 6: WCUU — Acting out Faith 13 Faith in Action: Saving Lives Closing... Spiritual Preparation From Riddle and Mystery Make a meditative moment for yourself. Relax. Take several deep breaths. Reflect on today's Big Question: "What are we?" How many ways might you answer that question? Consider how sixth graders might approach the question.... Opening From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice or LED/battery-operated candle Newsprint, markers and tape Bell, tingsha chimes or other sound instrument Handout 1, Today's Big Question and (optional) a plain envelope "Today's Big Question" sign Kid for the Day bag or box, card stock cut... Activity 1: WIT Time - Alien Brainstorm From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers and tape Timepiece that shows seconds Bell, tingsha chimes or other sound instrument Preparation for Activity Post sheets of blank newsprint where youth can easily gather and write on them-approximately one sheet for every several... Activity 2: Story - The Big Question From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 7 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story "The Big Question" Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Read the story and print it out. Optional: Post blank newsprint. Description of Activity Gather the group. Read or tell the story.... Activity 3: Q&A Congregation Murals From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity A roll or two large sheets of blank mural paper, and masking tape Oil pastels and (optional) additional drawing, coloring and arts and crafts materials Handout 2, Q&A Congregations Preparation for Activity Print out a few copies of Handout 2.... Activity 4: Principles and Sources From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 7 minutes Materials for Activity A poster of the Unitarian Universalist Principles and a poster of the Unitarian Universalist Sources Optional: A copy of the UU Principles in children's language Preparation for Activity See if your congregation has posters of the Unitarian... Activity 5: Then What is a Religion? From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Review your own understanding of the terms faith, religion and spirituality. Review this activity. Be ready, if time is short, to bring the group quickly to the explanations of the three terms... Activity 6: WCUU - Acting out Faith From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 13 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 1, WCUU Script Paper for On-Air People's name cards, markers and string or tape Timepiece... Closing From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 3 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice or LED/battery-operated candle Newsprint, markers and tape Bell, tingsha chimes or other sound instrument Taking It Home handout Preparation for Activity Adapt the Taking It Home section and copy it for all participants.... Leader Reflection and Planning From Riddle and Mystery Meet with your co-leaders after the session to reflect on it. How was your mix of discussion and action? Have you successfully found ways to involve all youth fully in your sessions despite any limitations they might have? Do you feel the youth understand the general approach of Unitarian... Faith In Action: Changing Lives From Riddle and Mystery Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers and tape Newspaper ads and flyers, especially those with items appealing to sixth graders Paper and pencils/pens Optional: Information about prospective borrowers, from the Kiva website Optional: Computer with Internet connection Optional: Information abo... Alternate Activity 1: Notable Thoughts From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Bag or box containing participants' Big Questions notebooks (see Session 1, Alternate Activity 1, Notable Thoughts) Blank notebooks for new participants Pencils or pens Masking tape Preparation for Activity Retrieve participants' Big Questions... Alternate Activity 2: Song - We Are... From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Copy(ies) of Singing the Journey, the supplement to Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Optional: Recording of "We Are . .... Alternate Activity 3: Challenge Question From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Optional: Write the challenge question on newsprint, and post. Description of Activity Challenge questions guide a deeper inquiry for especially thoughtful individuals and groups. Remind... Alternate Activity 4: Punctuation Debate From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Optional: Timepiece that shows seconds Optional: A coin Description of Activity This activity extends the conversation about answering and questioning religions (Activity 3) by asking youth to debate the relative importance of exclamation points an... Taking It Home From Riddle and Mystery This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs: to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look,... The Big Question Betsy Hill Williams From Riddle and Mystery "The Big Question" by Betsy Williams is taken from uu&me, Summer, 2006 (Church of the Larger Fellowship). Used by permission of the author. Milo liked numbers.... Handout 1: Today's Big Question From Riddle and Mystery To the Kid for the Day: You have two jobs. The first is getting your group excited about hearing today's Big Question. The second is announcing the question. 1. Say to the group, "Give me a drum roll!" Then wait for a minute while the drum roll builds.... Handout 2: Q&A Congregations From Riddle and Mystery What if you went to the Congregation of the Awesome Answer or the Congregation of the Quantum Question? What would you see there? Help your group make a mural showing some of what you think you might find. Here are some ideas to get you started.... Leader Resource 1: WCUU Script From Riddle and Mystery To the Co-Anchors: Today's WCUU program is a news report about Unitarian Universalist ideas on where we come from. Your job is to read your lines and keep the show moving as this script describes. [Director: Cue the station break.] [Director: Cue Co-Anchor 1.] Co-Anchor 1: This is WCUU, Wisdom of... Find Out More From Riddle and Mystery Doubt by Terry Tempest Williams (Pantheon Books, 2000) is a personal reflection centered on "The Garden of Delights," a triptych by the medieval Flemish artist Hieronymus Bosch.... PREVIOUS: Find Out More UP: Riddle and Mystery NEXT: Introduction Download all of Riddle and Mystery (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.