Session 4: Thinking of God Part of Riddle and Mystery, 6th Grade In This Section Introduction From Riddle and Mystery "What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." — Eleanor Powell Tell the truth, have you ever found God in a church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did... Session-at-a-Glance From Riddle and Mystery Activity Minutes Opening 5 Activity 1: Being in Touch with God 5 Activity 2: God Talk 20 Activity 3: Story — God Is . . . 10 Activity 4: WCUU — Tent of Cosmic Understanding 20 Activity 5: WIT Time — Your Own Theology 7 Faith in Action: Thinking of Survival Closing 3 Alternate Activity 1:... Spiritual Preparation From Riddle and Mystery Reflect upon Today's Big Question: "Does God exist?" Be comfortable with your own current ideas about God. Know that you need not share your deep inner thoughts with your group, but that doing so is appropriate as long as youth are not led to think they should move toward your position. Remember... 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 Leader Resource 1, Today's Big Question and (optional) a plain envelope "Today's Big Question" sign Kid for the Day bag or box, card st... Activity 1: Being In Touch with God From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Dollar bill or other U.S. currency Description of Activity This activity asks youth for their thoughts about the motto of the United States: "In God we trust." Begin with a question like this for the group: "When were you last in touch with God?" In... Activity 2: God Talk From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, God Sources Leader Resource 3, Godly Words Optional: Common pins or transparent tape Preparation for Activity Copy Leader Resource 2, cut the items apart, and place in various and accessible points in your meeting space.... Activity 3: Story - God Is . . . From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story "God Is . . ." Preparation for Activity Print and review the story "God Is . .... Activity 4: WCUU - A UU Tent From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Microphone(s), real or simulated Video camera and playback equipment, real or simulated Any backdrop made in Session 1 Leader Resource 4, WCUU Script Leader Resource 5, Belief Notes Nametags on strings for On-Air People Supplies for making a tent: ... Activity 5: WIT Time - Your Own Theology From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 7 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, What Do You Think? Pencils or pens Preparation for Activity Familiarize yourself with Handout 1, and make copies for all participants. Description of Activity Many youth, like many adults, may not be sure what they believe about the... 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 Optional: Posted closing words Preparation for Activity Prepare any Taking It Home suggestions you want to give... 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? How comfortable do your youth seem to be when sharing ideas about faith? Are you being careful not to push them out of their comfort zones — or do you want to do that from time to time? Note... Faith In Action: Thinking of Survival From Riddle and Mystery Materials for Activity Newsprint and markers Paper and pencils Watch, clock or other timer Preparation for Activity If your group will do "In Our Rooms," consider finding out about local donation centers in advance so you can tell youth where they can take unnecessary possessions for distribution... Alternate Activity 1: Notable Thoughts From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Small notebook for each participant Pencils or pens Optional: Masking tape Description of Activity Remind participants that this is a time for them to record their own ideas about Today's Big Question in their notebooks. Distribute the notebooks and... Alternate Activity 2: Song - Spirit of Life From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Copy(ies) of the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, Singing the Living Tradition Preparation for Activity Decide how best to present the song - reading the words, singing, or playing a recording. Optional: Ask your music or choir director to make a... Alternate Activity 3: Questions and Gods of Housecats From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Supplies for simple drawings - paper, colored pencils, and/or washable markers Paper towels and any cleanup supplies appropriate to your media Optional: Cat-related background music and music player Preparation for Activity Set up tables or other... Alternate Activity 4: Challenge Question From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 5 minutes Preparation for Activity Optional: Browse the Internet and see what you find to share. Description of Activity Challenge questions are offered for the more thoughtful groups and individuals participating in Riddle and Mystery.... Alternate Activity 5: Clues about UUs From Riddle and Mystery Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity UU source materials which might include reference to God: hymnbooks (Singing the Living Tradition or Singing the Journey); several versions of your congregation's publicity, if any; several different congregational orders of service; several... Taking It Home: Thinking of God From Riddle and Mystery What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God. — Eleanor Powell Tell the truth, have you ever found God in a church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. God Is . . From Riddle and Mystery Compiled by Tirrell H. Kimball of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Maine.Read — or ask volunteers to read — as many entries from this collection as time and interest allow. Twice upon a time, the religious education leader of a UU church in Portland, Maine, decided to... Handout 1: What Do You Think? From Riddle and Mystery Do you believe God exists? Yes _____ No_____ If your answer is yes, can you describe the God you believe in? Yes_____No_____ If you answer is no, can you describe the God you do not believe in? Yes _____No_____ Do you believe in any of the following? There is some sort of power that is higher and... Leader Resource 1: Today's Big Question From Riddle and Mystery Hand a copy of this resource to your Kid for the Day at the appropriate time during your Opening. For 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.... Leader Resource 2: God Sources From Riddle and Mystery Make a copy of this page with enlarged type. Cut the lines apart so they can be placed in various points of your meeting room. YOUR PARENTS YOUR MINISTER YOUR FRIENDS YOUR SCIENCE TEACHER YOUR OWN INNER SELF... Leader Resource 3: Godly Words From Riddle and Mystery Make a copy of this page with enlarged type. Cut the terms and definitions apart so they can be given to (or pinned or taped on) each youth. Theist — Believes God exists Atheist — Believes God does not exist Agnostic — Says God might or might not exist Humanist — Says people's... Leader Resource 4: WCUU Script From Riddle and Mystery To the Co-Anchors: Today's WCUU program talks about the beliefs of different people gathered in the UU tent at an International Camp of Faith. Your job is to follow the script, read your parts, and otherwise keep things going.... Leader Resource 5: Belief Notes From Riddle and Mystery Copy, divide, and distribute appropriate parts of this page to these Activity 4 On-Air People: Atheist, Theist, Agnostic, Humanist, Mystery Seeker, God as Love-ist, and Pagan. Atheist — You do not believe God exists.. You try to live by the UU Principles. You like searching through the UU Sources... Find Out More From Riddle and Mystery Beliefs about God Unitarian Universalism is a home for people who hold a wide range of theological views. On the UUA website, read a statement about belief pluralism in our faith; this web page links to information about how Unitarian Universalism specifically embraces Christian, humanist,... PREVIOUS: Find Out More UP: Riddle and Mystery NEXT: Introduction Download all of Riddle and Mystery (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.