Tapestry of Faith: Signs of Our Faith: A Program about Being UU Every Day for Grades 2-3

Faith In Action: Stoles for the Future

Materials for Activity

  • Material and supplies to make and decorate stoles

Preparation for Activity

  • Cut cloth for the stoles.
  • Decide how children can help make stoles from the pre-cut cloth for other children to use in future RE programs. This may involve sewing. It might involve children taping or gluing cloth together so it can be sewn later. Work within the parameters of your time and skills, the group's abilities, and the availability and cost of materials. It is fine for participants to perform only minor parts of the construction.
  • Prepare materials. This may include pre-cutting cloth, threading needles, or setting up a hot glue station.
  • Set materials and supplies on work tables for children to use.
  • Work with the religious educator to identify a place where finished stoles can be stored for a future group to use.

Description of Activity

Children help prepare stoles for future RE participants and process their experiences in the Signs of Our Faith program.

Tell the group that one way they can connect to future generations of UU leaders is to help make stoles for the children who will be in the next Signs of Our Faith group.

Indicate materials and explain/demonstrate the tasks you wish the children to do. While children work, lead a conversation with questions like these:

  • What did you like best in this program? When new children have a Signs of Our Faith group, what do you think they should do more of?
  • What did you like least about the program? What should the next Signs of Our Faith group do less of?
  • What are some ways you can connect to and support future UU leaders who are younger than you?
  • What are some ways you can connect to and support the elder leaders in the congregation?
  • Where do you see your future leadership in the congregation and faith taking you? What do you want to do in our congregation, to show you are a faithful UU leader? What would you like to do in your daily life, at home, or at school that would show you are a faithful UU leader?

Take notes to document participant feedback. You might share feedback with co-leaders and your religious educator. Also, the Unitarian Universalist Association welcomes feedback. Please contact religiouseducation@uua.org to share feedback, or submit using the form(s) in this program's Introduction.

Thank participants for their support of future UU leaders.