Workshop 4: Conscience Refined

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Gather the Spirit

In This Section

Introduction
From Gather the Spirit

There is a silent holocaust occurring around the world caused by lack of water and sanitation. People are dying because the international aid community and national governments are not listening to the poor or looking at the overwhelming evidence. — Barbara Frost, chief executive of WaterAid This…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Gather the Spirit

Activity Minutes Opening 5 Activity 1: Guided Meditation 10 Activity 2: 100 Drops of Water 10 Activity 3: Story — Why Toilets Are Important 10 Activity 4: Game — Turdlywinks 10 Activity 5: River Scene — Signs to Bathrooms 10 Faith in Action: World Toilet Day — Toilet Tax Closing 5 Alternate…
Spiritual Preparation
From Gather the Spirit

Have you ever considered the role of sanitation in securing your health, comfort and ability to enjoy daily life? One way to begin is to reflect on how and when you use the bathroom each day. While all ages may find humor in bathroom jokes, this workshop presents sanitation as a key to protecting…
Opening
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Clear bowl to serve as a chalice Cup of water A small, hardy plant (such as a spider plant or shamrock plant) Newsprint, markers and tape Optional: Gather the Spirit blog access instructions Optional: Music and music player Optional: Small table…
Activity 1: Guided Meditation
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 10 minutes Preparation for Activity Read the two-part meditation and prepare to present it to the group. Arrange the meeting space so participants can sit comfortably, without touching others, during the meditation. Description of Activity Ask participants to find a comfortable…
Activity 2: 100 Drops of Water
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Water Drops Sheet Color pencils or markers Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 1 for all participants, plus an extra. Optional: If the group is large, plan to have participants work in small groups of four or five; make a copy of the…
Activity 3: Story - Why Toilets Are Important
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story “Why Toilets Are Important” Preparation for Activity Familiarize yourself with the story. Be ready for some giggles from participants, even adults….
Activity 4: Turdlywinks
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Turdlywinks Game Board Plastic, colored disks for a traditional game of tiddlywinks Preparation for Activity Using Leader Resource 1, make enough game boards so everyone can play the game in a group of four or five. Obtain enough…
Activity 5: River Scene - Signs to Bathrooms
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity River Scene mural (Workshop 1, Activity 2) Drawing supplies such as oil pastels; color markers; paints, paintbrushes and cups of water (and newspapers or drop cloth) Plain drawing paper, scissors (including left-handed scissors) and glue sticks and…
Closing
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Taking It Home handout Clear bowl to serve as a chalice A small, hardy plant (such as a spider plant or shamrock plant) Optional: Small table Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape Preparation for Activity Adapt the Taking It Home section….
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Gather the Spirit

Meet with your co-leaders after the workshop to reflect on it. How was your mix of discussion and action? In the midst of the busy-ness, did you successfully include spiritual elements? Are participants growing in their understanding of the need to protect and equitably share the Earth’s water…
Faith In Action: World Toilet Day - Toilet Tax
From Gather the Spirit

Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, World Toilet Day Poster board (enough to post signs outside each bathroom in the congregational building), color markers, scissors (including left-handed scissors), tape and glue sticks and masking tape Money collection jars and (optional) sticky labels a…
Alternate Activity 1: 100 Drops of Real Water
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Graph paper, 100-square grids for each participant Waxed paper New (sterile) eyedroppers for all participants Bowls of water for each work area Clean cloth towels or paper towels Preparation for Activity Cover each grid completely with a sheet of…
Alternate Activity 2: Painting with Rain Drops
From Gather the Spirit

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Watercolor paper or another absorbent drawing/painting paper, such as construction paper Watercolor paints and paintbrushes Natural rain or a water sprinkler Appropriate outerwear for participants Optional: Music and music player Preparation for…
Taking It Home: Conscience Refined
From Gather the Spirit

IN TODAY’S WORKSHOP… We talked about how sanitation protects the water people drink, and learned that in many places, a simple lack of toilets reduces the supply of clean, fresh water. We talked about conserving the water we use….
Why Toilets Are Important

Janeen K Grohsmeyer

From Gather the Spirit

When you go camping, what do you miss most? Electricity? Or toilets? Only a hundred years or so ago, people didn’t have either one. There were no microwave ovens or toasters. There were no light bulbs. You couldn’t just flip a switch or push a button to make things happen. For thousands and…
Handout 1: Water Drops Sheet
From Gather the Spirit
Leader Resource 1: Turdlywinks Game Board
From Gather the Spirit

There’s a toilet at the top of the page, surrounded by expanding circles associated with scores. How to play: From outside the board try to flick your turdlywink into the latrine. If you miss you’ll make a mess. The circle closest to the toilet is labelled ‘WaterAid’s vision: 100% sanitation…
Leader Resource 2: World Toilet Day
From Gather the Spirit

Toilet Tax Please pay what you can before entering the bathroom. This action is to raise awareness about the lack of sanitation and clean water in much of the world and money to help solve the problem….
Find Out More
From Gather the Spirit

WaterAid On the Water Aid U.S. website, learn about the impact of dozens of projects to improve access to clean water in dozens of localities around the world. The website explains WaterAid’s sustainable approach, including the effort to employ local skills and local materials and engage local…