• Chalice, candle and lighter, or LED battery-operated candle
• Stand or table space for the chalice
• Decorative covering for chalice stand
• Newsprint, markers, and tape

• Prepare a welcoming space, including comfortable seating arranged in a circle around a small table with a chalice at its center.

Bring participants together and welcome them. Invite a volunteer to light the chalice as you share a favorite children's chalice lighting used by your congregation.

Ask participants: what is the story of how your state (or town) began? Say, "We are each going to name one thing about how our state began. We know that we will not tell the whole story, and we do not need to, so beginning with younger children (helped by a parent if necessary), I invite you each to say one thing about how our state began. Encourage people of all ages to use their "one thing" to add texture to the story or bring in culturally marginalized voices and experiences. When each person has spoken, note that although you have not told a complete story, you have told a part of a story that is familiar to you all. Tell participants that this workshop includes a Bible story told by King David's writers about the first Hebrew people and the beginning of the Hebrew nation.