Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Circle of Trees: A Multigenerational Program about Nourishing Deep Connections with Nature

Closing

Part of Circle of Trees

Activity time: 5 minutes

Materials for Activity

Preparation for Activity

  • Download the Taking It Home section of this workshop to reflect the activities this group has done. Copy it as a handout for all participants. (You may wish to email participants as well or instead.)
  • If needed, write the closing words on newsprint, and post them where they will be visible to all participants. (Note: These words are from Reading 708 in Singing the Living Tradition and are adapted from Hebrew scripture, Isaiah 55.)

Description of Activity

Gather the group in a circle around the chalice. If needed, relight the chalice.

Distribute Taking It Home. Explain that Taking It Home includes a summary of what they did in the workshop, resources for further exploration, and fun "homework." Tell participants that their homework is to think about ways they can support and protect trees and the web of life before Workshop 5, when we'll explore the question "What can one person do?"

Invite participants to reflect for a moment on today's workshop. Ask each participant to share one word that describes how they feel. Go around the circle with this "one-word checkout."

Invite participants to join hands and say the closing words together:

Let us go out in joy, and be led back in peace;

the mountains and the hills before us shall burst into song,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Extinguish the chalice together. As they go, ask participants to leave their name tags in the basket you've provided for this purpose.