Compiled from a variety of West African and South African folk tales. Once upon a time two cousins lived side by side in a village. They worked together in the fields each day and returned home each night to share a meal and some fun in the evening. The young woman cousin's name was Nosa....

Adapted from Hebrew scripture (Leviticus 19:18) and Christian scripture (Luke 10:25-37). Preparation To make this story participatory: Open up the storytelling circle to include a "stage area." Ask for volunteers. You will need a child to play the Good Samaritan, the wounded man, the priest, the...

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice or LED/battery-operated candle Opening Words for Basket (Session 1, Leader Resource 1), and basket Cloth for altar or centering space Symbol of air, such as a feather, a pinwheel, a picture of clouds, a fan, etc....

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Polar fleece fabric Yardsticks and rulers, washable markers, and permanent markers to share Scissors, sharp enough to cut fabric effectively-one pair for each participant, including some left-handed scissors White or light colored fabric, and...

The Love Surrounds Us program explores all the Unitarian Universalist Principles in the context of the Beloved Community of family/home, school, and neighborhood. 

At breakfast on Sunday, Kamal's mother reminded him that today it was their turn to be greeters at their congregation. Normally, Kamal loved greeting all the members and visitors who entered the building at his Unitarian Universalist congregation....

Inspired by a story in Tales for the Seventh Day: A Collection of Sabbath Stories by Nina Jaffe (New York: Scholastic Press, 2000). Once a there was a great chef who was famous throughout the land. She was so good she taught other people how to cook and their food was almost as tasty as hers....

Adapted from The Family Finds Out by Edith Hunter (Boston: Beacon Press, 1966).Ellen was sitting up on a branch of the apple tree, swinging her legs. Her mother was looking over the vegetable garden. "Want to see a nice fat green worm?" her mother called. Ellen jumped down from the tree and ran...

Adapted with permission from the version of a Native American folktale on Stonee’s WebLodge: A Native American Lore Website. I. Adapted short version A long time ago, humans came into being and they loved the world. They loved the springtime with the beautiful emerging green plant life....

There was an extraordinary range of personal beliefs among the participants in my 2003 small group workshop in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. They were the delegates, staff and visitors attending the annual meeting of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists....

Several years ago, I spent an evening discussing Covenant Groups with members of a New England church who were interested in starting a small group ministry program....

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Stickers or adhesive dots Preparation for Activity Research groups in your area that do good work that connects with the theme of "air power." This might include an organization that fosters people listening to one...

From "UU Convicted of Littering While Supplying Humanitarian Aid" , UU World, June 15, 2009. Used with permission. The subject of the story is a White Unitarian Universalist who currently uses the name "Emrys Staton." Next fall, Walt Staton will be starting divinity school to become a Unitarian...

"Honey, those girls were being chased for at least half a mile once school got out," Ms. Myra recalled. I shook my head knowingly. We had just walked out of the subway station across the street from Boys and Girls High School and were listening to the owner of Cafe 258, one of our original safe...

Originally published in Stirring the Nation's Heart: Eighteen Stories of Prophetic Unitarians and Universalists of the Nineteenth Century (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, 2010). In the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the year 1858, a young woman entered a...

Permission to use "The Dog at the Well" in this curriculum granted by Marilyn McFarlane, author of Sacred Myths: Stories of World Religions (Sibyl Publications, 1996). One day Muhammad told his friends and followers a story about a thirsty man, a well, and a dog....

Adapted from a Haitian tale.To whom does the water belong? There was once a drought in the country. The streams dried up and the wells went dry. God saw there was no place for the animals to drink. God provided a well with the condition that it must be taken care of so all may use it. God said,...

It was the first gathering of a newly formed small group. The eight people who gathered in Ann's living room recognized one another, but had no real connection, except for the two married couples who were there....

Young prince Siddhartha had been raised in complete luxury. His life had been so arranged that he knew no suffering, no lack, no want. So when he first encountered suffering—in the form of a sick person, an old person, and a dying person—he was determined to find its cause and its solution. For...

After many years of being out of shape, he decided it was time to do something about the state of his body. With great excitement and enthusiasm, he went to the local gym, got a membership, and began a circuit-training routine. He felt good. And he kept at it, going to the gym several times a week. ...