Closing
Activity time: 10 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle
- Large sheet of poster board, and color markers
- Taking It Home handout
Preparation for Activity
- Download, adapt, and copy Taking It Home.
- Create a poster with the closing words (see Description of Activity). If you wish the youth to decorate the poster, leave room for them to do so without covering the text.
- Choose a spot to display the poster or, arrange for co-facilitators to retrieve and display it at each meeting.
Description of Activity
Distribute Taking It Home. Tell participants they may use these ideas to continue exploring today's themes. If parents/caregivers will receive Taking It Home electronically, let participants know.
Indicate the poster with the closing words. Say:
We will use the same Closing words each week. Let us take a few minutes to decorate the poster.
Distribute the markers. They might draw religious symbols or write words that spring to mind when they think about religion. You might suggest the artwork include participants' names.
With several minutes left, invite participants to form a circle and join hands. If needed, relight the chalice.
Say:
Please join me in reading the closing words from the poster. Then we will all lean in and blow out the chalice together.
Lead the closing:
All our bridges meet in the middle, in a Unitarian Universalist circle of faith. We are connected with all that lives. We continue with all that seek. We belong with all who love. Go in peace until we meet again.
Extinguish the chalice together.
Including All Participants
Fully include all participants in the circle and the extinguishing of the chalice. If any participant would be unable to move forward with the group to extinguish the chalice flame, invite a volunteer to extinguish the chalice.