Activity time: 15 minutes

Materials for Activity

• Chalice, candle, lighter or LED/battery-operated candle
• Leader Resource 2, 1800s Background
• Religions Time Line
• Newsprint, markers, and tape
• Map of the United States
• World map or globe

Preparation for Activity

• Read Leader Resource 2, 1800s Background, until you are comfortable presenting it.
• Post blank newsprint.

Description of Activity

Answer questions from the last workshop.

Invite youth to sit in a circle. Light the chalice with these words:

We light this chalice in celebration of Unitarian Universalism and the sustaining faiths of all people of the world. May the flame represent the fire of our commitment to understand all faithful people and build bridges that connect us as one human family.

Invite participants to check in by saying their names and sharing briefly a belief they have that other people find unusual or that makes the youth feel like an outsider. Facilitators can sensitively reference this experience later to remind participants what it is can be like for adherents of the faiths introduced today.

Read or share in your own words Leader Resource 2, 1800s Background. Write key terms on newsprint.