Say your truth - kindly, but fully and completely. Live your truth - gently, but totally and consistently. Change your truth easily and quickly when your experience brings you new clarity. — Neale Donald Walsch, author of the series "Conversations with God"

Throughout this program, participants have been seeking to understand Unitarian Universalism and connect it to their lives and experiences. Their journals have been an important tool for synthesizing all that they have learned. This workshop builds on what they have learned and makes a connection between understanding, professing, and living one's faith.

The writing of a faith statement is the core activity. Recognize that for many youth, not to mention for many facilitators, this may be difficult. It involves synthesizing a lifetime of experiences into a short statement. Be gentle with yourself and with participants, encouraging them to begin with what they know. Explain that there is no "perfect" statement.

After composing a faith statement, youth practice sharing this statement with others. The opening quote for this workshop emphasizes that it is important to say our truths, and this is why we spend time clarifying and articulating our faith. Once we have clarified and articulated our faith, it is important to live and practice it. However, faith is not static. Faith can and should change as we have new experiences and come to new understandings. This is why Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition.

Goals

This workshop will:

• Present the importance of professions of faith throughout Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist history
• Provide an opportunity for participants to develop and share their own statements of faith as Unitarian Universalists
• Make connections between understanding, professing, and living faith
• Equip participants to interact meaningfully with others in a pluralistic world.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Review Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist professions of faith throughout history
• Explore the challenges of articulating their faith to their peers
• Develop their own statements of Unitarian Universalist faith
• Practice articulating their Unitarian Universalist faith.