Kristin Maier, author of A Good Telling: Bringing Worship to Life with Story (Skinner House Books, 2013) shares the first in a series of tips for good storytelling. Purchase A Good Telling at the UUA Bookstore.

Good stories are central to good worship. As a Time for All Ages, as part of a sermon, or as part of a multigenerational service, stories engage our hearts and minds and help us grow.

Stories from Other Unitarian Universalist (UU) Sources

Storytelling in Worship

✳ Pssst! Have you visited our Storytelling page? It’s filled with tips, how-to’s, and lots of resources!

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  • Sister Goose swam in the pond, happy as could be. Now and then, she ducked her head down to nibble a little bit here, and nibble a little bit there. She took no more than her fill of those succulent underwater plants, for she knew that the pond belonged to everyone....
    Story | By Faye Mogensen | June 8, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), America, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Division, Identity, Justice, Race/Ethnicity
  • Our Time for All Ages this morning is a time of make-believe. I’d like you to put your imagination caps on so that we can pretend together. Raise your hand if you've ever been to a baseball game. How many of you follow a team you think of as “your” team? Well, I have bad news. (Here’s the...
    Time for All Ages | By Erika Hewitt | April 2, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Belief, Choice, Courage, Generations, History, International, Living Our Faith, Partner Church Observation, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Psychology, Secular
  • Imagine if Easter preachers—and all the rest of us—had the chutzpah of Mary Magdalene.
    Time for All Ages | By Anne S. Howard | March 22, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Abundance, Christianity, Courage, Easter, God, Good, Power, Revelation
  • This Time for All Ages is greatly enhanced by visual elements. If you're able to create a slide show, it may be helpful to show the accompanying images, as well as diagrams of the geocentric and heliocentric models of the solar system. We humans have always looked up at the stars, wondered about...
    Time for All Ages | By Erika Hewitt | March 21, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Awe, Earth Day, History, Identity, International, Living Our Faith, Partner Church Observation, Religion, Science, Secular, Wonder
  • While created as a Time for All Ages, the footnotes in this resource contain suggestions for expanding this moment into an entire Children's Chapel. Please note: This Time for All Ages involves teaching the traditional Arabic greeting "as-salaamu ‘alaikum." Out of respect for that culture, and...
    Time for All Ages | By Maryah Converse | March 12, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Acceptance, Caring, Hospitality, Inclusion, Islam, Multiculturalism
  • Once there was an emperor who needed a new set of clothes to wear in the grand parade. He called two of his finest cloth weavers to order one. They looked at each other and decided this would be a chance to make a little extra money from the deal. “Oh Emperor,” one said, “We have invented the...
    Story | By Barbara Gadon | February 2, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Courage, Direct Experience, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Responsibility, Truth
  • This script is intended to take place over the arc of a worship service or children's chapel. People Needed: Narrator (can be Worship Leader) and Five Villagers....
    Script | By Tiffany Fae Anderson | January 11, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Abundance, Community, Food, Generosity, Gratitude, Stewardship, Thanksgiving, Unity
  • Mary: Hi! Are you on the way to the hill country, too? I’m going to the hill country. I'm on my way to see my cousin Elizabeth. I can’t wait to tell her what happened: the Angel Gabriel came to me and said that I’m going to have a baby, and that I should name him Jesus. The angel said, “He...
    Script | By Lyn Cox | December 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Advent, Children, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Family, Mothers, Parents
  • To prepare for this Message for All Ages, you’ll need to do the following: remove a small white tea light from its aluminum casing make a fake candle out of a turnip or jicama: carefully peel and cut (adults only!) until your disc of turnip is the same size as the tea candle. (The aluminum case...
    Time for All Ages | By Erika Hewitt | November 20, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Children's / Religious Education Sunday, Children's Sabbath, Direct Experience, Doubt, Freedom, Playfulness, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility, Truth, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder
  • In Jewish tradition, the four chapters of the Book of Jonah are read aloud at Yom Kippur. Jonah is a minor prophet in the Hebrew Bible but he has a big message. Some of you may know his story. Jonah is sent by God to Nineveh to warn the people that if they do not change their ways they will be...
    Story | By Joanne Giannino | September 22, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anger, Community, Compromise, Forgiveness, God, Good, Judaism, Transformation, Yom Kippur
  • There are different versions of this Middle Eastern folktale; this version is just one way to tell it. You can find storytelling tips on WorshipWeb, but this story is also followed by suggestions about integrating this story into worship....
    Story | By Anonymous | August 10, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Animals, Honesty, Integrity, International, Mindfulness, Playfulness, Power, Relationships, Vision
  • What does “fair” mean? Is “fair” the same thing as “equal”? Which one is reflected in the concept of “justice”? Designed to be used as a Message for All Ages or as part of a Children's Chapel service, this activity uses cookies (yum!) to explore the differences between fair and...
    Activity | By Erika Hewitt | August 3, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Children's Sabbath, Direct Experience, Equity, Food, Justice, Playfulness, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Seven Principles
  • To prepare for this activity, place umbrellas in the pews. Instruct people to open the umbrellas when the man in the story receives the umbrella. Today we have a very special item in our very special Mystery Box. This item is going to teach us more about sanctuaries....
    Story | By Tim Atkins | June 19, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Caring, Character, Children, Empathy, Generosity, Interdependence
  • I’m curious to know what you believe… about what is the best...food. Think about that for a moment. And if you’re wondering what I mean exactly, I leave it to each of you to interpret as you choose. What do you believe is the best food? [Allow a few moments for reflection.] And when you have...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 28, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Authority, Choice, Direct Experience, Food, Freedom, Meaning, Responsibility, Searching, Unitarian Universalism
  • This morning I’ve invited a special guest to join us, someone who has quite a story to tell. [Pull out costume and put on hat and blanket/cloak. Prepare to change your voice just a bit, and your manner, so as to be in character.] Good morning. Thank you for allowing me to join you for a little...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Caring, Christianity, Compassion, Connections, Diversity, Division, Interdependence, Living Our Faith
  • I’m going to talk about something really powerful today: HOPE. And first, I have a question. Have you ever hoped for something? … and did the thing you hoped for happen? [Take responses.] I think that hope is kinda like these: [Pass around basket of acorns and invite children to take one to hold...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Autumnal Equinox, Caring, Change, Direct Experience, Earth-Centered, Growth, Hope, Lammas, Self-Care, Summer Solstice, Transformation, Vernal Equinox
  • Who here has to go through their clothes sometimes, say every year or so? Maybe it’s something your parents make you do…. [ask for a show of hands] So I’m wondering: How do you decide what to keep and what to get rid of? [Take responses. If needed, suggest ones such as: Does it fit? Is it all...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Change, Generations, Growth, Searching, Truth
  • This was created as a Message for All Ages for a service honoring Yom Ha’Shoah, the Jewish holiday for Holocaust Remembrance. In 2016, Yom Ha'Shoah begins on the evening of Wednesday, May 4th and ends on the evening of Thursday, May 5th. Once there was a place that was very bleak and dreary. All...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Connections, Direct Experience, Food, Generosity, History, Holocaust Remembrance / Yom Ha'Shoah, Hope, Judaism, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Secular
  • Imagine with me for a moment, things that you love about life, things that you love about being alive. What do you love about life, and about being alive in it? [Pause a few moments to allow reflection time.] And now, if some of you sitting here up front are comfortable sharing, tell us what you...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Balance, Body, Direct Experience, Interdependence, Playfulness
  • This children's worship activity relies on the use of objects that you'll have to assemble. Its author used Quarto! game pieces (shown in the accompanying picture)....
    Complete Service | By Martha Dallas | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Children's Sabbath, Direct Experience, Diversity, Division, Inclusion, Interdependence, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Unity, Worship Tips