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
- Tapestry of Faith stories: search or browse the list (over 450 stories for children, youth, and adults)
- Story anthologies for children from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Bookstore.
Storytelling in Worship
✳ Pssst! Have you visited our Storytelling page? It’s filled with tips, how-to’s, and lots of resources!
Featured Books
- Doorways to the Soul: 52 Wisdom Tales from Around the World
- Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents
- A Lamp in Every Corner: A UU Storybook
- Mira and the Big Story
Search Words for Worship Services
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What can we say about Rudolph? He was excluded by other reindeer. They did not let him play with them. We may feel confident that they made fun of him and his red nose. It is possible that they hurt poor Rudolph. He was on the outside. The other reindeer had a special relationship with Santa Claus.Story | By Edward Harris | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Diversity
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The Woman Who Outshone the SunThe Legend of Lucia Zenteno Characters Narrator Lucia Zenteno (older child or adult) Iguana (small child) Water (several) Fish (several) Otters (several) Townspeople-elders and children (several) Props Long, flowing, bright skirt with pinned on flowers and butterflie...Story | By Nancy Jilk | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Diversity, Earth Day, Forgiveness
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During a Blessing of the Animals, it is customary for members of the congregation to bring their animal companions with them to the service. If they cannot bring their animal friend with them, encourage them to bring a photo or some other meaningful item related to their animal friend. Prelude:...Complete Service | By Katherine A Jesch | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animal Blessing, Animals, Direct Experience, Earth, Gratitude, Nature, Presence, Unitarian Universalism
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Once, there was a little girl named Amanda who loved to help other people. She helped her Papa David and Papi Caesar to clean the house, she raked up the leaves in her neighbor Jim’s yard when he was in pain and couldn’t do it himself, and she tutored her friend Sara in Math. So, when it came...Story | By Sunshine Jeremiah Wolfe | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Humility, Listening, Relationships, Service, Teamwork
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There are two things we can learn from a daffodil to help ourselves and each other.Time for All Ages | By Ruth E Gibson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Change, Earth, Earth-Centered, Flower Communion, Growth, Nature, Spring, Strength, Transformation, Vernal Equinox, Wonder
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Opening Words and Welcome Good afternoon and welcome to our annual animal blessing. We take time once a year with this formal ceremony to give thanks and bless our companions in life—cats and dogs, birds and chickens, turtles and fish and so much more! This ceremony also acknowledges that our...Complete Service | By Tracy Sprowls-Jenks | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Animals
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Greetings Good morning! My name is Kathy. Let’s greet our friends. Covenant Read together. Introduction Today we’re going to learn a new spiritual practice. Who remembers what a spiritual practice is? It is an activity that cultivates spirituality. What are some examples of spiritual practice?Complete Service | By Kathy Underwood | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Balance, Body, Healing, Spiritual Practice, Taoism
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By Jan Gartner, adapted from the story, A Unitarian King, in A Lamp in Every Corner: A Unitarian Universalist Storybook, by Janeen K Grohsmeyer. Written as a no-rehearsal skit for middle-elementary worship or classroom use. NARRATOR Our story takes place in the mid-1500's, in the country of Hungary.Story | By Jan Gartner | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: History, Unitarianism
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There was a young man who grew up in China. Everyone said that he was so calm and peaceful, he should become a monk. Not wanting to displease his family and friends by telling the truth, the young man let them think he was indeed peaceful and calm. Inside, however, the young man was filled with...Story | By Denise Tracy | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, History, Multiculturalism, Multiculturalism, Peace, Self-Care, Taoism
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There was a Mystery. She was a great Mystery. And nobody understood or appreciated her mainly because there was no one else around to appreciate or understand much of anything.Story | By Thomas Rhodes | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Earth Day, God, Mystery, Playfulness
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There once was a person named John Murray. He lived in England, and worked as a minister there. The congregation to which he belonged took religion very seriously. They believed in life after death, but they thought that almost everyone was going to have a terrible, horrible time after they died.Story | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: History, Universalism
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I want to tell you about a T-ball game, a story credited to storyteller Bill Harley. If, like me, you grew up before T-ball, you'll need to know that it’s a game like softball, but with gentle rules for 5 to 8-year olds, kids just starting out in life. Now, the particular T-ball team Bill...Story | By John Parker Manwell | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Animals, Choice, Love, Presence
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John Haynes Holmes was born into a Unitarian family soon after the Civil War. He grew up just outside of Boston, and his father would take him to Unitarian churches in Boston every Sunday so that he would hear the best preaching the city had to offer. Holmes idolized his grandfather, John Haynes,...Story | By Paul Sprecher | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: History, Nonviolence, Unitarianism, War
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One day, a rabbit set out from the woods, carrying a question to all the other creatures that it met. The rabbit came first to a butterfly fluttering in an open field, and asked, "Friend butterfly, what can you tell me about the thing called 'god’?" The butterfly thought for a moment, and said,...Story | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Direct Experience, God
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There was once a crow who was very hungry. Flying over the tops of the trees, it spotted a large, tasty-looking walnut growing from one of the tallest branches below. Seeing the makings of a fine supper, the crow swooped down and plucked the dangling walnut and held it triumphantly in its beak....Story | By Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Conflict, Greed, Letting Go, Playfulness
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Rev. James Madison Rasnake was the best Baptist minister in Georgia. His first career had been as a lawyer, and he was known for his splendid reasoning abilities. After creating a well-known law practice, he found his true calling—ministry—in particular, the Baptist ministry. In 1896 he was...Story | By Denise Tracy | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: History, Salvation, Universalism
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George: This is Angel Gabriel of KGOD airwaves, coming to you live from the downtown mall in Bethlehem. The air is positively solar as frenzied shoppers scurry from store to store, their camels and donkeys weighted down with purchases. The beasts bawl. There are only, count ‘em and weep shoppers,...Story | By Lois Van Leer | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Hanukkah, Judaism, Kwanzaa, Multiculturalism, Multiculturalism, Paganism, Winter Solstice / Yule
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For nearly thirty years, Forrest Church served as the spiritual leader of the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in New York City. During his ministry, the church became both a haven for spiritual seekers and a beacon of social outreach to the community. He helped to found a shelter for...Activity | By Peter Friedrichs | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Fear, Purpose, Unitarian Universalism, Vision, Wisdom
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Cast Abigail Adams Julia Ward Howe Frances Watkins Harper Clara Barton Florence Nightingale Lydia Maria Child Script All the women file onto the stage (through the side door on the stage, and stand with shawls over their heads, their backs to the audience). Narrator: Women in the 18th and 19th...Script | By Susan Jhirad | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Equity, Gender, Human Rights, Rights, Secular, Women
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NARRATOR: We know Ralph Waldo Emerson. We know the sage of Concord who gave us the doctrine of “self‐reliance” and the belief in the “Oversoul.” He was the leader of the Transcendentalist movement, and is remembered as one of the most important cultural figures of the nineteenth century.Script | By Mark W. Harris | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb