What Am I?
I believe:
that my religion is not just going to church and saying
prayers. My religion is the way I live–the good I can do and
the things I can learn. "I make my life a prayer each day–by
living and doing, in the very best way!
Here is a picture of me.
I know:
everything I say, everything I do is important. What my
friends say and do is important too-even though I don’t
always agree with them. Everyone has different ideas and I
respect them!
Here is a picture of my friend.
I believe:
that all religions have something good to teach, but no one
church knows all there is to know. That’s why in our church
we always try to learn more; by reading and talking and
making things, and by thinking about everything that has
happened since the world began.
Here is where my congregation meets.
Advent List of Activities
1. Give your mom or dad a hug and kiss and say, "Happy December! "
2. Pick out a favorite book and share it with someone.
3. Give a smile to someone older than you.
4. Remember to hang up your jacket today.
5. Make your own bed today.
6. Help make dinner tonight.
7. Do something nice for someone younger than you.
8. Give a special smile to your teacher.
9. Sing one of your favorite songs with your family at dinner. You choose the song!
10. Put a note under each person’s pillow: "Dear, I like you because
11. Invite a friend to the library.
12. Try to fix something that is broken. You can ask for help!
13. How many things can you find that are red?
14. Make a holiday card for your teacher.
15. Draw a picture of your family and put it in a place where everyone can enjoy it.
16. Offer to set the table tonight and make a holiday centerpiece.
17. Ten days until Hanukkah! Find out all you can about it.
18. Find out how to say "Hello" in two different languages! Teach them to someone.
19. Be on the lookout for litter. Pick it up and throw it in the trash!
20. Talk to your family about your favorite holiday customs. Ask about theirs.
21. How many things can you find that are green!
22. Make some Christmas cookies with your family.
23. Take a walk around the neighborhood with a family member. Greet everyone you see!
24. Ask your family to read aloud with you a favorite Christmas story.
The Chief of the Well
To whom does the water belong?
There was once a drought in the country. The streams dried up and the wells went dry. There was no place for anybody to get water. The animals met to discuss the situation-the cow, the dog, the goat, the horse, the donkey, and all the others. They decided to ask God for help. Together they went to God and told him how bad things were.
God thought, then he said, "Don’t bother your heads. They don’t call me God for nothing. I will give you one well for everyone to use."
The animals thanked God. They told him he was very considerate. God said, "But you’ll have to take good care of my well. One of you will have to be caretaker. He will stay by the well at all times to see that no one abuses it or makes it dirty."
Mabouya, the ground lizard spoke up saying, "I will be the caretaker."
God looked at all the animals. He said at last, "Mabouya, the lizard, looks like the best caretaker. Therefore, I appoint him. He will be the watchman. The well is over there in the mango grove."
The animals went away. The lizard went directly to the well. When the other animals began to come back for water, Mabouya challenged them. First the cow came to drink. The lizard sang out in a deep voice:
"Who is it? Who is it?
Who is walking in my grove?"
The cow replied:
"It is I, the cow,
I am coming for water."
And the lizard called back:
"Go away! This is God’s grove,
And the well is dry."
So the cow went away and suffered from thirst.
Then the horse came and the lizard challenged him, saying:
‘Who is it? Who is it?
Who is walking in my grove?"
The horse answered:
"It is I, the horse,
I am coming for water."
And the lizard called back:
"Go away! This is God’s grove,
And the well is dry."
So the horse went away and he too suffered from thirst.
Each animal came to the well and the lizard challenged all of them in the same way, saying
:"Go away! This is God’s grove,
And the well is dry."
So the animals went away and suffered much because they had no water to drink.
When God saw all the suffering going on, he said, "I gave the animals a well to drink from, but they are all dying of thirst. What is the matter?" And he himself went to the well.When the lizard heard his footsteps, he called out:
"Who is it? Who is it?
Who is walking in my grove’?"
God answered:
"It is I, Papa God.
I am coming for water."
And the lizard said:
"Go away, Papa God.
The well is dry."
God was very angry. He said once more:
"It is I, Papa God.
I am coming for water."
And the lizard called back to him again:
"Go away, Papa God.
The well is dry."
God said no more to the lizard. He sent for the animals to come to the well. He said, "You came to me because you were thirsty and I gave you a well. I made Mabouya the caretaker. But he gave no thought to the suffering creatures all around him. If a man has a banana tree in his garden, it is his. If a man has a cotton tree in his garden, it is his. But if a man has a well in his garden, only the hole in the ground belongs to him. The water is God’s and belongs to all creatures. Because Mabouya, the lizard, became drunk with conceit, he is no longer the caretaker. Henceforth, he must drink his water from puddles wherever the rain falls. The new care-taker will be the frog. The frog will not say,’Go away, the well is dry.’ He will say,’This is God’s well; this is God’s well’."
So the animals drank at the well, while Mabouya, the lizard, went away from it and drank rain water wherever he could find it. The frog is now the caretaker. And all night he calls out:
"This is God’s well!
This is God’s well!
This is God’s well!"
And it is a saying among the people:
"The hole in the ground is yours,
The water is God’s."
(This story was taken from The Piece of Fire and Other Haitian Tales, 1964 by Harold Courlander. Reprinted by permission of Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich, Inc., New York. Story came originally from West Africa.)
If I Were a Founder…
If I were helping to found a religious group with others whom I like to be with,
I would want us to celebrate or honor . . .
I would want us to meet . . . (where?)
When? (day of the week, frequency?)
Two things we would do are …
Something we would never do is …
The most important thing about us would be …
What is the Lord’s Prayer?
Goal:
To learn the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23, to put these prayers into your own words, and to consider the role of prayer in your life.
Preparation:
Read “Background for Teachers”
Make copies of “Bedtime Prayer Thoughts for UU Kids”
Make copies of “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Psalm 23”
Introduction:
Prayer as supplication (asking for something) can’t change lives, but prayer can change people and people can change lives. A prayer can be simply silence, it can be meditation, or it can be words spoken repeatedly. The two ancient prayers in this lesson are part of our culture and will be heard over and over in our lives. They can inspire us with their poetry and message. We keep them and interpret them in our own words for today.
Activities:
Bedtime Prayer Thoughts: Years ago, a UU minister suggested a bedtime prayer that includes one thing you are thankful for, one thing you are sorry for, and something you are hopeful for. Give one to each of your children to color or decorate and hang in his or her bedroom.
The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23: Give everyone a copy of each of these prayers. Talk about what each line means. Then, ask everyone to write their own version of each line. Discuss what you wrote. If you want, you could decide on which version you like best, then decorate a nice copy of your family version to hang in your house.
Story and Craft: Who Owns the Well?
Introduce the activity by saying: To help us think about who owns the earth, we’re going to make puppets and act out a story from West Africa. (Show West Africa on map, globe, or atlas.)
Getting ready for the play: There are many possible ways to do the play, depending on the ages and size of your group. Characters include a narrator (could be leader) and God, who have the largest speaking parts, and a lizard and frog with smaller parts. The remaining children can choose whichever puppet-animal they’d like to be.
Decorate puppets according to taste, assembling the parts and attaching them to the body sticks as shown. Youngest participants may color the body sticks and cut them out while older ones do the more complicated work. Some might create a well by rolling and coiling clay or play dough, or by coloring and decorating a small box.
Begin the play!
Narrator: There was once a drought in the country. The streams dried up, and the wells went dry. There was no place for anybody to get water. The animals met to talk it over–(list your animals). They decided to ask God for help. Together they went to God and told God how bad things were.
God: Hmmm. I’m thinking. But don’t worry. They don’t call me God for nothing. Hmmm. I will give you one well for everyone to use.
All animals: Thank you God. You are very kind.
God: You will have to take good care of the well. One of you will have to be caretaker. The caretaker will stay by the well at all times and see that no one makes it dirty. Hmmm. (God looks at all the animals.) The lizard looks like the best caretaker. Therefore I appoint the lizard to be caretaker.The well is over there in the grove.
Narrator: The animals went away. The lizard went straight to the well. Soon the animals began coming to the well. Lizard stopped them.
Lizard: (In a deep voice.) Who is it? Who is it? Who is walking in my grove?
1st animal: It is I, the _______. I am coming for water.
Lizard: Go away! This is my well, and the well is dry!
Narrator: So the ___________ went away thirsty. Then another animal came to the well.
Repeat until all the animals have asked for water.
Narrator: So the animals went away thirsty because they had no water to drink. God saw all the suffering going on.
God: I gave the animals a well to drink from, but they are all dying of thirst. What is the matter? I will go to the well and find out.
Lizard: Who is it? Who is it? Who is walking in my grove?
God: It is I, God. I am coming for water.
Lizard: Go away, God. The well is dry.
God: Lizard, you are making me angry. It is I, God. I am coming for water.
Lizard: I told you already. Go away, God. The well is dry.
Narrator: God said no more to the lizard. God sent for the animals to come to the well.
God: You came to me because you were thirsty and I gave you a well. I made Lizard the caretaker. But Lizard gave no thought to all the other animals. If a woman has a banana tree in her garden, it is hers. If a man has a cotton tree in his garden, it is his. But if a person has a well in the garden, only the hole in the ground belongs to the person. The water is God’s and belongs to all creatures.
Because the lizard abused the responsibility, the lizard is no longer caretaker. Henceforth Lizard must drink water from rain puddles. The new caretaker will be the frog. The frog will not say, "Go away, the well is dry." Frog will say, "This is God’s well. It belongs to everyone."
Narrator: So the animals drank at the well. The lizard went away and drank rain water wherever it could be found. The frog is now the caretaker. All night Frog calls out:
Frog: This is God’s well. It belongs to everyone. This is God’s well. It belongs to everyone.
Narrator: People have a saying: The hole in the ground is yours, the water is God’s.
Background for "What is Advent?"
The word Advent, which means "coming," was originally used for the Coming of the Christ, and applied only to that day. After the sixth century, its meaning was expanded to include the whole period of preparation for this day–as it is now.
The Advent season marks the beginning of the Christian church year. The orthodox Christian church year is based on the three main incidents in the life of Jesus–Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost–which form the framework of the Christian year. Each of these great festivals was preceded by a period of preparation to enable Christians to meditate on the spiritual significance of these events in the life of Jesus.
Although the birth of Jesus, or the Nativity, is the major holy day, the four Sundays of Advent are recognized as the Advent season, a time of expectation and quiet reflection. Advent begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, St. Andrew’s Day. For Unitarian Universalists, Advent means less than it does for more traditional Christians. However, Advent can provide an opportunity to deepen our awareness of the spiritual values inherent in the winter festival season.
The use of the Advent wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany. The wreaths are made of evergreens and are either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table. Four candles are fastened in holders to the wreath, representing the four weeks of Advent.
On the first Sunday of Advent one candle is lit and allowed to burn during a ceremony of readings, prayers, and songs. On each of the following Sundays an additional candle is lit at the beginning of the ceremony until the fourth Sunday when all four are lit. Candle colors have varied over the years: some churches use white liturgical candles, others use three purple candles signifying repentance and one pink signifying joy (third Sunday). Sometimes on Christmas Eve a large candle is lit in the center of the wreath to symbolize Christ, the light of the world.
For children in our culture, the weeks approaching Christmas are often fraught with stress, as the media, the retail sector, and even the schools build up an ever-increasing sense of anticipation and excitement. Some families observe both Hannukah and Christmas, which can create even more excitement. We can help children deal more constructively with these pressures by focusing on an attitude of quiet preparation and patience. Also, these activities help them to see that they can play an active and cooperative role in getting ready for Christmas.
The Children’s Crusade
"What are we going to do?" Martin Luther King asked his friends. He was worried; it looked like they were going to fail in their mission. Martin Luther King was trying to lead the black people in Birmingham in a struggle to end segregation.
In King’s day, segregation meant that black people were not allowed to do the same things or go to the same places as white people: Black people couldn’t go to most amusement parks, swimming pools, parks, hotels, or restaurants.They had to go to different schools that weren’t as nice as the schools for white kids.They had to use separate drinking fountains, and they could get in big trouble for drinking out of fountains marked for white people. They weren’t allowed to use the same bathrooms; many times, there was no bathroom at all that they could use. They weren’t allowed to try on clothes before they bought them.
Black people didn’t think that was fair; there were white people who agreed with them. But in many, many places, especially in the southern part of the United States, segregation was the law–and if black people tried to go someplace they weren’t supposed to go, they could get arrested, beaten, and even killed.
Many thousands of people were working in the 1950s and 1960s to end segregation. But one spring, Martin Luther King was in one of the largest and strictest segregated cities in the south–Birmingham, Alabama. There he could find only a few people who would help. At night they would have big meetings at a church; they would talk about segregation and ways to change things. Four hundred people would show up for the meeting, but only thirty-five or so would volunteer to protest; and not all of these volunteers would show up the next day for the protest march. Those who did would gather downtown, parade through the streets, carry signs, chant, and sing, sending the message that segregation had to end.
You see, the people were very scared. The sherif in Birmingham was a man named Bull Conner. And black people didnt know what Bull Conner might do to them if he caught them protesting. Martin Luther King had already been in jail once, and others were afraid to follow him. Besides, they werent sure protesting would do any good.
So things were bad. Very bad. Martin Luther King had run out of ideas. He was about ready to give up. And then that night, at a meeting, something surprising happened. When King asked who would demonstrate with him and be ready to go to jail, if necessary, a whole group of people stood up, and everyone’s mouth dropped wide open. The people who had stood up were children. The adults told them to sit down. Martin Luther King thanked them and told them he appreciated their offer but that he couldn’t ask them to go to jail. But they wouldn’t sit down. They wanted to help.
That night, Martin Luther King talked with his friends. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "The only volunteers we got were children. We can’t have a protest with children." Everyone nodded, except Jim Bevel. "Wait a minute," said Jim. "If they want to do it, I say bring on the children." "But they are too young!" the others said. Then Jim asked, "Are they too young to go to segregated schools?" "No! "Are they too young to be kept out of amusement parks?" "No! "Are they too young to be refused a hamburger in a restaurant?" "No!" said the others. "Then they are not too young to want their freedom. That night, they decided that any child old enough to join a church was old enough to march.
The children heard about this decision and told their friends. When the time came for the march, there were a thousand children, teenagers, and college students. And the sheriff arrested them and put them in jail. The next day even more kids showed up-and some of their parents and relatives too–and even more the next day and the next day. Soon lots of adults joined in. Finally, a thousand children were in jail, and there was no more room for anyone else.
Sheriff Conner had done awful things to try to get the children and the other protesters to turn back. He had turned loose big police dogs and allowed them to bite people. He had turned on fire hoses that were so strong, the force of the water could strip the bark off trees. He had ordered the firemen to point the hoses at the little kids and roll them right down the street. People all over the country and all over the world saw the pictures of the dogs, the fire hoses,and the children, and they were furious.
Now the white people of Birmingham began to worry. All over the world people were saying bad things about their town. Even worse, everyone was afraid to go downtown to shop because of the fire hoses and the dogs. So they decided they might have to change things. A short time later, the black people and the white people of Birmingham made an agreement to desegregate the city and let everyone go to the same places.
Today, when people tell this story, many talk about Martin Luther King. But we should also remember the thousands of brave children and teenagers whose courage defeated Bull Conner and helped end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama and the rest of the United States.
Free to Believe
"Hey Dad," called Raychel," is it okay if I go over to Heather’s house for dinner tonight?"
"Didn’t you go over there twice already this week, honey?"
"But tonight is special. There’s a meeting of a club from Heather’s church called the Handmaidens. She asked me to join. They play games and go on camping trips and they do good stuff like helping poor people. She said there are some things club members have to believe and some things they have to promise to do-but it’s no big deal. I think it sounds cool."
"Wait a minute here, my dear," Raychel’s dad liked rhyming words when he could. "What church is Handmaidens connected to? You already have a church."
"I don’t know much about the church," said Raychel, "All I know is that they have a girls’ group called the Handmaidens and a boys’ group called the Soldiers. Heather’s brother, John Peter, has asked Tony to join that one. Sometimes the two groups do things together. It sounds really neat."
"I think we should know more about what you are supposed to believe and what you are supposed to do to be a member of this club before you decide to join," said her dad.
"But Dad," argued Raychel, "We’re Unitarian Universalists. Didn’t you tell us we’re free to believe anything we want? What if I decide to believe the things the Handmaidens believe? That’s okay isn’t it?"
"It might be okay, but only after you have done a lot of hard thinking about it. Unitarian Universalists don’t just believe anything. We ask lots of questions and make sure that the beliefs –and the things people do because of them — are things that make this world a better place," explained Raychel’s dad.
"Tell you what though, you go to your friend’s tonight and tomorrow we’ll all talk about it. Then, if you still want to, you can join them."
The next day, Tony and his parents joined Raychel’s family for dinner. At the dinner table, as usual, everybody was talking at once. Raychel’s dad, Val, stood up and banged his spoon on the table to get everyone’s attention. In a big, booming voice he said, "Hear ye, hear ye, the dining table will come to order.
"Raychel Morgan, will you tell us about your visit to the Handmaidens?"
"It was boring," sighed Raychel. "First they read from the Bible, and everyone recited the Handmaiden’s Creed, which was all about obedience to authority and the leaders — whoever they are. Then we played a game with words from the Bible. Heather’s mother talked to us about how important it was to be a Handmaiden and how we had to try and get more kids to be Handmaidens so more people would get the message and be saved. I wanted to ask, "What message?" and, "Saved from what?" but nobody else was asking questions. Anyway, I didn’t like it."
"Sounds a little different from our church," said Raychel’s dad.
"It was really different from our church and our youth group," Raychel continued. "But when they asked me about our church I couldn’t think of anything to say. They knew exactly what to say about their church and what they believed. But what do UUs believe?"
"Raychel has asked a very important question," said her dad, "Can anyone here sitting give answer to that question?" He was having fun talking like a real judge.
"Well, what about the words we say at the beginning of church," Tony offered, "you know" love is the doctrine of this church, the quest of truth is its sacrament and service is its prayer…?"
"I can say the words, but I don’t get what they mean," said Raychel.
"Those words are a perfect place to begin," said Raychel’s father. "We believe that love is the strongest power in the world–stronger than hate and stronger than fear. I like to call this power God, because that’s the best word I know for a power that is so much bigger and stronger than any person. Your mom doesn’t like to use the word God, because it makes her think of an old man sitting up on a cloud. But even though she doesn’t use the same word to describe this power of love, she believes in it the same way I do. And ‘doctrine’ simply means something that is taught. So the first line means that we teach love."
"What about the next line, ‘the quest for truth is its sacrament?’ What does that mean?" asked Raychel.
"Well," continued Raychel’s dad, "a sacrament is an object or an act that is considered very, very special in a religion. Other words used to describe these things are ‘sacred’ or ‘holy.’ A quest is a journey to find something. So the second line means that we consider searching for truth to be a very special and important part of our religion. And to us, searching for truth means more than never telling a lie."
"Like what?" asked Raychel, getting confused again.
"For one thing, it means that what might be true for us today might not be true tomorrow if we learn something new."
"You mean like when people used to think the world was flat until someone noticed it was really round?" asked Tony.
"Or that only birds could fly until someone invented an airplane?" added Raychel.
"That’s it," answered Raychel’s dad.
"Or that someone named God invented the world in seven days even though the study of science has given us different facts to believe," added Raychel’s mom. "You see, some people believe that God told the truth many years ago to men who then wrote it down in a book like the Hebrew or Christian Bible or the Islamic holy book, the Koran. They believe that this one truth is the only truth they need to know to live a good life. So they don’t question it."
"Other people, like Unitarian Universalists," she continued, "keep asking questions because we believe there is always more to know, always new ways of thinking and acting that can make the world a better place."
"So what does ‘and service is our prayer’ mean?" asked Raychel, "How can service be a prayer?"
"Most Unitarian Universalists believe words alone aren’t enough. We have to work to make a better world, not just talk about it," said Raychel’s mom.
And for a moment, strange as it seems, everybody in this noisy wonderful family was quiet.
"So," said Raychel’s dad, "what do you think?"
"I think Unitarian Universalism is a hard religion to explain," answered Raychel. "But from now on, when I’m asked, I’m going to say, "we believe in love, we believe in searching for truth, and we believe in making the world a better place."
"I think that’s a very good answer Raychel," said her dad. "It says a lot about how we think in just a few words. And in this family, anything said in just a few words is amazing indeed!
"So, Raychel. Do you think you’ll be joining the Handmaidens next week?"
"Well, dad," said Raychel, "I think I ask too many questions to make a good handmaiden."
