By gabrielle farrel, natalie fenimore, and jenice view

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  Chalice or LED/battery-operated candle
  
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  Large, round mirror to hold the chalice
  
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  Reflective materials, such as beads or pieces of stained glass
  
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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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  Opening Words Basket and opening words (see Session 1, Leader Resource 1 (included in this document) )
  
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  Optional: A copy of the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook, Singing the Living Tradition
  
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  Optional: Bell , chime or other sound instrument
  

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  Set up the chalice on the mirror to enhance its reflection. The chalice may be filled with reflective materials, such as beads or pieces of stained glass, to represent the idea of light, reflection and mirrors.
  
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  Write the words to "Spirit of Life," Hymn 123 in Singing the Living Tradition, or another hymn you prefer, on newsprint, and post somewhere everyone can see it.
  
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  Obtain a basket to hold numerous slips of paper with opening words. Print Session 1, Leader Resource 1, Opening Words for Basket; cut out the short readings and place them in the basket. Of course, feel free to add your own.
  
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  Prepare to lead the group in singing "Spirit of Life," or another song commonly sung in your congregation. Optional: Arrange to have someone else who is musical lead the singing, perhaps with instrumental accompaniment.
  

This ritual welcoming reminds participants of the relational nature of the group experience. Gather the children in a circle around the chalice. Invite them to take a deep breath and release it, and create a deep silence for a moment.

Ask a volunteer to take a reading from the Opening Words Basket and read it aloud. Invite another volunteer to light the chalice. Then, lead a greeting:

Now we will take a moment to greet the people next to us. If you are next to someone who is new to our group, offer a welcome, tell them your first and last name, and learn their name.

Lead the group in singing the hymn you have chosen. Singing a congregational favorite helps children grow in their sense of belonging in congregational life.

If you choose not to sing, use a bell to signal the group to still themselves for another moment of silence.

Ask the child who lit the chalice to extinguish it. Ask the child who read the opening words to return the reading to the Opening Words Basket.

Including All Participants

If you have a non-sighted participant who reads braille, obtain the braille version of Singing the Living Tradition from UUA Bookstore. The bookstore orders from an outside publisher, so order several weeks ahead.

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  Congregational newsletters, flyers, calendars, and announcements about events such as worship, fellowship, social justice, advocacy and/or group learning
  
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  Photographs from congregational events, including photo albums if possible
  
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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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  Leader Resource 2, List of Ages and Life Stages (included in this document)
  

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  Collect the information and photographs. If you will have multiple small groups, collect duplicates. Good sources are congregational newsletters, religious education schedules and events calendars and pages from your congregational website.
  
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  Be ready to contribute your knowledge of congregational events, especially those that lend themselves to thoughtful adaptation to become more authentically multigenerational.
  
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  Print a copy of Leader Resource 2, List of Ages and Life Stages.
  
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  Post sheets of blank newsprint. Title the first sheet "Where Do We Mix?"
  
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  Optional: Prepare a chart on newsprint for taking notes. Make a large column on the left for "Congregational Events." Add six small columns next to it for "very young," "school age," "teen," "young adult," "parents" and "older adults."
  

Pass around the information and photographs about congregational events and activities. Ask participants to name the events, what their purpose is or was, and what ages of people attended. List events on newsprint and note the age groups involved. If you made a chart, place checks in the appropriate age group columns. Do this activity quickly and briefly.

If you have a multigenerational group, give clear direction to all ages that this activity is a brief brainstorming. Affirm that participants will have opportunities to share stories about congregational events later.

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  A copy of the story "The Children's Crusade (included in this document) "
  
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  A bell, chime, rain stick or other musical noisemaker
  
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  Optional: Visual images of segregation and the Civil Rights movement
  

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  Read the story a few times. Consider telling it dramatically, rather than reading it from the page. Practice telling it. Claim the storytelling; for example, try adopting different voices for different characters. The stories here are written for a Story for All Ages moment—part performance, part ministry.
  
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  For storytelling, be ritualistic. Create a mood and time that is different from other moments in the session. For example, turn overhead lights off and use lamps. Position yourself where all can see and hear you. You may wish to wear a storytelling shawl.
  
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  To set the stage for this story, plan to share some documentary images of segregation and the Civil Rights movement. Gather the images you want to share. Make sure you have any audio/visual equipment you need. For Jim Crow-era , se g regation photographs (at www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/085_disc.html) try the Library of Congress online. The Southeast Public Health Training Center website has a circa 1963 photo (at sphtc.org/timeline/1960-4.jpg) of black Americans, including children, protesting school segregation. The About.com African-American History section of the About.com website provides a collection of images of racial segregation signs (at afroamhistory.about.com/od/jimcrowlaw1/ig/Racial-Segregation-Signs/) posted at hotels, waiting rooms, rest rooms, a drinking fountain, etc.
  
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  Review the discussion questions. Choose some you think might resonate with this particular group and help them share their interpretations of the story and relate it to their own experiences.
  
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  If the group is very large, plan to form small groups for discussion. Each group should have at least three participants and an adult facilitator.
  

Give instructions for the moment in the story when participants can stand, as they are able.

Ring the chime (or other noisemaker), make eye contact with each participant and read or tell the story.

Sound the chime (or other noisemaker) again at the end. Invite participants to think silently on their own about the story. Say:

Now we are going to practice listening and discussing skills—both are needed to help us understand the story from multiple perspectives. Let's find out what one another thought about the story.

Remind them not to assume others think or feel the same way. Ask everyone to use "I think" or "I feel" statements. Encourage the group to listen to each comment and then share some silence. Use the bell or chime to move between speakers.

Begin a discussion by asking participants to recap the story in their own words. What they recall indicates what they found most meaningful or memorable.

Then use the following questions to facilitate discussion. (If the group includes multi-age participants, phrase the questions to include everyone.) Make sure everyone who wants to speak has a chance:

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  What was Martin Luther King, Jr. asking the black community to stand up for?
  
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  Why were some adults afraid to do as Dr. King asked? Do you think their fear of jail was stronger than their need for segregation to end?
  
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  Do you think the children cared more about their civil rights than the adults did? Were they less afraid than some of the adults? Why?
  
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  Why did they want to march? (Affirm answers such as bravery, willingness to go to jail, determination, love for their parents and community, generosity, wanting to please Martin Luther King and the other adult leaders, trust/not believing they truly would be harmed, persistence, a sense of comfort in knowing their friends would be there also so they would not be alone.)
  
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  Why did the adults tell the children to sit down?
  
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  Why did the adults change their minds and allow the children to march?
  
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  (for children) Have you ever volunteered to help, and an adult ignored you or said "no?" Why did they say "no?" How did you feel? What was the outcome?
  
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  When the children marched, what happened? How did the children's actions affect the adults?
  
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  After the march, do you think children changed their expectations of themselves and of adults? Did the adults in the community change their expectations of the children?
  
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  Was there a time when you helped someone of another age do something important? Or perhaps a time when someone younger than you helped you? What gifts of age did you bring them? What gifts of age did they bring?
  

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  What gifts of age do you have now? (mirror question)
  
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  How might you use these gifts together with someone of a different age to make the world a better place? (window question)
  

If any participants cannot stand up on their own, tell the group before you begin the story that there will be a moment when they should raise their hands in the air (if possible) or nod their heads to signify answering the call with a "yes."

If you have brought documentary images and a non-sighted participant is present, ask a few volunteers to describe the photographs verbally.

ACTIVITY 3: WINDOW/MIRROR PANEL — THE AGE I AM (15 MINUTES)

Materials for Activity

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  All participants' Window/Mirror Panels
  
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  Optional: Blank paper or card stock, cut to a size that can be placed within Window/Mirror Panels
  
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  Optional: Paint and paintbrushes, pastels or other art media
  
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  Basket(s) of Window/Mirror panel materials:
  
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    Sheets of Mylar(R) in several colors, shiny gift wrap, aluminum foil and other reflective paper
    
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    Sheets of plain or construction paper
    
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    Scraps of fabric
    
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    Color markers (permanent markers work best on Mylar)
    
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    Glue sticks, tape (including double-sided tape) and scissors (including left-hand scissors)
    
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    Optional: Stick-on sequins, a hole-puncher, yarn, ribbon and a variety of magazines to cut up
    

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  Consider the size of participants' Window/Mirror panels and the number of projects each panel will include (that is, the number of sessions you plan to lead). You may wish to cut blank paper or card stock in a specific sizes or shapes for this assignment.
  
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  If you have a multi-age group that includes guests, provide paper and arts and crafts materials so everyone can do this assignment, with or without a Window/Mirror panel. Plan where guests might display their pictures at the close of this activity or session.
  
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  Have materials easily accessible.
  

Ask the children to bring their Window/Mirror panels to worktables. Distribute Window/Mirror panel basket(s) and any other materials you may have brought. Say:

Today you will add another view of yourself to your Window/Mirror panel. You can use pictures, words, collage, or a combination to show how you fit into multigenerational community.

If you have guests, invite them to do the assignment on an individual piece of paper. Explain any plan you have for how the guests might display their work after the activity.

Remind participants that "multigenerational" means a wide span of ages and stages of life. Ask the group for definitions of "community." Affirm answers such as: A community is a group where everyone feels like they belong; it has a shared purpose; it is people with something in common; it is being together for a reason everyone cares about.

Ask participants to think of a time when they gathered with people of many different ages, from very young children to older adults. Suggest it might be a congregational event they talked about earlier in the session; a gathering of family and friends; a public event such as a parade, a community fair, or an arts performance; or sports event. If they cannot think of a real experience they wish to represent, they may imagine a multigenerational community gathering. Ask everyone to raise their hand when they have an image in mind.

Once most have raised their hands, invite everyone to position themselves with any others their age in the community gathering. What are the people their age doing? What are people of other ages doing? You may wish to ask some volunteers to describe their multigenerational event and tell what different age participants are doing.

Now invite the children to create an image of multigenerational community for their Window/Mirror panel. Tell them they may use drawing/painting, collage, writing, or a mixture of these. Ask them to make sure they feature themselves or their age group in their representation.

Give the group a two-minute warning so they have time to affix their image to their Window/Mirror panel, clean up materials, and store their Window/Mirror panels.

ACTIVITY 4: CREATING A CONGREGATIONAL EVENT (15 MINUTES)

Materials for Activity

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  Sheets of newsprint listing congregational events, from Activity 1, Where Do We Mix?
  
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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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  Blank paper, a pen or pencil and a copy of Handout 1, Congregational Event for All Ages (included in this document) , for each group
  
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  Leader Resource 2, List of Ages and Stages (included in this document)
  

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  Copy Handout 1 for all participants.
  
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  Post newsprint listing congregational events brainstormed in Activity 1.
  
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  On another sheet of newsprint, list six age categories: very young children, school-age children, teens, young adults, older adults and very old adults. Post the list.
  
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  Optional: Post another sheet, and list (1) why enjoy? (2) how meaningful? and (3) how participate? as short reminders of the small group discussion questions.
  
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  Post blank newsprint to compile small groups' ideas at the end of the activity.
  

Form as many small groups as you have adult facilitators—ideally, each with five to nine participants. Give each group paper and a pen or pencil and ask for a volunteer in each group to take notes.

Ask each group to choose one congregational activity or event on the list to discuss. The event should be one that (1) most of the group value and enjoy and (2) they agree is important to at least some people in the congregation.

Give groups a moment to choose an event. Then, quiet the group and invite groups to discuss these questions, with the note-taker recording the group's answers. Tell them they will have five minutes.

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  What is enjoyable about the event or activity?
  
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  What is meaningful or valuable about the event/activity? (Another way to frame this question is, "What do very young children [or another age group] get out of this activity/event?")
  
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  How does the event/activity engage people in different age groups? (Or, "How do very young children [or another age group] participate?")
  

You may wish to mention the story "The Children's Crusade":

As you think about how all ages share time together in our congregation, remember the story we heard. Consider what the children and the adults in Birmingham each brought to the protest march, and what a child or adult may have experienced as a result of doing that activity together.

Give groups at least five minutes. Then ask them to stop their discussion and choose a spokesperson.

Re-gather everyone in a circle. Invite spokespeople to briefly present how they would change one congregational event or activity. Record ideas in note form on the blank newsprint.

To close this activity, lead a discussion about how the various suggestions would engage different age groups to make the event/activity more enjoyable and meaningful for them and how different ages could participate.

If this activity could lead into a Faith in Action activity in which the group will plan and/or host an explicitly multigenerational congregational activity or event, guide the discussion toward consensus on a plan based on one or more small groups' suggestions. You may end up with a suggestion for a brand new event to propose to the congregation.

Conclude by asking for volunteers and assigning roles so the group can present their idea to your minister, your director of religious education, or other congregational leaders.

CLOSING (5 MINUTES)

Materials for Activity

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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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  Taking It Home handout
  
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  Optional: A copy of Session 1, Leader Resource 2, Namaste (included in this document)
  

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  Identify a place for participants to store their Window/Mirror Panels between sessions. Keep in mind, there may be times the panels are not entirely dry when the session ends.
  
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  Write the closing words on newsprint and post.
  
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  Download and adapt the Taking It Home section and copy as a handout for all participants (or, email to parents).
  
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  Optional: Review the leader resource so you can briefly explain the origin and meaning of "namaste" and demonstrate the accompanying gesture.
  

Explain that the session is almost over and we will now work together as a community to clean the meeting space. Ask everyone first to clean up their own area and the materials they were using, then clean another area or help someone else. No one should sit in the circle until the meeting space is clean.

Then bring the group back to the circle. Ask them to think about what happened today that was good or what they wish had gone better. If you are running short of time you can ask them for a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on the session.

Invite each participant to say, in a word or sentence, why it is important for them to be a part of this faith community. You may go around the circle for responses; allow individuals to speak or pass.

Then ask everyone to hold hands and say together:

Keep alert;

Stand firm in your faith;

Be courageous and strong;

Let all that you do be done in love. — 1 Corinthians 16

If this is the first time the group is using "namaste," briefly explain its origin and meaning. Then, lead the group in the word and bowing gesture. Or, substitute "thank you." Invite each participant to bow their head to the individuals on either side and then bow to the center of the circle and say "thank you" together.

Distribute the Taking It Home handout you have prepared. Thank and dismiss participants.

FAITH IN ACTION: MULTI-GENERATIONAL CONGREGATIONAL EVENT

Materials for Activity

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  Notes from Activity 4, Creating a Congregational Event
  
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  Leader Resource 2, List of Ages and Life Stages (included in this document)
  
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  Newsprint, markers and tape
  

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  Post small groups' contributions from Activity 4, Creating a Congregational Event.
  
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  Post fresh newsprint.
  

In Activity 4, the group looked at the congregation's events and activities in terms of what someone of a particular age or stage of life might find meaningful or fun. This Faith in Action activity guides the group to plan and suggest to congregational leaders an explicitly multigenerational, adapted or brand new event or activity.

Lead the group to review the events explored by the small groups, with an eye toward choosing one to suggest to your congregation. You might also introduce for consideration a new multigenerational event idea for the group to plan. Consider offering a social justice or pastoral activity, or a children's activity with roles for all ages. Alternate Activity 1, Making Pastoral Cards, might provide the seed for an all-ages activity at your congregation.

There are many ways you might choose an event to plan as intentionally multigenerational; one way might be to hand each participant two differently colored dot stickers (for example, red and yellow) and ask everyone to mark their first and second choices on the posted newsprint lists. The event with the most dots wins.

Once an event or activity is selected, lead the group to plan the event. Brainstorm ideas on how it can be welcoming, enjoyable, and meaningful for people of different ages. An adult should briefly record ideas on the blank newsprint. Start the planning process with questions like the following:

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  What is the name of the event?
  
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  What is the purpose of the event?
  
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  What ages are involved now?
  
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  Does the event affect everyone or only some people? Who?
  
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  Who hosts the event now?
  
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  How is the event advertised?
  
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  What time of day is it held?
  
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  Where it is the event held?
  
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  How could physical movement be involved but not required?
  
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  Are participants asked to read, or read/speak aloud? How can folks who cannot read yet, or do not feel comfortable speaking in public, participate?
  
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  Would parents with babies be able to participate?
  
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  What kind(s) of food are served?
  
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  What games or icebreakers might bring all ages together at this event?
  
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  What accessibility or inclusion issues might there be?
  
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  What safety issues might there be?
  

Save about five minutes for working together on a proposal to congregational leadership about the event. The proposal might be in form of a letter to your minister or committee chair(s), or an outline of what will happen at the event. Draft the proposal on newsprint.

Have a volunteer type and print the proposal, leaving room for all participants to sign. Thank everyone for their participation and invite them to share clean-up.