Including All Participants

A non-sighted participant can use a textured surface such as corduroy fabric or a sheet of corrugated cardboard to create a meditative focus. Or, make a three-dimensional, lap-size labyrinth using quick-hardening glue on cardboard; find instructions for drawing a labyrinth in this session's Faith in Action activity.

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  Handout 2, Respecting Others' Spiritual Practices (included in this document)
  
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  Optional: Silhouette images of body prayer postures, from Leader Resource 1 (included in this document)
  
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  Optional: Music, and music player
  
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  Prayer Stations
  
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  Work as Prayer. Lanyard, yarn, ribbon and other materials for braiding or making knots, cut into 12-inch lengths
  
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  Welcoming the Sabbath or Sending Love and Healing with Candlelight. Candles and candle holders (at least two), and a lighter or matches
  
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  Communion. Small, plain crackers or cookies, a small pitcher of grape juice, small cups and (optional) your congregation's Communion silver
  
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  Welcoming the Divine. Yoga mats or small carpets, and a small lamp or a candle and lighter/matches
  
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  Table Grace. A table and a few chairs; a bowl of snacks; and index cards printed with table graces such as "May we be truly thankful for the food we are about to receive." / "May we one day live in a world where no goes hungry." / "I thank all the hands that harvested and prepared this meal." Find more graces in the Tapestry of Faith Creating Home program, Session 11, Leader Resource, Four Graces: (at www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith/creatinghome/session11/sessionplan/leaderresources/60160.shtml) on the UUA WorshipWeb (at www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/readings/submissions/5888.shtml)pages; or on Ingrid Goff- Maidoff's website (at ingridgoffmaidoff.com/content.php?id=153))
  
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  Resisting Evil. Sheets of 8 1/2x11-inch card stock, peel-and-stick labels, color markers, wooden craft sticks or rulers, and tape or heavy-duty stapler and staples
  
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  Praying with Icons. Photos, images or models of religious icons such as the Virgin Mary, the Buddha, saints, or gods and goddesses
  
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  Praying with Religious Objects. Item(s) belonging to adult volunteer leaders, such as Catholic rosary beads, prayer beads from another religious tradition, a Tibetan Buddhist prayer wheel or Jewish tefillin
  
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  Counting Prayers. A few strings of fairly large beads, each with at least ten beads
  
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  Altar. A low table, (optional) attractive cloth cover, a candle, a bowl of water, a stick of incense in a holder, small statues or toy animals, and matches or a lighter
  
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  Sitting Meditation. Yoga mats or small rugs
  
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  Dancing with God. Music and music player, (optional) carpet
  
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  Foot Washing. A chair, a pitcher of warm water, a large bowl, and paper towels; (optional) wet wipes
  
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  Receiving the Spirit. Chalk to draw on floor, or a small rug
  
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  Holy Water. A table and a small pitcher or bowl of cool water
  

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  Read the Description of Activity. From the many prayer stations suggested, choose according to the size of the group, the space and materials available and—most importantly—the availability of specific adult volunteers in your congregational who are personally familiar with and knowledgeable about particular practices.
  
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  Next, consider whether your congregation includes any adults who might be able to present another prayer practice not described here. An adult who knows and uses prayer practices from—for example—their own Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish or contemplative religious background could provide a culturally authentic introductory experience.
  
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  Personally contact the adults you want to lead a prayer station activity. Ask them to lead a brief interpretation of the practice, focusing on how it is done and its faith and/or cultural meaning. Invite adult volunteers to shape their demonstration according to their own knowledge and understanding of the practice. Ask them to avoid both (a) inflating their own expertise in a practice and (b) distancing themselves from the practice, such as by categorizing it as something "Hindu people do," "Catholics believe in," etc. Encourage them to anticipate children's questions and be ready to give answers and/or point children toward further authorities about the practice for a deeper understanding. Ask volunteers what space, equipment or supplies the prayer practice requires. Make the arrangements and obtain needed items before the session. Confirm volunteer visits one or two days ahead.
  
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  Plan the logistics. Decide:
  
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    How many/which prayer stations will you provide?
    
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    Who will you invite to lead each practice?
    
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    Where will you set up each practice? (Which prayer stations require an electric outlet, water, a window, a lit chalice, a carpeted floor? Are all the prayer stations accessible to all participants?)
    
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    How much time should children spend at each prayer station? How many stations do you want each child to experience? Plan how the children will rotate among the prayer stations. Some stations may work well for one child to experience at a time; others may work well for small groups.
    
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  Review Activity 5, Window/Mirror Panel — Reflections of Prayer. You may wish to combine it with this activity by including Window/Mirror Panel work tables as a prayer station. A co-leader will need to staff this station and guide children to respond to the prayer stations and other session activities. The Description of Activity section in Activity 5 guides you to help the children process and express their experiences.
  
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  Read Handout 2, Respecting Others' Spiritual Practices. Decide whether you will paraphrase its content for the group, read it aloud, or simply distribute the handout.
  
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  Optional: If it will not conflict with music at individual prayer stations, arrange to play gentle, peaceful music in the area during this activity.
  
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  Optional: Cut out the silhouette images of body prayer postures from Leader Resource 1 and use them to decorate the prayer station area(s). Some figures may perfectly illustrate particular prayer stations.
  
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  Make a card to identify each prayer station. Include the name of the prayer practice, the tradition(s) it comes from and the name of the adult leading it. Post the cards at the prayer stations.
  
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  Set out materials at each prayer station. Make sure adult volunteers are ready for participants to visit their prayer stations.
  

Gather the group. Invite them to prepare to experience in their bodies several different spiritual practices that are used by people all over the world. Say, in your own words:

The world's religions, including our own, offer many ways to express gratitude, regret and hope or make some other connection with a spirit or force within or beyond ourselves. In some faiths, people use prayer or meditation to ask or petition for something for themselves or someone else, to lament about how things that have happened, to express a sense of awe, or to show their submission to a deity. Some prayer uses words. Other times, people use their bodies to express their awareness or hopes in prayer.

As you rotate through our prayer stations, search for a practice or posture that feels right for your body and offers something for your spirits.

Present the guidelines you have determined, such as whether children will travel alone or in a small group; how many prayer stations they should visit, in what order; how you will signal the end of the prayer station activity; and where you would like them to end up. You may wish to ask the children to remove their shoes to maintain quiet and keep the prayer areas clean.

Mention that some practices may feel uncomfortable, weird or difficult to one person, yet liberating for another. Ask participants to respect one another's privacy, even in the shared practices, and refrain from giggling or commentary. Let them know it is disrespectful to make fun of anyone's religious practices and they may be removed from the activity if their behavior is disruptive. This may be a good time to refer to the group's behavior covenant (Session 2). Optional: Distribute Handout 2, Respecting Others' Spiritual Practices. Read the handout together.

Ask participants to move slowly and quietly between stations and to take three deep breaths as they begin each practice. Invite children to begin visiting the prayer stations.

Prayer Stations

Adapt the practices to the needs and abilities of each child. Working one-on-one, or with just several children at a time, will allow ample opportunity for personalized adjustments.

Designate at least one adult to watch for and redirect any children who have trouble participating respectfully in the prayer station activities.

ACTIVITY 5: WINDOW/MIRROR PANEL — REFLECTIONS OF PRAYER (10 MINUTES)

Materials for Activity

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  All participants' Window/Mirror Panels
  
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  Handout 1, Finger Labyrinth, (included in this document) from Activity 3
  
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  Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape
  
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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 old magazines to cut up
    

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  Set out all participants' Window/Mirror Panels and the basket(s) of Window/Mirror Panel materials on work tables.
  
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  Optional: Write on newsprint and post these prompts:
  
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    Mirror: How prayer is (or could be) useful, meaningful or satisfying to me?
    
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    Window: What do I understand, question or respect about prayer practices of others?
    
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  If this activity will be incorporated into Activity 4, Prayer Stations, designate a co-leader to lead the discussion (see Description of Activity) with individuals or small groups as participants arrive to begin work on their Window/Mirror panels.
  

Participants respond to the session by adding to their Window/Mirror Panel a representation of what prayer means to them or of an aspect of prayer they personally relate to.

Engage children to identify prayer purposes and/or practices which they do now or might in the future find useful, meaningful or satisfying (the Mirror question). Ask them to articulate their understanding, questions and respect for practices others use (the Window question). For some, this may be the beginning of a lifelong introspection about prayer practice. One-on-one conversation with individual participants may be extremely valuable. Acknowledge that finding a suitable practice is a very personal matter and their choices may change over time.

Use these questions to elicit reflection:

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  At which prayer stations did you feel the most open? The most creative? The most loved? The most challenged? The most yourself? The most inspired?
  
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  Can you imagine yourself using any of these practices in the future? What would that be like?
  
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  How can we show respect for spiritual practices that others use?
  

Welcome visiting parents and other adult volunteers to join the children in responding to the session through artwork. You may wish to engage adults with the same questions you ask the children, yet, remember this is the children's time to respond, inquire and reflect. Adults should mostly listen to the children's observations and briefly add information or correct an understanding as needed. You, too, might briefly describe a prayer practice of your own or some observations or questions about prayer practices used by others.

Give a two-minute warning so everyone has time to complete work on their Window/Mirror Panel, clean up materials and store the Window/Mirror Panels.

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)
  

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.

Write the closing words on newsprint and post.

Download and adapt the Taking It Home section and copy as a handout for all participants (or, email to parents).

Optional: Review the leader resource so you can briefly explain the origin and meaning of "namaste" and demonstrate the accompanying gesture.

Description of Activity

Explain that the session is almost over and we now have to work together as community to clean the meeting space. First, everyone should clean up their own personal area, put away materials they were using and store their Window/Mirror Panel. Then they may clean another area or help someone else. No one should sit in the circle until all are done.

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.