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UU Faith Works Summer/Fall 2003 Administration
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The Umbrella Story
UU Principles: Story for All Ages
Merry Stockwell
Director of Religious Education
Congregational Society of Peterborough, NH
Peterborough, NH
I have used this little story about our UU Principles as a Story for All Ages in church on Sunday morning or as a story for one of my Children's Worships. Most recently I used it at RE Week on Star Island as an introduction to a series of children's chapels about our principles and how we live them.
Our religion (Unitarian Universalism) is different from most other religions because we do not insist that you must believe certain things. It is not that we do not believe anything; Unitarian Universalists have very strong beliefs. However, we say it is important that we think for ourselves and decide for ourselves what we believe.
Then what do we have in common? What holds us together?
Our seven principles hold us together. These are not actually beliefs. These are values. In 1984 Unitarian Universalists voted to declare that these principles are important to us. We say we affirm them, which is sort of like giving our stamp of approval to them. We say that we will promote them, which means that we will try to live by them and to help others to know how to live by them. These values are what hold us together, give us our identity— and they are what draw others to join us.
I picture it this way. It is as if our values are a big tent and other people who like our values, who want to work for them and want to be with others who share those values, are drawn to this tent and take shelter in it too. I can't lug a tent so I brought an umbrella to show you what I mean.
(I open an umbrella, from which are hanging the numbers 1-7 and hold it over my head. I hang the cardboard numbers with safety pins and fishing line.)
You see under this umbrella of values, or, inside one of our UU churches, we are welcome to believe what we choose to believe. Unitarian Universalists have many different beliefs and opinions about such things as God, Jesus, prayer, television, or what they choose to eat, but they would not choose to belong to our church unless they agree that our principles are important.
I end the story there if I am using it as an introduction to a series on our principles. However, if I am using it as a story on its own, I would then run through what the seven principles are and conclude with the umbrella over my head reminding them once more that these principles are like values that draw us together.
For a complete copy of the seven chapels, please print and send your full name, mailing address, and a check for $7.95 to:
Merry Stockwell
405 Middletown Road
Roxbury, N.H. 03431
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