A Playful Youth Service

Jennifer Morley, DRE
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens
Athens, GA

This spring, members of our YRUU group met over the course of 2 months to create a wonderful intergenerational service. At our first meeting, I gave them an outline of our typical order of service, as well as some ideas on creating effective services. From that point on, my role was primarily as note-taker, while these energetic youth brainstormed, wrote poems, composed music, choreographed dance, and generally worked together in harmony to create a moving service on their chosen theme of friendship. Youth allowed some room for improvisation during the rehearsals and the actual service, which opened hearts and minds to the power of play. Ten youth participated in this process, during which new friendships were formed and new commitment was sparked in our program.

Because the youth wanted to engage the child in all of us, they decided to incorporate as much playfulness into the service as possible! We were happy to discover that the more playful elements actually invited people out of their cocoons and into a participatory role in the service. The more contemplative elements allowed our youth to guide us all in reflections on what is deeply important in friendship and in life.

Here is an outline of our Order of Service. All elements were created and/or performed by youth, except as noted otherwise:

Welcome & Announcements

Opening Words: Poem by Robert Frost

Gathering Hymn: #123 "Spirit of Life"

Lighting the Chalice of Our Faith: (with unison response)

Together Time: (Most younger children stayed up front from this point on, in order to stay connected to the action.) Youth chose the book Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester. It's about a penguin who doesn't quite fit in due to his loud and rather ungraceful ways, but who later saves the day when the poachers come, and is then gratefully appreciated for his uniqueness. This fun story was read with lots of intonation and feeling, and ended up quite rowdy as the kids and some adults joined in after a while!

The Poetry and Music of Friendship: Two youth read reflective poems about friendship that they had written. Two others chose to sing the heartfelt duet "For Good" by Stephen Schwartz, a cappella! (Excerpt: "I know I'm who I am today because I knew you…Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good…")

Candles of Community & Reflections on Friendship: Regular joys and concerns were shared, and then the floor was opened up for everyone to share brief reflections on friendship.

New Member Recognition: Performed by our community minister and youth.

The Dance of Friendship: Two of our youth choreographed an interpretive dance about friendship, with ribbon sticks, to a piano piece played by another youth. The really fun part was that after their dance was over, the youth invited everyone to come forward, take a ribbon stick, and join in the dance! One youth played the "Peanuts" jazz piano piece, as people aged 2-92 got up and danced together. (To make ribbon sticks, the youth simply taped narrow cloth ribbon to those thin bamboo stakes you get at the garden store.)

Offering of Our Gifts

The Drama of Friendship: Youth enacted "The Lost Button" story from Frog and Toad are Friends, by Arnold Lobel. This was done with a great amount of silliness and fun!

Sharing Our Friendship: An appreciation of our youth, and a little plug for advisors, done by me.

Responsive Reading: # 443, "We Arrive Out of Many Singular Rooms"

Processional Song: "We Are Family," by The Pointer Sisters. Youth played this CD over the main speakers, and invited everyone to dance with them, down the center aisle. By this point, who could resist?

Resources:

Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester with illustrations by Lynn M. Munsinger, 1990, Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books. ISBN #039556233.

Frog and Toad are Friends, by Arnold Lobel, 1979, Harper Trophy. ISBN #0064440206.

"For more information about the stories and songs used, please contact Jennifer Morley at jamorelyuufa@yahoo.com "