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Kristin Maier, author of A Good Telling: Bringing Worship to Life with Story (Skinner House Books, 2013) shares the first in a series of tips for good storytelling. Purchase A Good Telling at the UUA Bookstore.

Good stories are central to good worship. As a Time for All Ages, as part of a sermon, or as part of a multigenerational service, stories engage our hearts and minds and help us grow.

Stories from Other Unitarian Universalist (UU) Sources

Storytelling in Worship

✳ Pssst! Have you visited our Storytelling page? It's filled with tips, how-to's, and lots of resources!

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5

  • A child carefully tries to remove a wooden block from a Jenga tower.
    Preparation: acquire a wooden block tower building game (similar to Jenga ©). If possible, consider getting a jumbo version of game because its size lends itself to more visibility for the congregation and more space for more kids to participate. Other supplies: signs or name tags that state...
    Time for All Ages | By Karen G. Johnston | October 17, 2022 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, Compromise, Conflict, Covenant, Relationships, Trust, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A mandala coloring sheet: concentric circles contain designs and prhrases from the seven Principles
    Maybe if we add an 8th Principle, we will get closer to the BeLOVEd Community we dream about.
    Time for All Ages | By Karen G. Johnston | June 5, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #8thPrinciple, #BlackLivesMatter, Seven Principles, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A close-up of U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis at the U.S. Capitol on June 28, 2017.
    Can you imagine what it was like to be inside of that house, afraid that it might fall all apart from the destructive force of the wind and the rain, from the whole storm?
    Time for All Ages | By Karen G. Johnston | January 7, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Interdependence, Justice, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Relationships, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A baby turtle on a beach, with the ocean and two blurred humans in the background.
    Tip if you are video recording this story: you can have a clip of an adult stretching out their arm in one direction, then another clip of a different adult stretching out their arm in the other direction, so that when you edit it, it looks like they are stretching towards each other. It would be...
    Time for All Ages | By Karen G. Johnston | October 13, 2020 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #COVID19, 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Animals, Caring, Earth, Earth-Centered, Environment, Humanism, Nature, Responsibility, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • From the shoulders up, a white person gazes into the camera. Small stripes of paint, arranged in a rainbow pattern, run down their cheeks.
    Before beginning, dramatically turn your back on the congregation and children, and place a smudge on cheek. It is important that this be a smudge that is large enough for the congregation to see, but does not cover the whole face. One cheek is good. Turn around....
    Time for All Ages | By Karen G. Johnston | April 4, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Community, Covenant, Direct Experience