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 - 7 of 7

  • There's an older rhythm calling us to rest.
    Time for All Ages | By Jamila Batchelder | January 27, 2023 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Body, Contemplation, Healing, Peace, Presence, Stress, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • Rain falls upon the surface of the earth, and pulled by gravity each drop begins to flow downhill. Drop merges with drop, flowing together, into a trickle, a streamlet, a creek, a mighty river, flowing onward. Some of the water seeps down into the earth itself, as groundwater, or deep aquifers,...
    Time for All Ages | By Molly Housh Gordon, Jamila Batchelder | September 4, 2019 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Body, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth-Centered, Imagination, Nature, Playfulness, Science, Secular, Water Communion, Climate Justice
  • Did you know that there are trillions of little tiny creatures living inside your bodies? They’re called microbiota, and they're SOOO tiny that to them, you and your body… are like a planet. To my microbiota I am Planet [your name]. You are Planet [name of child present]. You are Planet [name of...
    Time for All Ages | By Carolyn Fisher | August 10, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Activism, Body, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Humanism, Nature, Responsibility, Secular, Climate Justice
  • Imagine with me for a moment, things that you love about life, things that you love about being alive. What do you love about life, and about being alive in it? [Pause a few moments to allow reflection time.] And now, if some of you sitting here up front are comfortable sharing, tell us what you...
    Time for All Ages | By Martha Dallas | May 12, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Balance, Body, Direct Experience, Interdependence, Playfulness, WorshipWeb
  • Once upon a time there was a young girl named Maggie, who found out she had a very terrible disease and probably would never be well again. She was very, very sad, and although she had many friends, all of them were afraid to visit her because they feared they might catch the disease....
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Caring, Friendship, Healing, Health, Love, Presence
  • Greetings Good morning! My name is Kathy. Let’s greet our friends. Covenant Read together. Introduction Today we’re going to learn a new spiritual practice. Who remembers what a spiritual practice is? It is an activity that cultivates spirituality. What are some examples of spiritual practice?
    Complete Service | By Kathy Underwood | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Balance, Body, Healing, Spiritual Practice, Taoism
  • There was a young man who grew up in China. Everyone said that he was so calm and peaceful, he should become a monk. Not wanting to displease his family and friends by telling the truth, the young man let them think he was indeed peaceful and calm. Inside, however, the young man was filled with...
    Story | By Denise Tracy | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, History, Multiculturalism, Peace, Self-Care, Taoism, Multiculturalism