Inspiring Guest at Your Table Activities

• uusc.org/givetoguest: Support Guest at Your Table
  
• How UUSC puts your donation to work

“A comment from a relatively new UU says it best, ‘I really enjoyed the GAYT service... Thank you for bringing this to our congregation. It made me proud to be a UU.’”

—Judith Weatherbie
Magic Valley UU Fellowship, Twin Falls, Idaho

Guest at Your Table 2011-2012

Each year, we ask Guest at Your Table coordinators to share with us any events or activities that made their program stand out. The creativity and commitment that goes into these activities is impressive. How do you make your Guest at Your Table program special?

We hope that the partial list below will inspire you to try something new during Guest at Your Table. Share your own ideas in the comment box that follows the list and e-mail pictures to volunteerservices@uusc.org.

Thank you for your time, support, and creativity!

• Members of the UU Society of Grafton and Upton in Grafton, Mass., reflected each week on "wondering questions" about the guests featured in Stories of Hope.

• The UU Community Church of SW Michigan, in Portage, Mich., passed out a "penny power" calendar with each box to help engage the young children. Each day listed a fact about poverty and a suggestion to count your blessings and put a penny (or other coin) in the box for each one. For example, one space on the calendar read: "UUSC uses Guest at Your Table funds to train teachers in Afghanistan. Put a penny in the box for every pencil you have in your desk."
  
  Kids were invited to count the lamps, beds, water faucets, toilets, coats, and shoes in their homes, to name a few. It helped them have gratitude for many things they might take for granted. Each Sunday service included a penny power minute where they invited one of the kids in the congregation to put money in a communal box for the number of years the church had been in existence, the number of trees growing on their property, and other things the church community sometimes takes for granted.

• Towson UU Church in Lutherville, Md., set a table with plates, silverware, and a Guest box in the center, and congregants playing the parts of the guests pictured on the box sat at the table. Each Sunday, one person told his or her story.

• As part of the conclusion of Guest at Your Table at the UU Congregation of Venice, Fla., an anonymous donor gave enough for all 19 children in the congregation to become UUSC members, and they presented it during a Children's Moment in the service.

• The UUs of Gettysburg, Pa., arranged tables with chairs in the sanctuary, covered the tables with brown paper, and drew place settings with questions like "Are you a member of UUSC?" They also decorated the tables with boxes, envelopes, and UUSC flyers. The previous year, they placed several tables in the center of the worship circle so that children could color as the stories were read, and then use the drawing at home as a place mat for the box while the family filled it.

• The UU Church of Tarpon Springs, Fla., gave each congregant a slip of paper with a specific UUSC partner to be their "guest."

• The fifth- through eighth-grade classes at the UU Church in Barnstable, Mass., made bean soup mix and sold bags of it at coffee hour, while helping to distribute boxes. (Note: this project is described in more detail in the 2009–2010 Religious Education kit.)

• North Shore Unitarian in Deerfield, Ill., recognized the top two contributing families in the worship service with a small open-hands statue and featured their names in the weekly bulletin. (Note: be sure to get permission before recognizing people publicly for the amount of their donation!)

• The Kittitas Valley UU Congregation in Ellensburgh, Wash., held a Thanksgiving dinner for those with no family in the area and during the event accepted contributions toward Guest at Your Table.

• Thomas Paine UU Fellowship in Collegeville, Pa., matches the total of all gifts of $50 and under.

• Children at Mountain Light UU in Elligay, Ga., created a thankfulness art project with 100 things that members are thankful for. They unveiled it at the Guest at Your Table opening service to contrast their blessings with those who benefit from UUSC's work.

• At County UU Society, in New Braunfels, Texas, several members compete to see how much money can fit in a box. Some of them even continue to collect after the program has ended!

• Children at the UU Church in Springfield, Vt., started a "business" with a microloan and, using primarily recycled and natural materials, made door swags and centerpieces to sell at coffee hour.

• In Golden, Colo., Jefferson Unitarian Church volunteers held a youth religious-education class during services, with a PowerPoint presentation illustrating UUSC and Guest at Your Table with pictures and stories. Students role-played being guests and hosts.

Questions about organizing Guest at Your Table? We will be happy to help!

Share your great idea with us!

How have you made your Guest at Your Table program unique and engaging? Please share your ideas here! Also, if you have photos of your idea in action, e-mail some to volunteerservices@uusc.org.