S s Letter S introduces Albert Schweitzer

Welcome. After each person says his or her name, the group responds, “Welcome, (name).” For a child who is attending for the first time this year, add name to the letters that have been posted and to the attendance sheet, and make a nametag during or after the session. Leave an empty chair for someone who is not present or for someone who has not joined the group yet.

It was the morning in the jungle in Africa. Dr. Schweitzer cared for 600 families in the area. He removed, cleaned, and bandaged sores, examined hundreds of people who came many miles down the river by canoe, supervised the building of huts and a hospital, worked in the garden that he planted, and gave instructions to the doctors, nurses and other helpers who were with him. He was always busy!

Do you know he got the money he needed to buy supplies and medicine? He was a great pianist and organist, and he raised money by holding concerts. He also wrote books on organs, and about religion. He used the money from the concerts and the sale of books to help in Africa. And people sent donations. Money came to him from all over the world.

But there were many times when there was not enough money to pay for food at the hospital. Sometimes it seemed that many of the letters that Dr. Schweitzer received were asking him to pay the money owed for food, supplies, and the money he owed the banks. One time things were so bad that the hospital workers had started to close the hospital. But Dr. Schweitzer received a letter in a plain envelope. Where did it come from? Was it another request for payment?

Carefully, Dr Schweitzer opened the envelope. In it he found a contribution from the Unitarian Service Committee -- enough money to keep the hospital open! Do you know where the money for the Service Committee came from? It came from Unitarians (now Unitarian Universalists).

Dr. Schweitzer took care of all kinds of animals as well as people. Some stayed at the hospital after they got well. He had parakeets, goats, porcupines, cats, antelopes, chickens, chimpanzees, pelicans, chameleons, and dogs. Dr. Schweitzer had a reverence for life. He believed that nothing should be killed if it was not necessary. He spent his life helping living things -- people and animals and plants.

Rev. George Marshall, a Unitarian minister, visited Dr. Schweitzer in Africa. Dr. Marshall was the head of the Church of the Larger Fellowship, which is a church by mail for people who do not live near a Unitarian Universalist church. Dr. Schweitzer became a member of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

Church of the Larger Fellowship. In Session Mc, we talked about the magazine, UU & Me. This magazine is published by the CLF. The CLF has other magazines and books.

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee UUSC). The UUSC has many activities around the world. The UUSC needs contributions from people in the churches. There are two traditional activities for raising money. One is the "Guest at Your Table,” which is frequently undertaken between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are boxes that families are invited to put on their tables, and to contribute money as they reflect on their own food and abundance. The presentation of this program frequently involves the religious education community, and should include some of the concrete activities of the UUSC. Spend time to talk with the children about why they are giving, explain that their donations help address the problems, but that it takes many donations.

The second common UUSC fundraising activity is the selling of Christmas cards. Contact the UUSC, 130 Prospect Street, Cambridge, MA 02139-1845, 617-868-6600, or the UUA Web page (www.uua.org), "Related Organizations"

Sanctuary: This is the special room where worship services are held. Some congregations call it a Meeting Room. Talk about respect for the space, such as walking, being quiet in the space, and any other considerations related to your own congregation.

CLOSING: Gather around the Special Place where the things related to the letter have been placed. "We give thanks for the Letter S. We have shared and learned about special people and animals and ourselves and our church. May we leave in love and peace. Next week we will meet again. Our letter will be ____ and our leader(s) will be ____________________." Make sure that people take home things that need to go.

UUSC. Have the children participate in the Guest at Your Table presentation to the congregation. Have them put reminders in the newsletter or the Sunday Order of Service during the time that the money is being collected. If the church has a designated representative to the UUSC, invite that person to talk with the group. If there is no designated person, possibly a Social Action Committee member could meet with the group.

Sanctuary related to animals is a place where animals live and are protected and cannot be hunted. Possibly arrange for a visit to an sanctuary, or have a visitor who talks about how a sanctuary is started and maintained.

S s Letter S introduces Albert Schweitzer, the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC).