Mothering Sunday in Helsinki

Last Sunday was Mothering Sunday in the Anglican tradition. We have one English mother in our congregation who reminded me of this several times as the date approached. So I introduced our response time by saying that some children might like to work with the story materials, some might like to work with clay (plasticine), and that some might like to make a mother's day card. Fortunately for all concerned, the child in question did choose to make a mother's day card! (It was joyous and colorful, full of flowers and trees and hearts.)

Just as joyous and beautiful were the photos of last Sunday's Anglican service in Helsinki! These are from the chaplaincy with which my own congregation is affiliated. I got such a kick out of them that I had to share them, even though I wasn't involved in any way, or even present there.

The chaplain wrote, I'm told it's called 'messy church'

One of our best Sundays in a long time! We were delighted that 12 children came to a service that underlined that liturgy and the needs of children are not incompatible. Usually, there is a children's corner at the back of the church. Today, we moved that corner to the sanctuary, and while the regular Sung Eucharist went ahead as usual, Tuomas - with the help of some of the parents - did some painting with the children. 

The congregation was thus encouraged to see the children as in every sense belonging in the midst of the liturgy; and the children - who instinctively seem to know it anyway - greatly enjoyed their chance to teach the adults something. 

Do click on that photo of the Eucharistic prayer, and see how many children you can spot!

on a different topic... (3)

(A little background can be found in this post and this one.)

more faces of Faces of Easter

I've just read a really nice post by Sheila, over at her Explore and Express blog, about presenting the Faces of Easter material to an after-school club in Germany with a dozen children from grades 1-3. There are loads of pictures, and a lovely description of some of the things her children chose to bring to help to tell more of the story. It was especially nice to read the reasons that some children gave for the items they had brought.

Explore and Express: Easter Club Week 3/Oster AG Woche 3: This week the children heard a Godly Play story called “The Faces of Easter” that recounts important events in the life of Jesus ...

As I've posted in a comment there, I'm comfortable about not asking my children to explain what they've done. I think some of them are so young that it could be difficult to articulate their associations and feelings, and so I'm happy to keep things on an unspoken level right now. But perhaps during the feast I will more explicitly begin to offer space for sharing work or words if anyone wants to.

[You might also be interested in posts about my own use of the Faces of Easter.]

Faces of Easter (Lent 4)

Lots of folks visiting the blog lately have come via Google searches for "Faces of Easter". So I thought I'd write a longer post about our use of these materials this week. We had the next two stories from the Faces of Easter material yesterday - Jesus' baptism and the Temptation in the wilderness. It's a bit of a pity that our schedule has worked out so that we have two stories each week. It's been a lot for our youngest children (ages 3-5) to take in.

In the book, Berryman says that these lessons were designed for older children, but that they have been used with children as young as two years old (vol. 4, p. 53). Still, I think the fact that they were written for older children really shows. There is little action, apart from showing the picture to everyone. In the baptism story there is a small gesture to show Jesus going down into the water and coming up again, and I was supposed to draw an outline of a dove with my finger (but I was really unsure how to do so, especially in a way that would really make it clear to my listeners what I was doing). * Update: I've now realized that there is a dove in some versions of that picture.

(American materials for these lessons)

There is not a single gesture in the temptation story script... but I added one. Each time Jesus says, No, I held up my hand in a "stop" gesture (mirroring what is already on the picture). The comment in the book is that the very different kind of "wondering" done with these stories - inviting children to make connections by bringing other materials to set beside the Faces of Easter - is especially important because it provides movement and action to these stories.

Berryman does say that for very young children, the stories might be shortened (and that summaries of earlier stories should definitely be kept short). (On the other hand he also acknowledges that sometimes, as with our situation, it may be necessary to tell two or even three stories on a single Sunday.) Some are easier to abridge than others. I had left a few phrases and sentences out of the story of the boy Jesus in the temple last time, but I didn't really feel there was anything I could leave out of this week's temptation story. In discussing it with Vandriver, I've decided that next week I might try inviting the children to bring items to the circle twice, once after each story. It'll give them a chance to stretch and move in between the two narratives. And next time's stories are less connected to one another than the pairs we've had so far.

This week three children chose not to bring anything to the circle. One was a new visitor and had no idea what materials were available in the room. One wanted to bring something, but couldn't decide what - I think in part she was disoriented by the fact that we were in an unfamiliar room (and that our "shelves" were tables a bit too high for her height). But our visiting adult, also completely new to Godly Play, made a lovely connection with our baptism materials. Then I asked the children if it would be okay if I brought something (Yes!)... and I opened up the parable box and brought out one of the dangerous places from Psalm 23 to put beside the temptation picture.

To see the picture of what we created for the first two stories in this lesson, jump to this post. 

To read a little more about my materials, read this.

change of venue

I had it written in my diary, I'd been reminded, and I'd reminded myself. Nonetheless I managed to completely forget, until Vandriver drove me up to the door of our building, that we had to use a different room for junior church today.

(I've obscured the faces a little)

I was really flustered by the change, by having forgotten, by feeling that the first thing I needed to do was construct big signs directing people from the entrance we usually use to another (unfamiliar) one, by needing to think very very quickly about how to adapt a completely new room to our needs. I was even more embarrassed because seethroughfaith was not with us today, and I was rushing around in front of a new helper who'd never worked with me before. When I went to set up the sheepfold on the focal shelf I realized that one sheep was missing. I don't know where it is, even now. I told the children we'd be reminded of the story, how the Good Shepherd will realize one is missing and have to go off looking for it. But worse, I don't know quite what I did wrong, but somehow as I opened one small box, everything in it spilled out and fell to the floor, including the Holy Family. A chip broke away from the Christ Child, and the father Joseph's head came clean off!

focal shelf with damage and loss

So those were the major low points. There was also a distinct lack of confidence in singing our new "Amen" song (seethroughfaith is often disparaging about her singing abilities, but today we really felt how much she had supported us last time!), and a fidgety-ness after our feast that grew to the point where I gave up on having a prayer time and instead we all played a few rounds of "pass the slipper". I'm sure there's a proper party game called "Pass the Slipper", but this was just a silliness borne of the fact that two children slipped their slippers off and started goofing around a little, and so I grabbed one and started handing it round our circle. We all began to giggle and sent the slippers around and around. Not exactly a sanitary activity for those of us about to receive communion! Our poor pastor - she had made a real effort to arrive in good time only to find that I greeted her with such relief that she thought I was complaining about her tardiness. No. She was in good time. It was just a rough week for us.

But there were a bunch of good moments, too. Perhaps the most unexpected was at the very end, just as we were preparing for communion and blessings. I lit the Christ candle, repeating the words I always use (from the baptism lesson): Once there was someone who said such wonderful things... and He said, 'I am the Light'. The five-year-old girl leaned in and said to me earnestly, My mummy has a necklace, 'The Light of the World'. 

William Holman Hunt (1854)

I meant to ask her mother about it afterwards - is it a reproduction of this painting, perhaps? But I forgot to ask and so I still do not know. Yet it was an encouragement to hear that connection, especially after all the silliness with slippers!

The Grace

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 

(Hold out your hands as if expecting a present)

And the love of God 
(Put your hands on your heart)

And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 
(Hold hands)

Be with us all now and for ever. Amen!  
(Raise hands together on the word ‘Amen’)

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (ca. 1660)

I found this in the sample chapter of the Messy Church book by Lucy Moore. I think it's a cross-over item which could be used in both MC and GP!

[On the topic of "The Grace": When I lived in the UK I found that in some church circles, this was as familiar as the Lord's Prayer. Informal church gatherings would often end with someone suggesting, Let's say The Grace. It comes from 2 Cor 13:14... and it was perhaps John Wesley who popularized it as liturgy.]