Playing

We're back into the program year so this is a good time to get back to regular posting here.

Ironic that its the program year that provides the impetus, because the first thing I have to say is about play.

The importance of play is old news of course, but I'm in the process of learning its importance personally. It's been a reoccurring theme, highlighted this summer by my neighbor's wise insistence as I prepared for vacation that I use the time to PLAY with my kids. It all fits together wonderfully with the numerous bits of insight that keep reinforcing my conviction that the gospel about becoming like little children in order to enter the realm of God's reign is deeply significant.

Sunday I saw the relevance of play again. The kids were quiet and reserved. Clearly some of what I'd planned would not work because the kids weren't comfortable enough to participate in the ways I had imagined. So I went with plan B and read a Bible story in the form of a pop up book. They slid right up close to the book and were eager to open flaps and pull tabs. Then we played with play dough. We used it as a bridge to the story and other topics of the day. But the more important aspect was that it opened up our interactions and relationships. We were talking, playing and imagining together.

So...(I say to myself as much as you)...yes, you have to be the adult, do the planning, keep the big picture and all...but make sure you let go and play...let the children teach you...don't let yourself or the children miss that opportunity.

PLAY!

Creation Stories

Work with kids gave me a great "excuse" recently to do something I'm always interested in.

I checked out a collection of children's creation story books.

Some are a pretty close rendering of the biblical story.
Some of them are creative re-tellings, obviously based on the biblical story.
Some are creation stories from other cultures.

Its been fun to read them to my kids, asking questions like
Who is God in this story?
What in this story is the same or different from the creation story (really stories of course) in the Bible?

You don't have to lead Children's Church to enjoy this kid of project.
You could easily take it on at home (whether your have kids or not).
Enjoy.

Thank You

Thank you to all the people who attended the NAECED conference and gave Gethsemane children's books !

I've browsed through them and see lots of good things. It will be great to have these books all readily available for both formal and informal uses at Gethsemane.

They're all available in a basked in the children's area. I've set some out on the children's table and will continue to do so. I'm confident some will end up being read out loud during church services or in children's church. I try to borrow books like this from the public library or the Church Resource Center. But these can stay at Gethsemane and be available to us ongoingly. What wonderful support this is. Thank you again.

I hope to write a brief review of each of them, one at a time, here on this blog. So check back.

And whether you gave a book, are a parent interested in material for your kids, a children's minister wanting info, or perhaps a best of all, an adult who knows how great children's books are for everybody, check out the books and then share the wonder with a kid!

Who Ate the Bread?

What bread?

The answers are in "In God's Hand's," a book by Lawrence Kushner and Gary Schmidt, Illustration by Matthew J Baek, published by Jewish Lights Publishing that I found at the Hennepin County/Minneapolis Public Library. Here's the catalog entry.

It tells the story of two people who think they are subjects of miraculous interactions with God and then discover the agents of action are each other. At first they are disappointed, thinking that God has not been involved after all. Then then come to understand that their hands are God's hands.

The story is much more delightful and compelling than my summary. However, even if I were sure how to give a better explanation, I'd want to leave the joy of discovering the story to you. And as always, good children's books aren't just for kids...

Purchased: Children's Bible

After borrowing the Read and Learn Bible from the Resource Center for Churches, I decided to buy a copy.

My children each wanted their own. My oldest tried to claim sole ownership of the one I bought. But I'm maintaining that it belongs to all of us. I want to use it too (not only for my work at church but personally!)

A few of you may know that my idea of in depth Bible study is pretty hard core. Don't mistake that to think that I don't think it's great to being able to sit down and read a huge chunk of the Bible (basic versions of major stories that is) in one sitting. I'm also happy to find this resource of child friendly versions of stories. It will make my work as a parent and at church easier.

My oldest child has a ton of paper scraps in it marking stories to read. I think that's great.

What do I like about this Bible?

• My kids' excitement about it.
• The pictures aren't dry and musty looking. Neither do they exceed my cutesy tolerance threshold.
• The text is visually appealing. It's is a modest amount in large print. Enough to tell the story. Not so much as to make one hesitant to delve in.
• The stories are told in ways that I think are basic & accessible without excessive embellishment or interpretive commentary.

My main complaint to this point: I would prefer more gender neutral language.

The technicalities:

• The text is a paraphrase using the Contemporary English Version and the King James Version.
• It says it's oriented to kids 5-8 (or 4-7 depending where you read.)
• Published by Scholastic with the cooperation of the American Bible Society in 2005.

When Will the Story Come Back?

Yesterday a child asked, "When will the story come back?"

They meant the stories that Aron has read from children's books during Sunday morning services.

We started doing that with the intention of doing it as often as possible. That hasn't turned out to be very often lately. It's hard to find the time to identify a workable book relevant to the text or theme for each week.

Here's an encouragement to up it on the priority list.

A Great Book for Next Year

"Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect"

by Richard H Sheneider

Illus by Elizabeth J Miles

Abingdon Press, Nashfield

An evergreen hoping to be chosen as the queen's Christmas tree gives shelter and food to animals in the forest, giving up its aspirations of perfection in the process. Unexpectedly the tree is honored as the queen's choice.

The story itself is much more compelling than my simple summary. It's interesting and rich with multiple points of meaning and metaphor.

It manages this without being either strained with complexity or overly simplistic, at least until the last line when the meaning of the story is stated. As good stories & metaphors often are, the meaning is too rich and the possibilities for application too many to be well served by a single statement.

I became aware of this book too late to use this season, but it's on my list for next year. I also want to check on the video version The Resource Center for Churches has.

Finally, thank you Patty for keeping children's ministry in mind, for lending me your book and for making me aware of such a delightful story.

Book: Cherry Pies and Lullabies

I used this book for All Saints.

The text repeats a simple appealing pattern reflecting that things are passed on generation to generation and as they are, they both change and remain the same.

It's fun to observe details of the pictures...for the benefit of any who may get the book I won't tell you why.

Other titles with a related theme that I put on the Kids' Table at church for All Saints:

• Plowie: A Story From the Prairie
• The Keeping Quilt
• Matthew Wheelock's Wall
• The Always Prayer Shawl

All available through the Minneapolis Public Library.

Stories & Pictures by Kids

I have a new book. Someone came across it in a thrift store and bought it for me!

It's called Jesus, This Is Your Life, Stories & Pictures by Kids.
It's edited by Jeff Kunkel, a Methodist minister, dated 2001, published by Augsburg Fortress.

It's full of stories from the gospels written in the words of 5-12 year old kids, accompanied by illustrations also done by the kids.

Initially I got exited about it because of how the project of creating the book as well as the sensibilities of the editor relate to my own projects and perspectives.

I often give the kids in Sunday School time to create drawings, paintings and other art work in response to the biblical text or the topic of the day. The goal is to offer a way for them to work with the story and express themselves related to it. That process can also lead to something interesting and meaningful to the creator and other viewers. I haven't published a book like Kunkel has, but some of the kids' work was exhibited in the Christmas display, some is now on view outside the Sunday School rooms, and I have some more ideas rattling around.

As I've looked further at the book I've also become more interested in the stories. When I think about how I'm going to tell a Bible story to kids, I easily become bogged down in issues about faithfulness and accuracy related to the text. Without entering a discussion on the nature of Scripture and appropriate ways to handle it, I will contrast my experience with what I observe in the children's stories. The children's approach seems much more free and unconstrained. They re-tell the stories in their own words resulting in stories that are readable, relate-able, fun and interesting.

Those at Gethsemane can look for the book on the Kids' Table or ask me about it.

Children's Books for Everybody

Last Sunday grown-ups at Gethsemane's Adult Forum got to enjoy poems from the kids' book Food Fight. Over the next few weeks the forum will continue to focus on the Millennium Development Goals. Each week the adults and kids will spend part of the forum / Sunday School time together. I anticipate each week including a story from the children's book Going to School in India. If you're a child, youth or adult from Gethsemane, or if you're in our area, you're invited to come & see what its about.

I'm realizing that books can be great to use with kids and that some of those same books are great for adults. The reasons vary, depending on the book and the goals of the reader.

I recently heard about a priest who reads a children's book during the Sunday morning service each week. When she doesn't the adults miss it.

Maybe over time I can share some books I like with you and we can find some more good ones together. If more of you have favorites, I'd like to hear what they are. Let me know.