Calling Young Disciples Mission Enabler, Helen Laird is currently working with the Halas Team in Halesowen. They have used two different initiatives this year to help children and families engage with the Easter story.
Experience Easter
The Experience Easter resources can help local schools toengage with the Easter story.
At St Peters Cradley they invited classes to come and dothe indoor Experience Easter, and at St Kenelms the Experience Easter Outdoorswas used, which involved the whole school from Reception to year 6.
Calling Young Disciples Mission Enabler, Helen Laird said:
Both experiences look at the events of the Easter story intwo completely different ways, but with plenty of space to stop and reflect onthe taste, smells and feelings which surround the Easter story, and fromdifferent peoples perspectives.Theindoor experience starts with the Hopes & Dreams of Palm Sunday and then goesthrough, the washing of the feet, the Last Supper, The Garden of Gethsemane,the Cross and Easter Morning, whereas the Outdoor Experience starts with theArrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and then moves to Peter in the courtyard,followed by the cross and again The empty tomb.
Feedback from the schools has been very positive with oneteacher commenting: That has made me all goose-bumpy after after readingabout how alone Jesus felt whilst praying in the garden at St Kenelms. The RECo-ordinator said: Thank you for today I hope you felt it went well. Thestaff were all really pleased and enjoyed the experience as did the children.
Holy Week Boxes
The Halas Team have also provided each of their familieswith children a Holy Week Box.This is aresource idea from GodVenture and takes the family on a journey through HolyWeek.
Each family gets a small wooden box, a palm leaf, somecoins, a wooden Jesus (made by sawing the bottom off Dolly Pegs), and somewhite cloth.The resource sheet isdownloadable from GodVenture. This enables a short activity involving the itemssupplied with the box, a challenging thought about how it affects you, a Biblereading to share and then an encouragement to say the Lords Prayertogether.The eight devotionalactivities take the family from Palm Sunday, through table turning in thetemple, the widows mite, the last supper, Good Friday and on into EasterSunday.
This resource is recommended by Mission Enabler Helen. Detailsare available at http://godventure.co.uk/news/holy-week-boxes/
