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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Sharing "our story"

I’m still not quite over Westerhoff.  He’s definitely a man after my own heart. 

Rev Caroline Fairless preparing communion
with children at Holy Family Church

I was reflecting on  the power of stories yesterday (Rich Stories) and then came across this today.  Westerhoff stresses the importance of us knowing, understanding and living “our story” and encourages us to allow children (and everyone else) to experience the story of our faith and God’s historical acts in the lives of his people creatively.  “Children, youth and adults need to experience the faith story through song, dance, drama and the visual arts.  Classrooms tend to structure experience in ways which cause us to teach about our history.  It would be better to return to the fireside and supper table where we can recall ways and dramatically retell the story of the mighty acts of God.  It is necessary for us to learn “our story” in ways that make the past part of the present and future.  We must once again become a story telling people.  We need to seek ways to communicate the story as our story, ways to express it through word and deed and ways to use it as a foundation for reflective action.”
And…. “Too often we tell our story as if it were a series of separate past events with a minimum of personal significance.  So, God freed some Israelites from bondage in Egypt.  How much more significant to recall that God freed us in our bondage once, continues to free us and will free us until the end of time?”
All this talk of authentic, life giving story telling reminds me of one of my favourite books by Rev Caroline Fairless “Children at worship. Congregations in bloom”.  Caroline shares wonderfully creative ways to engage the all age congregation in “our story”.  She brings back the "fireside" in her storytelling with her all age community of faith.
Borrow the book from the Kids Friendly library if you’re interested in building intergenerational communities of faith.

1 comment:

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