Knox United Church - Calgary Alberta

Children @ Knox

           

 

 

 When considering The Road to Emmaus; we made the bread for communion

At Knox, we have come to realize that traditional “Sunday School” programs for children and youth were not meeting the needs of the very people we were hoping to support.  As a result, parents were struggling with their children to get them to attend church and participate in the programs designed to nurture their sense of spirituality and morality.  In response to this, we have developed a new program for children and youth that we call Huda Hakawi.  Though the name might suggest a west coast aboriginal origin, it really is another way of saying “Who the heck are we?”

-Who are we as members of a faith community?

-Who are we as spiritual beings?

-Who are we human beings?

-Who are we as Christians?

-How do we live the message of Jesus?

Our explorations sometimes lead us to pursue special projects and roles within our community here at Knox.  They also lead us onto paths that many of us have not explored previously.  Throughout, we try to respond to the needs and interests of the children and youth who participate in our program.

Godly Play

One of the many strategies employed is a program entitled “Godly Play.”  This program, developed by the Centre for Theology of Childhood, and adapted for the needs of the children, youth, and adults at Knox, helps individuals develop a familiarity with the important stories from our Christian heritage.  It helps participants find a place within the theological underpinnings of our faith community.

Stories are told using three dimensional figures and props in a way that encourages the listener to enter into the story.  This helps create a space where those listening can experience God for themselves.  Discussions follow the telling of the stories so that each person can explore the wonder of the story and make sense of the stories for him or herself.

There is little room in the Huda Hakawi program for dogma, heavy reliance on literalism, or dictating what one should believe.  Rather, we encourage each young person to ask questions, explore the meaning of story, and to see for themselves how they might use the messages of these important aspects of our faith.

As Knox is an Affirming Congregation within the United Church of Canada, we encourage all participants to develop an attitude of acceptance of all .  Intolerance is not accepted, nor ignored.  Whenever we are aware of intolerance within our discussions, we use the opportunity to consider how this fits with our understanding of Jesus’ message of love for all within creation.

Staff

This year, we have five dedicated volunteers in addition to "Dr. Dan" who will be working with the children.   They are: Didi Arnoco, Annette Leshchyshyn, Edna Poffenroth, Doug Warren, and Kerri Wickhorst. Photos will follow soon!

Working in pairs, individually, or as a team, they will present the various stories in the program and pursue many different ways to explore their meaning. One of the stories that children seem to find central to the Christian experience is the story of Jesus’ birth. This year, we will be taking part in a drama presentation that will culminate in a public showing on the 14^th of December at 7:00 PM. Rehearsals for this begin in November right after church. After Christmas, we will explore improvisational theatre as a means of exploring the meaning of some of the parables.

 

 

      The end product of our Water - to - Wine Project

Water-to-Wine

We engaged in this activity as a result of our discussion of the Wedding Feast at Cana. Jesus and his mother were there, weddings lasting around a week in duration during the time of Jesus, and the wine was running out after only three days. Running out of wine would have brought all kinds of dishonour to the family of the bride, so Mary looked to her son to do something. Jesus, feeling that the right time to start sharing his understanding of the power of God had not yet come, replied that it really wasn't his affair. Mary, not to let her son off the hook, simply told the servants to do whatever Jesus said.

This is where the brilliance of Jesus shines through. He never even touched the wine, the containers it was in, or entered into the process at all. He told the servants to fill some very large jugs that were present for other reasons, with water. He told one of the servants to take a dipper of water to the wine steward. When the wine steward tasted it, he was impressed with the quality of the wine.

No hocus pocus! No magic! He chose ordinary everyday elements to use for this miracle. He had servants do the work. He also connected very strong symbolism to the entire process. Jesus often used images of water in his stories. Water is part of all of us. Water also represents us in our everyday existence. Water represents the "mundane." Wine represents the "spirit." Wine is us as we are infused by the spirit. Wine becomes the reflection of our spiritual selves. By choosing everyday elements, by having the work done by everyday people, by not touching the process himself, Jesus lets us know that nurturing our spiritual beings can be something we do for ourselves.

So Jesus can do this in Kairos - the opportune time, the necessary time. As we looked at our process, we needed time - Chronos - linear time. So while we entered into our individual journeys from water to wine, we made the wine. Saturday, the 2nd of February, we bottled it. Here are some photos of the process we followed during the bottling.

    

  The filling of the bottle                        We insert a cork

 

We can fill without making a mess!     Even teens like bottling!

 

  Dads & Daughters!                       Mark makes sure the bottle is CLEAN!

 

  Everyone designed a label!              Here are most of the bottlers.

Other Opportunities for Children 

Children are also encouraged to become involved in our Theatre Collective, our music programs, our ministry with Inn from the Cold, and in special activities designed and implemented from the perceived needs of our children.

We encourage our adult members, adherents, and visitors to be involved with our Huda Hakawi program. If you have an idea, a passion, or an activity that you would like to share with our children, or if you would like to become consistently involved with our Huda Hakawi Program as a leader or helper, please contact “Dr. Dan” Moulton at: (403) 269-8382 (ext. 29) or by email: youth@knoxunited.ab.ca. Some examples of how you can become involved include: an adult helper Sunday mornings, a group facilitator Sunday mornings, an occasional helper Sunday mornings, a visiting artist on a particular Sunday morning, a storyteller on a particular Sunday morning, assisting with the 7:00 PM Christmas Eve production (beginning at the end of November), assisting with the advent presentations Sundays during advent, as well as implementing an idea you have for facilitating the growth of spiritual literacy among children.

 

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