Canadian Mennonite
Volume 6, number 4
February 25, 2002

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Toronto, Ont.

Photo: The drama group at Toronto United Mennonite rehearse a scene for the intergenerational Christmas festival. Photo by: Doreen Martens

Advent 2001 became an adventure in cooperation and creativity at Toronto United Menno-nite Church. The congregation dispensed with the traditional children's program in favour of an arts-oriented Intergenerational Christmas Festival.

Participants, from grade four to seniors, were invited to join one of five groups: drama, puppetry, choral speaking and candlelighting, art and music. Each Sunday during the Christian education period, the groups met to prepare their artistic gifts for the congregation.

The theme chosen for Advent by worship and education leaders was "Fear not!" This phrase, which appears in four of the Christmas narratives (the angelic appearances to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds), is particularly relevant in light of recent world events. Sermons throughout the month wove a biblical framework for the creative expressions of the festival.

Blending with the theme were choral readings written by one of the groups, which performed the Advent candle lighting at each service. The art group created decorations for the church, including dozens of handmade ornaments that graced the sanctuary's Christmas tree.

The other three groups formed the core of the festival presentation on December 16, which also included more traditional contributions from the youngest children.

Working from a clever script and self-designed puppets, the puppetry group created hilarious but poignant biblical characters encountering their own fears on the way to Bethlehem.

The music group rehearsed two choral pieces, plus a version of "O come, O come, Emmanuel" with additional verses on the "fear not" theme. They also improvised: starting with a simple African tune, they devised their own words and harmonies, and added an African stomp movement-a big hit at the festival.

Perhaps the most intergenerational was the drama group. Using an original script, the group performed five scenes in various parts of the church, with the audience rotating among the scenes. Sometimes the audience itself was part of the scene. With humour and drama-including a fireside shepherd scene outdoors-the Christmas story was told anew.

There was a sense of a shared purpose and fun as the groups enthusiastically presented the outcome of their efforts for one another, retelling the story of Christmas in fresh ways.

Lydia Harder, the chief organizer who marshalled about a dozen others to lead various parts of the month-long event, believes about three-quarters of the congregation participated, despite some scepticism (especially in the high school group) about the intergenerational aspect.

The creative spark generated by the festival promises to keep energizing the church's worship and community life for a long time to come.

-Doreen Martens

Accra, Ghana

Photo: Julie and Phil Bender

After a decade as co-pastors in Ontario, Julie and Phil Bender returned to Ghana in early February to help train pastors. Their congregation, Hamilton Mennonite Church, granted them a three-month sabbatical to return to Good News Theological College and Seminary in Madina, where they served under Mennonite Board of Missions from 1989-1992.

The interdenominational school began in 1971 for Bible teaching among the African Initiated Churches. Julie is providing instruction in counselling and Phil is teaching Old Testament, Acts and Christian Ethics.

The Benders' scheduled departure in January was delayed due to radiation therapy when Julie was diagnosed with pre-cancer. She responded well to treatment.

"We have no misgivings," Phil Bender said. "We're eager to go. If we have any misgivings, it will be in returning to North America and experiencing again the economic disparity between many North Americans and most Ghanaians."

"In Ghana, the resources are sparse," he said, but the Ghanians are eager for Bible teaching, "which is not always the case among North American churchgoers." He also said that "faith is Ghana is a lifestyle," while North Americans "depend quite a lot on their material assets." Support for the Benders' service sabbatical comes from the collaborative efforts of the Christian Witness Council of Mennonite Church Canada, the Good News seminary, Hamilton Mennonite Church, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and Mennonite Mission Network of Mennonite Church USA.

Although the Benders rejoice in the opportunity to minister to Ghanaian churches, they expect that the experience will also equip them to better serve North American churches.

"We in North America can learn much from our developing-world sisters and brothers about spiritual vibrancy, gratitude for simple things, patient endurance in suffering and trust in God's provision," said Julie.

-Mission Network release by Lynda Hollinger-Janzen

At a recent training event, Christian education leaders were asked to identify the most discouraging aspect of their roles. Their response was not surprising: finding and keeping volunteers. Why is it becoming so difficult to find teachers? The number one excuse is lack of time.

Eager, committed leaders become discouraged when children and youth participate only sporadically in church programs designed for them. Creative people plan wonderful events but have few participants. Congregations and area conferences sponsor inspiring seminars which are cancelled due to low registration. So many wonderful learning options-but people are no longer willing to "give up" their limited free time to attend church events.

One area conference disbanded its education commission. Congregations cannot find people to serve on Christian education committees. Vacation Bible School and club programs are cancelled because leaders are too busy to lead, and families are too busy to attend. Children's superintendents are reduced to begging for teachers. Teachers look for an easy curriculum that can be prepared in 15 minutes or less. Young adults and adults vote with their feet when the curriculum seems irrelevant.

As congregations, we have a choice. We can lament the demise of Christian education as we have experienced it. Or we can see this as an opportune time to envision a new reality for teaching and learning as Christian disciples.
A congregation that cares about Christian education is a teaching congregation.
A teaching church is intentional about forming and nurturing faith in the children, youth, and adults in everything it does. People are educated by their experience of corporate worship, yet it is also necessary to teach people, especially young children and newcomers to the faith, how to worship. Churchgoers are educated by the mission and service projects in which they participate, yet it is necessary that the church teaches people how to serve and spread God's good news in ways that demonstrate mutuality, not superiority. The congregation teaches about community by the way it teaches and practices hospitality with those on the margins. People learn how to belong by experiencing it.

A congregation that cares about education pays attention to curriculum.
A teaching congregation is aware of what it teaches through its explicit, implicit, and null curriculum. The explicit curriculum refers to the printed resources. If a congregation considers itself to be Mennonite and Anabaptist, it makes sense that it would use the denomination's materials: Jubilee: God's Good News for children; Fast Lane Bible Studies for junior youth; Generation Why? for youth; Good Ground and Adult Bible Study for young adults/adults. These resources are published with the theological bias of our denomination.

The implicit curriculum has to do with the patterns or procedures that frame the explicit curriculum. What attitudes or assumptions shape our teaching habits? What are we saying about the value of Christian education when a gifts discernment committee finds volunteers for all the church positions except Sunday school teachers or youth leaders? What is the message the congregation gives when it permits individual teachers to choose nondenominational curricula for their classes based on personal preference? What is being taught when only one gender is visible in the teaching ministry, i.e., only women teach children, only men teach adults? What is the message people get when educational programs fail due to lack of teachers or lack of participants?

What is unstated or left out of a congregation's teaching ministry is known as the null curriculum. Where is the actual curriculum in conflict with the stated or explicit curriculum? Do we teach peace in Sunday school, yet fight over worship practices? Do we encourage community but only practice it with our friends? In order to nurture faith effectively, there needs to be congruence between what is said, what is not said, and what is modelled.

A congregation that cares about Christian education cares for its volunteers.
The approach to volunteer management has shifted from the "factory-based" approach in which people volunteered because it was their duty, and someone told them what to do. Today's approach is more "process-based" where the needs of the volunteer must be met first. People will volunteer more readily if there is flexibility, the project is well-defined, they are asked how they want to help, and strong relationships are encouraged.

Caring for teachers is first and foremost about nurturing relationships with volunteers. This happens through caring conversations; by providing training and support that depends on the needs of the volunteers; in being flexible and accommodating with regards to time commitments; and by showing appreciation in meaningful ways. When a congregation cares for its teachers, it equips them to be effective disciple-makers.

A congregation that cares about Christian education will change.
If busyness is cited as the main reason for lack of participation in Christian education programs, how does the church respond? Some congregations are finding new life by changing their usual modus operandi: broadly-graded or whole-church learning experiences, workshop rotation model or interest center approach for Sunday school, VBS for families, and small care groups that are intergenerational.

If a congregation wishes to minister well with families, it needs to discover and develop support strategies that deal with the issues families are identifying as priority. The way of the future is toward less programming, not more. We have to learn how to nurture faith in households and individuals that accommodate busy schedules and lifestyles. Perhaps one way is to provide quality worship, devotional, and educational resources for households to use at home, in the car, and on vacation.

Our Christian faith can be nurtured at any time in a multitude of ways and in many settings. An innovative congregation will find its best and most creative leaders to imagine new ways for everyone to learn and grow as God's disciples in the world today.-Eleanor Snyder

The author, from Kitchener, Ontario, was director of children's education for the General Conference Mennonite Church until January 31. To find out about Christian education in Mennonite Church Canada, contact Justina Heese (e-mail: jheese@mennonitechurch.ca).