Australia Speaking Tour 2007 - July 17th, 2007

11:04 am - Report from Brisbane

Greetings!

I started off my Brisbane days by attending worship at the Brisbane Uniting Church with my host family, Paul and Kathryn Yarrow. It was sunny, the glass doors ajar and I could hear the bird songs. Two items stood out in my lense as a Christian educator: There was no printed "order of worship" on paper, instead an announcements folded page. The key for me was to see each Scripture reading for that Sunday with reflections on each Scripture. So there was a teaching and reflecting page readily available for people to begin to make connections between the Word proclaimed and the Word lived out in the unique contexts of each one's life.

Secondly, on the right front of the sanctuary was a small table with storybooks, building blocks, etc. with a boy youth and a parent, along with three or four 2-3 year olds. They were not ready to separate from their parents, and the congregation does not have a class for this age. They were right at home at their table in the front side of the sanctuary. What a beautiful living model of Jesus welcoming the children. At the Chicago Temple, we have talked on and off about creating such a space in the front. As our congregation moves into the remodeling of the sanctuary we need to bring this into the plan and see it through.

I taught a two-day conference in Sydney and then again here in Brisbane. At these locations, most participants came for the two-days. That gave me the wonderful opportunity to get more in-depth about the theology and Christian educational foundation of my approach to teaching and learning that I am teaching here. Tonight, I will have the unexpected joy of working with a group of children using this approach with the Feeding of the 5000 story, ending with each child creating their own art storyboard as their individual response to the story. Responses are varied, but these themes have emerged throughout teaching this story many locatios: meals, hunger, sharing, or giving, or whatever direction the child makes with the story.

In the second day, the participants with those at their table, created a new Ch.E.E.R.S. plan using the Samaritan Woman at the Well story (John 4). We copied off for each person the lessons so everyone went home now with two Ch.E.E.R.S. plans. The insights and questions that are being asked, such as how can I adapt this approach when I only have the children for 45 minutes at Sunday school, is the most common question. I'll address that in upcoming blogs. I have been blessed in having pastors in the two-day conference as well as many volunteer directors working with children, as well as Christian education teachers.

I have many pictures to share. A bit diffcult to get them onto the journal. I have to be creative as to how I can get on the internet. PHotos will be coming though as they also tell a story about each place I've visited.

Tomorrow I leave in the morning for Canberra.
Thank you all for your prayers for travel safety - and keeping my energy level high for each stop along the way. I will have much to share when I return.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Cheri

Photos added! I figured it out! Here are some photos from Brisbane. The second day of the conference I told the story of the Samaritan woman, which is the art response that the participants created on the right hand side of their storyboard. This photo is of the dancing, joyful Samaritan woman as she returns to her village telling everyone she has spoken to the Messiah and received the living water that no one else can give.


Feeding of the 5,000 on the left; the Samaritan woman at the well on the right:


The artist:


Hospitality beautifully provided by: