Wow...time for an update, apparently! Sorry for the lull, but that is life from time to time! :)
We do occasionally put pictures up on our Facebook page, and you should be able to see them here.
Many of you are probably aware that we're heading into a bit of a shift with our work, particularly for Justin. For the better part of our time here, Justin has been working in the church office in an administrative post, while the manager was away on maternity leave (a woman can have up to a year here! Amazing!) As the manager has now returned, Justin has made the exit from everyday life in the office and is slowly finding new avenues to focus the rest of his time here.
My work continues in similar veins to what I've been doing since we arrived. I help with the Sunday worship at least once a month, including occasionally with our all-age service. For those who might have no clue what an "all-age" service entails (because aren't all services supposed to be somewhat "all-age," you may be thinking...), I'll tell you a little bit about our service yesterday.
Somewhere I got the idea that our small youth group could put together a Sunday morning service within our "all-age" format. The basics of that format would mean either a very short sermon or no sermon at all, and instead, having a chance to interact with different themes of the scripture for that morning. Typically, the interaction takes place at different stations -- sometimes creative, sometimes contemplative, sometimes just conversation. We would still start the service with prayers and singing, reading a scripture or two, and might have some sharing or reflection after the interactive stations, and then finish with more prayers and songs and the blessing.
Yesterday, as it was Pentecost, there was extra exciting ground to cover, and the youth did fantastically. The two main pieces of the service that were stellar were first, putting on an all-age and multi-voiced drama that the entire church was involved in (and the youth wrote and directed!!!), and second, having three stations to visit.
The drama was a slightly modified (and modernized) version of the Pentecost story, with four groups: the disciples, the crowd, the voice(s) of the prophet Joel, and the very necessary sound/visual effects crew. Each youth directed one of the groups, praticing for a short while, and then coming and performing it all together. Every single person in the congregation had a part -- if not speaking, then making wind noises or rippling yellow fabric over the disciples' heads as "flames." How often can we say that 100% of a congregation speaks during a church service? (Of course, we gave the option for anyone to sit out if they didn't feel comfortable.)
The stations then were: inviting people to translate part of the song, "We Are One in the Spirit," into their native languages or second languages, decorating cupcakes to celebrate the "birthday" of the church, and a secluded table with Bibles and finger prayer labyrinths for persons who preferred to contemplate the Pentecost story. The congregants are invited to go to one or all of the stations as they desire, spending as much time at each as they like. There are, usually, a few people who prefer just to stay in their seats and chat with others around them, and that's okay, too. It's all church, and it's all building up the body! :)
These all-age services can be hit-or-miss for some who prefer to be fed with a sermon every week, or for newcomers or outsiders who feel a bit overwhelmed by the energy needed to participate in such a service. And, as facilitators, we have to be very sensitive to that exclusivity, while realising that sometimes being exclusive means our own group grows stronger. It is a tension to be balanced!
So, that's just a little insight into our lives right now! Busy, but still challenging!
