​“OPEN THE BOOK” – CHILDRENS’ MINISTRY
On the afternoon of Tuesday 3rd May, four of us from the Quintet Benefice’s “Open the Book” team went into Gresham Village School to present the story of “Jonah the Groaner” with appropriate costumes and props. We were able to involve seven children to help us – two as sailors in the boat with the captain, two to wave a blue cloth in front of the boat to make a rough sea, one as a tree (who fell over very dramatically on cue), one to dangle the worm and the other to hold a signpost and point to where Jonah went. All the other children were able to participate by making a groaning noise at the relevant times. The whale was effectively represented by a brown play tent with two big eyes which was manipulated to “swim” up to Jonah and cover him over, much to the amusement of the children (and staff). The children listened and watched attentively and seemed to enjoy the story. We concluded with a prayer asking God to help us when we have things to do that we find difficult and invited the children to say “Amen” at the end if they wanted to make it their prayer.
We are open to other members of the Quintet parishes to join our storytelling team for the Autumn term. To remind you, the commitment would be for a 1-hour preparation session every 6-8 weeks during term time, held in Beeston, then two short (20 minute) assemblies at Gresham Village School per term. If you are interested in becoming involved or would like further information, then please contact Amanda Wooster at jawooster20@gmail.com.