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10-22-06 -- Cardboard Catacomb
A-MAZE-ing Outreach
"Another year, another 1,500 lost people," writes Jason Smith, director of children’s ministry at Eastview Christian Church (Normal, Illinois). "No, not spiritually lost—I mean lost inside the maze!"
However, some of those wandering through the maze—a sprawling structure of cardboard tunnels and wooden slides in complete darkness—do need spiritual direction, and Eastview began the project three years ago to reach these families.
Each year hundreds of kids enjoy the maze’s twists and turns, and hundreds of parents enjoy waiting for them with apple cider and magazines in the adult hospitality room.
As each child emerges from the labyrinth, he receives candy and a card with more information about the church and its programs.
The cards read, "Life is kind of like the maze you just went through. You may take a wrong turn and get lost. You may feel scared and lonely. You may wish someone would come and lead you out. . . . Just remember this—Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Only he can lead you through life’s mazes. To learn more about Jesus, please join us for one of our Sunday morning services listed on the back!"
Dozens of volunteers armed with duct tape gather at the church each fall to build the maze so that more children (and adventurous adults!) can receive this invitation. "The most exciting part," says Smith, discussing the 2005 maze, "is the number of families who we know returned on Sunday for a first-time visit to our services."
www.eastviewcc.org
It’s Greek to Me
Bible college students dread them, try to avoid them, and struggle through them. So why are half a dozen Kansans faithfully attending Greek classes each Sunday morning?
Dr. Al Gregg joined the staff of Central Christian Church (Wichita, Kansas) after 30 years teaching linguistics, literature, and composition at Wichita State University, and today he serves as pastor of adult education. Over the years he periodically taught appreciation courses in New Testament Greek on Wednesday nights and even tutored a group of beginning students at his home. A year ago he created the new Sunday class and opened it up to the church.
The group (which even includes a 9-year-old boy) gathers every Sunday morning at 10:30 to hear, read, and recite the ancient language. Gregg uses a textbook and CD-ROM and emphasizes an oral approach to learning. "As young children we learn language first by hearing, and then by speaking and reading," he says. "Instead of memorizing grammar rules, I focus on these methods."
The strategy seems to be working; after a year of study the students can recite the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew and read passages from the Gospel of John.
Gregg says increased biblical understanding is even more satisfying than achieving these milestones. "Recently we read John 4, where the Greek says Jesus sat down ‘thus’ by the well," he says. "The word choice means it must have been an eyewitness report. Every so often you receive insights from reading the original that you just couldn’t get otherwise."
www.ccc.org
Signs of Life
Churches around the country organized many types of Vacation Bible School this summer—backyard programs in neighborhoods, traditional daytime classes in church buildings, family events during the evenings, and much more. With "VBS for the Deaf," First Christian Church (Canton, Ohio) created another unique Bible-based summer experience for children.
FCC created the special weeklong program for any elementary and middle school-age child who would feel comfortable in a signing environment. "We invited not only deaf children, but also kids who had a deaf parent or other relative," says Beth Garaux, who coordinated the program.
Garaux and the four other adult leaders used the same curriculum as the non-deaf VBS program, signing and voicing every lesson, song, instruction, and conversation for the 15 children who attended. Kids and adults from Calvary Church of the Deaf, a congregation in Akron, Ohio, drove down to participate in the week’s activities.
www.firstchristian.info
Jennifer Taylor, one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD's contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
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