Trowbridge brings The Bible to life (From Wiltshire Times)
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Trowbridge brings The Bible to life
2:00pm Saturday 5th March 2011 in News By Rachel Allen
Christians from two churches in Trowbridge were a huge hit at Newtown Primary School this week when they acted out a story from The Bible with the help of pupils, costumes and hand-made props.
Volunteers from St James and Wesley Road Methodist churches lead an Open the Book programme in the town in a bid to bring the church community into schools.
Rev Rob Thomas of St James Church led the session on Monday which involved volunteers performing Joseph the Dreamer.
His wife Marilyn said: “Open the Book is an organisation started three or four years ago. We joined with Wesley Road Methodist Church and have nine volunteers from St James and six from the Methodist church. The purpose is to present Bible stories in an exciting lively way.”
Mrs Thomas, a part-time teacher, said she is in her comfort zone when she does Open the Book sessions at primary schools and added that the volunteers find it just as rewarding as the children.
A number of Year 6 children took part in the latest session.
Deanna Muffet-Dunnings, 11, said: “I think it’s a fun way of learning about God and stuff. My favourite bit was when we were taking Joseph and putting him in the well.”
Patrick Susz, 10, said: “It’s more fun to take part than just listening. I’m looking forward to the next session to find out what happens next.”
Headteacher Tom Hill said: “I think it’s a really good set up and it means we have moved away from not having any connections with any religious groups to having links with many groups.”
The Trowbridge team visit Newtown, Longmeadow, Larkrise and Keevil primary schools several times a year to perform the stories.
The Open the Book programme takes place in parishes across the country and provides an exciting way of learning about the Bible.
Comments(6)
New 2 Trow
says...
4:00pm Wed 9 Mar 11
George W. Hayduke
says...
6:03pm Wed 9 Mar 11
New 2 Trow wrote:This is a secular country not christianity above all others. Whilst the teaching of religion as fact can look harmless if it stops pupils taking science as fact it can lead to stunted educational growth.
Last time I looked this was still a Christian country. What's wrong with teaching our children about the main religion of this country? They probably have to learn enough about other faiths so why not the religion of the majority of people.
New 2 Trow
says...
1:09pm Thu 10 Mar 11
Maybe you were as you would know this is not a secular state, as say France is as the Queen is Head of state and also (would you believe it) head of the Church of England. If you wish to learn more, instead of insulting Christians on here, it’s in the Treaty of Union.
Triton
says...
2:00pm Thu 10 Mar 11
New 2 Trow wrote:This little exercise was nothing more than a recruitment of impressionable youngsters. The bible is nothing more than old wives tales and superstitious nonsense and teaching it to children as fact is tantamount to educational neglect.
Last time I looked this was still a Christian country. What's wrong with teaching our children about the main religion of this country? They probably have to learn enough about other faiths so why not the religion of the majority of people.
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The bible tells us that the Earth is 6000 years old when science has proved that it is 14 Billion years old. The bible is also a book in which millions of people through the ages have suffered through it ideologies. Do we really want to preach the sort of anti-gay rhetoric to children which the bible promotes? Still, if someone wants to believe in fairy stories about omnipotent beings then that's their business but I think that teaching this sort of twaddle to kids is out of order.
notscot
says...
8:17pm Fri 11 Mar 11
Triton wrote:Blimey - what church have you been to?!!!
I bet the kids were all taught how to hate homosexuals and stoning and burning heretics - it is in the Bible after all! I'm sure they also told these young impressionable pupils that the world is only 6000 year old and they must have skirted around the issue about why dinosaurs aren't mentioned at all in this wonderful work of fiction. . All this scenario is about is just another recruiting agency for the helplessly bewildered who still believe in fairy story's (despite firm scientific evidence to the contrary). Religion is left over nonsense from when we were all cave-dwellers!
I'm a fairly typical lapsed c of e.
I don't EVER remember being taught to hate, burn or stone ANYONE when I was a child. Not one religious person has ever told me that dinosaurs didn't exist.
A look at the history books will give you a fairly gory (accurate) description of some of the horrors inflicted in the name of God - but that's where that kind of garbage now is - consigned to history.
Perhaps our vicars applied a modernistic slant to their guidance and lessons - I don't know..
I still think I'd rather be taught "do as you would be done by" than "do them, before they do you"
If it's all just a kind of standard to live your life by - why not?
Triton says...
12:35pm Mon 7 Mar 11
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All this scenario is about is just another recruiting agency for the helplessly bewildered who still believe in fairy story's (despite firm scientific evidence to the contrary). Religion is left over nonsense from when we were all cave-dwellers!