A Message from St George’s Church

The Game of Life…
What makes a good friend?
What would you do to get £1million?
Which is the first book of the bible?
Is it ever OK to tell a lie?
Of the following, are any/all in the bible?

A dragon, a talking donkey, a sparrow. These and many questions like them are asked whilst playing “The Game of Life”. Let me explain. The GOL is aimed at 10- 13 year olds and involves converting St George’s church into a giant board game. One hundred squares lead from the tower door, up and down the three aisles and end at the high altar. The squares are carpet tiles and the counters, traffic cones. Points are gained by throwing the dice and teams may land on a square which sends them forward, or back (just as in snakes & ladders) There are question squares too, like those questions above and there are also “gummy bear” squares where everyone gets a gummy bear (a gummy bear is a sweet for those of us who remember only pear drops and sherbet fountains) Gummy bear squares are very popular. All year 6 children from the two primary schools plus others have been invited.

There is also an activity session where a point about the Christian faith is aired and explored; in week one we compared Darwin’s evolution theory with Genesis 1 and we found a remarkable similarity. The point being that church, science and life in general are very much connected and church is not for wacky people doing stuff that has no relevance to the rest of life.

Week two, we built a wooden structure, first by guessing, then by following written instructions and finally by looking at a drawing. The point being that we have a spiritual awareness, but we can be unsure how to handle it; the bible gives us the words, Jesus is the picture. Week three we looked at ideas about God – is he distant or not? To help we used a clip from the film Toy Story.

Oh, and the whole thing is topped and tailed by pizzas to which the group add extra toppings – I’m pleased to say that squid is proving quite popular.

It’s been a great privilege to see these young people really engage with the questions and the activities whilst clearly enjoying the whole experience. By the time this edition of the magazine reaches you, the GOL for now will be almost finished for the summer, but it can always happen again. Just be in touch.

And it isn’t all for young people: the evening of Real Ale & Real Hymns in church on May 16th went down a storm with excellent beer from The Snake Brewery (plus soft drinks/wine too) and brilliant hymn choices. A good evening was had by all and it will be repeated.

May God bless you,

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