As people around the world remembered & marked the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, here in Dunbar the project used this to help young people reflect on the peace of God & to remember the sacrifices others have made.
With regular images of war hitting our television screens, young people are all too familiar with need for peace in our world. On a personal level, several of them will have seen relationships at home or amongst friends ruined by selfish behaviour & the inability of people to forgive each other. Like most of us, peace is something young people cherish so it is no surprise that they fully engaged in some of the activities the project ran on this theme.
- Bible Brainiacs used Armistice Day to put on a selection of interactive stations for others to use. A fabulous display of poppies, each with personal prayers for peace written on them was on show in the school foyer.
- The Friday Kids Club focussed on the sacrifices others made. Some of the older boys have family connected to the military & seafaring. They too made their own poppies & laid them on the grave of the Unknown Sailor at the graveyard. It was a special time for them as they learnt more about this man.
- The children at the club created a poppy wreath. This was included in the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Dunbar War Memorial.
Christmas celebrations provided lots of opportunities for young people to have a lot of fun & to learn more about the birth of Christ & what that has to do with us. Key events included: - Bubblegum & Fluff. A lively event for over 140 x P7’s, where they go deeper into the meaning of Christmas for others & themselves. This was followed by an assembly where some of the Bible Brainiacs took a lead.
- Nativity at Dunbar Methodists Church. We were delighted to see some of the children & parents from our Friday Kids Club take part in the carol service & nativity.
- Christmas Assemblies at Dunbar Grammar School on the theme of Immanuel .
A holiday club follow up event with children’s entertainer & gospel speaker, Andris Meszaros & his team.
DACYP’s latest Youth Leaders Forum brought storyteller, author& singer Renita Boyle to Dunbar to pass on her story telling skills to others. From large scale parachutes to little fingers & thumbs, the 22 participants learnt new storytelling skills. Earlier in the day Renita had taken part in 2 school assemblies where she received a spontaneous round of applause.
Renita Boyle’s visit to Dunbar also included a follow up event for the Summer Holiday Club. 40+ children attended her dynamic presentation of Jonah’s story. It provided an opportunity to reconnect with friends & families from the summer.
Renita’s visit was part of DACYP’s commitment to support local churches develop youth & children’s work. Feedback from her training session was encouraging.
‘I have learned a lot tonight as I am just a beginner teaching the Bible stories to kids. Thank you.’