Post by JEM on Oct 20, 2007 13:40:15 GMT
BIBLE SOCIETY RALLY 2006
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Members of Saffron Walden Women’s Auxillary of the Bible Society met for their annual rally with the theme “Unchaining the Word”, addressed by Dorothy Taylor who used to be in charge of Religious Education for the Greater London Area with 800 schools to cover and she told us stories of how they coped with the multi-faith state of education there.
One area of East London was now 90% Moslem and hardly a white child to be found. In another school children came from 70 language groups. In another English was the second language and only used in school.
She told us of a Jewish boy who was very shy and had no friends. One day he came into school very excited. Asked why, he said that he had been waving flags. As there was no national celebration or football match, the teacher made inquiries of Dorothy who suggested maybe it had something to do with celebration of the Jewish New Year. It turned out to be so, so the class made flags and banners and processed around the school several times shouting and waving flags and now the other kids include the boy in everything
She told us how she took a group of teachers out shopping. The idea was that teachers should create resources for their teaching of comparative religion.
For example they had a Christian Box with all things to do with Christianity, a palm cross, several translations of the Bible, vestments, maps, pictures, banners, a communion glass, the elements of bread and wine, a hymnal, dolls dressed in vestments of the various denominations and one in the uniform of the Salvation Army.
So they went to a Moslem shop to discover what they could find to fill an Islam Box. They thought of including a copy of the Koran but discovered these were all on the top shelf out of reach. The proprietor explained that to Muslims the Koran is very sacred it must never have anything put on top of it so it was on the highest shelf. But that is for the real Koran in Arabic The proprietor for the box recommended an English paraphrase.
Another teacher had a girl who seemed to be backward but found that she just needed to take things slowly so the teacher took a Christmas theme and they researched it,. studied, acted it out, set it to music, made a game of it, wrote poems about it, painted it, This girl wrote a beautiful poem on the theme.
Dorothy spoke of taking children to a synagogue and to a mosque, and to Southwark Cathedral and of the great help of the staff and communities in the places of worship.
A time of prayer followed the talk, and an offering for the society and refreshments.
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Members of Saffron Walden Women’s Auxillary of the Bible Society met for their annual rally with the theme “Unchaining the Word”, addressed by Dorothy Taylor who used to be in charge of Religious Education for the Greater London Area with 800 schools to cover and she told us stories of how they coped with the multi-faith state of education there.
One area of East London was now 90% Moslem and hardly a white child to be found. In another school children came from 70 language groups. In another English was the second language and only used in school.
She told us of a Jewish boy who was very shy and had no friends. One day he came into school very excited. Asked why, he said that he had been waving flags. As there was no national celebration or football match, the teacher made inquiries of Dorothy who suggested maybe it had something to do with celebration of the Jewish New Year. It turned out to be so, so the class made flags and banners and processed around the school several times shouting and waving flags and now the other kids include the boy in everything
She told us how she took a group of teachers out shopping. The idea was that teachers should create resources for their teaching of comparative religion.
For example they had a Christian Box with all things to do with Christianity, a palm cross, several translations of the Bible, vestments, maps, pictures, banners, a communion glass, the elements of bread and wine, a hymnal, dolls dressed in vestments of the various denominations and one in the uniform of the Salvation Army.
So they went to a Moslem shop to discover what they could find to fill an Islam Box. They thought of including a copy of the Koran but discovered these were all on the top shelf out of reach. The proprietor explained that to Muslims the Koran is very sacred it must never have anything put on top of it so it was on the highest shelf. But that is for the real Koran in Arabic The proprietor for the box recommended an English paraphrase.
Another teacher had a girl who seemed to be backward but found that she just needed to take things slowly so the teacher took a Christmas theme and they researched it,. studied, acted it out, set it to music, made a game of it, wrote poems about it, painted it, This girl wrote a beautiful poem on the theme.
Dorothy spoke of taking children to a synagogue and to a mosque, and to Southwark Cathedral and of the great help of the staff and communities in the places of worship.
A time of prayer followed the talk, and an offering for the society and refreshments.