Easter Journey

Four primary schools in the Ferryhill area – Broom, Cleves Cross, Dean Bank and Ferryhill Station came together over two days to explore this year’s Easter Journey at Ferryhill Methodist church in March 2012. The project was led by Anne Offler, a children's and young people's development worker in the Durham and Deerness Valley Methodist Circuit. Anne also works as part of the West Durham Methodist Circuit Team where I am an authorised Methodist Minister.

Table of the Last Supper

The Easter Journey began in 2007 as the brain child of Frodsham's Main Street Community Church in Cheshire. The project provides an exciting opportunity to perform a delightful, easy-to-do presentation of the Easter story to local primary schools. Aimed at Year 5 children, the children take part in the Journey to discover the things that happened during the week of Jesus' death. Through role-play, storytelling and listening they travel through the palm-waving celebrations in Jerusalem of Palm Sunday and the clearing of market traders from the temple. They take part in the last supper with the disciples, listening in on what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane and hear about Jesus' cruel death on the cross on Good Friday. They experience for themselves some of the emotions felt by those who knew Jesus well. The story doesn't end there, of course, and they discover what happened three days later on the very first Easter morning when the tomb was found to be empty!

Anne Offler (2nd right) with helpers

To support Anne in her ministry I spent a day during Lent with her and some of the helpers from the congregation at Ferryhill Methodist church together with school teachers, classroom assistants and parent helpers.

After the journey juice and biscuits were served to the children who later, helped by teachers and church members, made a variety of crafts to take home - gift wrapped boxes with Easter Eggs and coloured small wooden crosses.

The children together with their teachers were enthusiastic and excited by what they saw and learnt from the Easter Journey. It made their time at church an enjoyable and positive experience.

For those looking into possible new ideas for next year I can recommend the book that accompanies the project –
The Easter Journey by Moira Curry and Gill Morgan, ISBN 978 1841016221, published 2009 by the Bible Reading Fellowship at £7.99.

Ray Anglesea

 

Ray Anglesea is a self supporting minister working in St Andrew’s Dawson Street LEP, Crook and in the wider West Durham Methodist Circuit