A TASTE OF NARNIA

When it was announced that Disney was going to make the Chronicles of Narnia into a major motion picture, children's ministry departments around the country sprang into action. Themed environments, lesson plans, and special emphases were created to tie-in to the December 9 release of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (LWW).
Our church, however, had an already full schedule in December. So we sat out the motion picture premiere and patiently waited for the DVD release. Well, Tuesday brings the long-awaited video to homes and so we did a little Narnia decorating on Sunday for the kids. Our environment was not a special-effects wonder, but it had heart and it got the kids talking.

This is Dan, one of our faithful KidServants (and an elder at our church). He and I spent the better part of Saturday night getting set up. He built the "wardrobe" in the hallway to the fellowship hall (where we have our Sunday Morning Celebration).

The lamp was funny. At first I tried a black trash bucket with a yellow flame thingy on the side. Stick it up on the pole and viola! We had what looked like a black trash bucket on a pole. Then I tried to make a box out of black construction paper, complete with a panel cut out for the "flame." But it was too flimsy to sit up on the pole straight. So I decided the easiest, most effective route was a simple cut out. The result looked far better than my previous efforts (and before you ask: no, we did not try to get a volunteer to donate a real Victorian lamp).

When Sunday morning came, we welcomed the kids to Narnia! There was quite a buzz from the children and their parents about the decorations.

When the kids walked through the "wardrobe", we could hear them say, "wow...this is just like Narnia!"

Last week at Celebration, we began our "Countdown to Easter". Part of the countdown is a special four part "Playtime Parable" (for an explanation of this toy and video teaching tool, see my post here.). The series is called "Dorothy's Fantastic Voyages". Part one was last week and hooked up the characters from the Wizard of Oz with a wise man who showed them that wisdom, power, and love come from God. In the end, Dorothy returns home and decides to play hide and seek...in the big wardrobe in her room (I think you see what's happening here!). Part two, which was Sunday, was Dorothy in Narnia (yes, it fits, but don't ask for a detailed explanation right now). Parts three and four will fall on Palm Sunday and Easter and promise more surprises.

I love children's ministries!