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to take a stand against exclusion and ways to intervene, invite and mediate such bullying situations as well as how to befriend an excluded student. They talked about the skill of scan- ning the room to see who might need a friend. The children learned that, “kindness is contagious and leads to more happiness.”
For this theme, the CAC leader, Ramona Gilmour-Darling, wanted the craft to have a personal feel and to remind the children of the wider circle of support coming from their com- munity and the congregation. So, on paper, the children outlined and col- oured not only their own arms/hands but those of various members of the congregation, until there were enough sets to make colourful angel wings. The addition of the words, “Do not be afraid,” is linked to a theme that we have tried to emphasize over a period of time with the children: whenever angels or messengers of God appear in the Bible, the very first thing they say is, “Do not be afraid.” Ramona thought that this also echoed the message of living with strength when you know that your community “has your back.” When the angel wings were complete, we brought them into the sanctuary one Sunday morning as the subject of our children’s time, and congregation members were in- vited to have their pictures taken with the wings, if they wished. These col- ourful wings made the joy of God and our church community visible to us.
PRESBYTERIAN
5
 presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2019
  Children’s Art Club Gives Roots and Wings
 By the Rev. Emily Bisset, Calvin Presbyterian Church in Toronto
In February 2017, the congregation of Calvin Presbyterian Church (an Ecumenical Shared Ministry of two congregations in Toronto) began a new children’s ministry called the Children’s Arts Club (CAC). We hired Ramona Gilmour-Darling as our di- rector. Ramona is a children’s theatre and musical professional who has served as one of our choir section leads and is a member of our com- munity of faith. She engaged an as- sistant director with skills in theatre, music and children’s activities, and the group began to meet on Thurs- day afternoons. The CAC is free of charge to families and welcomes children aged 4–12 for an hour-long program one afternoon a week.
Each session of the CAC begins with a welcome circle and a time to share news. And then the theme is introduced before everyone brain- storms about what the theme words mean to each participant. And then there is a drama game related to the theme, choir practice (on the song that is being prepared for worship), a story and a craft. The crafts have in- cluded making cards for congregants who may be sick or experiencing some difficulty, angel boxes (which contain the words they have stud- ied and other positive words), joy jars (where the children write down happy memories to store and save in
a hand-decorated glass jar for times that are sad or difficult), and encour- aging notes to struggling farmers in other countries (to accompany a donation from the congregation to Presbyterian World Service & De- velopment). The children sing during Sunday worship half a dozen times a year and have presented a Christmas pageant. On the Thursday before a performance in the sanctuary, fami- lies are invited to stay after the CAC for dinner, where members of our adult choir join us. This promotion of inter-generational friendship and a connection between the adult and children’s choirs has been a wonder- ful time of fellowship for the children, families, single adults, couples and the staff.
This year, we have focused on themes like honesty, belonging, wonder, kindness, love, friendship, gratitude, positivity, being yourself, listening, family, compassion, focus, acceptance and inclusivity. The crea- tion of our angel wings came out of the theme of inclusivity, which fo- cused the conversation on creating a sense of belonging, feeling respected and valued for who you are. The chil- dren are encouraged to think about how to create healthy friendships, to remember that everyone has some- thing to offer and how important it is to learn to get along with lots of peo- ple. Research shows when one per- son takes a stand against bullying, it stops. The children discussed ways
   2020 Wall Calendar
  Featuring the beautiful artwork
of children and youth
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   presbyterian.ca/calendar
       














































































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