Hope Journey Cross Factor

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HOPE JOURNEY CROSS FACTOR                          

It was a joy to welcome over 100 children and staff to our annual Hope Journey Cross Factor Thursday 31st March

Following the welcome and introduction, the children participated in 6 workshops

  • The Easter Story using a jig saw puzzle, which puts Jesus at the heart of the cross.  We discussed the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, The garden of Gethsemane, how Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest’s house, before being taken to Pilate who ‘washed his hands of the affair’, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
  • What is Easter? – during which the children explored the significance of Palm Sunday (acting out the triumphant entry into Jerusalem), Maundy Thursday/The Last Supper and the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, the symbolism of bread and wine at communion.  This provoked many questions about our Christian faith, who Jesus really was and why he had to die on the cross
  • I was there! – a Roman Soldier told us his experience of being in Jerusalem during Holy Week and how he felt when being told to go and arrest Jesus, whom he believed to be a good man who had performed miracles and healed people.  He thought Pontius Pilate would do the right thing and free Jesus – but he did not.  And he was shocked and delighted to meet an angel at the tomb who said Jesus was alive.  The children discussed how that Centurion felt during the events of that week
  • Death to life – We thought about how some things can look dead – but are brought back to life – like a bulb before it grows into a beautiful flower and a chrysalis before it becomes a pretty butterfly.  As Christians, we believe that Jesus rose again and is alive and with us today and every day in our lives.  We discussed what we may like to change in our own lives, in our community and in the world and the children wrote their thoughts on leaves which are displayed on the communion table
  • A look at some Crosses from around the world (Roman, Crucifix, Palm, Celtic, Salvadorian) and why we share Palm crosses on Palm Sunday and the children started to design their own cross

In addition the children enjoyed designing an Easter card whilst sharing in some refreshments

This year our gift bags contained a number of items including

  1. The Journey through Holy Week as a take home leaflet (see above) so that the children could colour the images whilst they shared the story with families
  2. The Greatest Miracle of All – Easter story from the Bible society
  3. A Palm Cross
  4. A small chocolate easter egg to remind us of the stone which had been rolled away because Jesus is Alive
  5. An invitation to Easter Eggstravaganza and Easter services, and a Say One for Me prayer card

Sue Elliott

Hope Journey co-ordinator