Forming Faith Through Art With Kids

Because Sherman Street CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is full to the rafters with kids, we look for opportunities to involve them in worship in significant ways. They light the Christ candle each week, use rhythm instruments to help lead worship, serve as Scripture readers, and more.

But a few times a year, our church school coordinator sets aside the usual church school hour for a collaborative art project. The kids, along with their adult leaders, are always enthusiastic participants in these creative endeavors, and as the leader of the Visual Arts Team these times are a highlight of the church year for me too.

Epiphany is a time when we remember that the light of Christ has come into the world. This year we decided to express that in a new worship banner with the help of the church school kids. See an image of the banner on this post.

After a very short discussion of what Epiphany means, we took apart a world atlas and glued parts of its pages into wooden stars. Then we used cotton balls to gild the edges with gold paint for some star-like shimmer.

As we worked, we talked about places in the world where we or others we know have traveled. We got a glimpse of the wonderful variety of landforms God made. We marveled at the network of roads that connect us.

But more than that, we remembered together that the light of Christ has come into the WHOLE world—not only our little corner of it.

When we were done cutting and gluing, we spent time in prayer for places around the world where there is conflict and pain. Some of the kids wrote prayers on the back of their stars as well.

This simple little project required only burlap, wooden stars, a world atlas, and glue. But it left us all with a sense of being part of God’s big family.

How might your congregation use art and creativity to form faith in the coming year?