St. Petersburg
Irina Loseva, the youth leader at Petrikirche, writes: “Many of us love to travel. For some of us it is tied with work; for others it is simply a matter of pleasure. We travel together with colleagues, with friends, with children's groups, with the elderly, with families. Since the fall of the 'Iron Curtain' travel abroad has become a typical part of life.
There is another way to get acquainted with various countries; this works well with children in the church – the World Day of Prayer (WDP). I heard about the idea of holding WDP especially for children the fall of 2012 when I was in Germany for an internship as a part of the “Kirche mit Kindern” program of the Rheinland Union. A pastor from Essen, Michael Banken, told me that for a few years they had been using WDP to help children learn more about countries and their residents through getting acquainted with the lives of Christians in those countries.
WDP for children and for “big kids” is held at the beginning of March at a children's, family, or regular service of the congregation. On the WDP site you can find many things to download – illustrations, Bible texts, songs, recipes, etc. recommended for WDP with children and teens.
And so, inspired by this example and equipped with this knowledge, a few members of the German Evangelical Lutheran congregation of St. Anna and St. Peter in St. Petersburg decided to try to initiate a new tradition by bringing various generations together on March 2. Together we created an order of service, chose Biblical texts and made skits, songs, crafts and games for children.
While WDP has been held for many years in our congregation, this was the first year in which we involved children, and it was a success. Many thanks to all who took part in its preparation, and we look forward to doing it again next year.”
Irina Loseva, the youth leader at Petrikirche, writes: “Many of us love to travel. For some of us it is tied with work; for others it is simply a matter of pleasure. We travel together with colleagues, with friends, with children's groups, with the elderly, with families. Since the fall of the 'Iron Curtain' travel abroad has become a typical part of life.
There is another way to get acquainted with various countries; this works well with children in the church – the World Day of Prayer (WDP). I heard about the idea of holding WDP especially for children the fall of 2012 when I was in Germany for an internship as a part of the “Kirche mit Kindern” program of the Rheinland Union. A pastor from Essen, Michael Banken, told me that for a few years they had been using WDP to help children learn more about countries and their residents through getting acquainted with the lives of Christians in those countries.
WDP for children and for “big kids” is held at the beginning of March at a children's, family, or regular service of the congregation. On the WDP site you can find many things to download – illustrations, Bible texts, songs, recipes, etc. recommended for WDP with children and teens.
And so, inspired by this example and equipped with this knowledge, a few members of the German Evangelical Lutheran congregation of St. Anna and St. Peter in St. Petersburg decided to try to initiate a new tradition by bringing various generations together on March 2. Together we created an order of service, chose Biblical texts and made skits, songs, crafts and games for children.
While WDP has been held for many years in our congregation, this was the first year in which we involved children, and it was a success. Many thanks to all who took part in its preparation, and we look forward to doing it again next year.”
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