A Weekday Prayer and Blessing Experience for Preschoolers
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BLESSING BASED SPIRITUAL NURTURE THROUGH CHILDREN’S CHAPEL: A WEEKDAY PRAYER AND BLESSING EXPERIENCE FOR PRESCHOOLERS Jacqueline J. Nowak Bachelor of Science, Wright State University, 1976 Master of Arts in Religious Education, United Theological Seminary, 2002 Mentors Donald B. Rogers, Ph.D. Leanne Ciampa Hadley, M.Div. Jacqueline J. Nowak, M.A.R.E. A FINAL PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DOCTORAL STUDIES COMMITTEE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY UNITED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY TROTWOOD, OHIO December, 2007 Copyright © 2007 Jacqueline J. Nowak All rights reserved. Table of Contents ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….….vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……..……………………………………………….. ...…….vii DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………..viii ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................................ ix INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1. MINISTRY FOCUS: MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN’S CHAPEL ...............................................................................................7 Children’s Chapel The Problem 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................32 The Child in Theology and History Children’s Spirituality and Spiritual Nurture Family Nurture of Spirituality Communal Christian Education and Spiritual Nurture The Act Of Ministry: Children’s Chapel Program 3. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPING THE THEORY, PRACTICES AND POWER OF BLESSING BASED SPIRITUAL NURTURE...................................................................................................................56 Defining Spirituality and Spiritual Nurture Understanding Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture The Pillars under-girding the practices of Children's Chapel iii Biblical, Historical and Theological Foundations The Child Holiness Community Sabbath Listening Worship Blessing 4. METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................................153 5. FIELD EXPERIENCE..........................................................................................164 The Parent Surveys Parent Survey Follow Up, Memorial Preschool Chapel Program Teacher Surveys The Classrooms Children’s Chapel Observations Child and Adult Behaviors in Chapel The Gathering Sharing Prayer Transition to Blessing Blessing Time The Children Have a Say The Interviews Three Year Old Writing Exercise Children’s Art by the Oldest Preschoolers iv Oldest Preschooler’s Writing Exercise Summarizing and Interpreting the Data 6. REFLECTIONS....................................................................................................214 General Comments Chapel Program Pillars which might be examined in additional ways The Personal GLOSSARY……………………………………………………………………………223 APPENDIX A. BLESSING BASED SPIRITUAL NURTURE MATRIX……………………. 224 B. PARENT PERMISSION FORMS.......................................................................226 C. RATIONALE FOR AND FORMAT OF CHILDREN’S CHAPEL ...................229 D. CHILDREN’S CONVERSATION AND WRITING PROMPTS.......................233 E. PARENT AND TEACHER SURVEYS ..............................................................235 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................238 v ABSTRACT BLESSING BASED SPIRITUAL NURTURE THROUGH CHILDREN’S CHAPEL: A WEEKDAY PRAYER AND BLESSING EXPERIENCE FOR PRESCHOOLERS by Jacqueline J. Nowak United Theological Seminary, 2007 Mentors Donald B. Rogers, Ph.D. Leanne Ciampa Hadley, M.Div. Jacqueline J. Nowak, M.A.R.E. This study established that a blessing based, prayer centered weekly worship experience with day preschool children, at Memorial Presbyterian Preschool, Xenia, Ohio had laudatory benefits for spiritual attitudes and practices of children, teachers and parents. The multi-dimensional qualitative research process was grounded in solid understandings gleaned from within the Christian tradition with reference to theological, biblical, historical and psychological disciplines. Basic assumptions examined included spirituality of children, blessing, holiness, worship, prayer, community, Holy Listening and Sabbath. The research data was gathered from children, through observations, artwork and writing exercises, and through written and oral interviews with teachers, parents and observers. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Heartfelt thanks goes to the Memorial Presbyterian Preschool and Context Associates for sharing the richness of their experiences with Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture; to Professional Associates, Mentors and Colleagues in the United Theological Seminary doctoral program for support, wisdom and advice freely shared, as this document was developed; to family and friends for their love and sacrifices along the way. vii DEDICATION This document is dedicated to young children who present adults with the clearest possible exhibition of the longed for Kingdom of God. viii ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. CHILDREN’S CHAPEL……………………….………………………………..164 2. CHILD BLESSING OTHERS.....………………………………………………..176 3. THE CHAPEL TIME CANDLE .....……………………………………………..213 ix INTRODUCTION Maribelle looked around her as she perched high in the choir loft at Memorial United Presbyterian Church. Way down below was the wide open red carpet of the Chancel. Mrs. Scott played the organ grandly, stopping often to talk to the four and five year olds about the sounds coming from behind Maribelle’s head. Quietly, the child stood up and walked over to her Chapel time leader. “Come, Ms Jackie, come!” She tugged on the adult’s hand, drawing her from her seat and down the steps to the Chancel. There Maribelle, caught up in the presence of the Holy Spirit and her exuberance for life, began to dance, leading the way for her teacher. The story above is one of many sprinkled throughout this paper. It shares with the reader an act of grace offered by a child to an adult. It provides a window into what happens with young children when they are given encouragement to sustain their inborn connection with the God who created each of them. It offers an opportunity for adults to look at children in new ways, to begin to understand the implicit power of Blessing Based Spiritual Nurture and the Act of Ministry which is Children’s Chapel. This Act of Ministry at Memorial United Presbyterian Church, Xenia, Ohio, began accidentally, as the writer sought to find ways to increase the number of families with young children who were active on Sundays. A high percentage of the congregation’s families participated in the church’s weekday educational program, Memorial Preschool. Most of these children were not regular attendees at Sunday education or worship. Parents had been known to say, “My child is getting his Christian Education in preschool. It is just too hard to get to church on Sunday.” 1 2 Solutions were sought therefore to a two-fold problem—the children of the congregation needed education in the faith, which they were not getting in the preschool and it was desirable that they become comfortable in the community’s worship space, so they might be more likely to appear for Sunday worship. Therefore, the writer, who was the church Educator at the time, proposed a Children’s Chapel Time for the day preschool classes, modeled upon Berryman and Stewart’s, Young Children in Worship,1 which would take place in the church sanctuary. Liturgy was written, songs and Bible stories and a closing blessing chosen. The children loved coming to Chapel time. It quickly became clear that what they desired, even yearned for, was prayer time, for sharing and singing and listening to one another, as well as to receive an affirmation of God’s presence in their lives. A Bible story segment was moved back into the classrooms so more time could be given in Chapel to sharing and praying. In the early years of the program, the young ones had their hands waving much of Chapel time, excitedly waiting to tell their joys and concerns, those things which made them “happy, or mad or sad or angry or scared.” In order to alleviate the possible frustration of waiting and waiting for a turn and to offer the more introverted children an opportunity to speak, a Sharing Lamb, a small soft, stuffed lamb, was added to the sharing time. The lamb was passed around the gathered circle of children and the child who had the lamb was able to speak, without interruption, while the rest of the group, and God, listened. The movement through the elements of Chapel Time became increasingly calm and peaceful, children grew more and more patient, joys 1 In the material, as cited here, the introduction to and “living with” Bible stories is essential. Sonya Stewart and Jerome Berryman, Young Children in Worship (Louisville: Westminster Jon Knox Press, 1990). 3 and concerns were shared as children and teachers offered these to God in prayer. The Act of Ministry had been conceived. The Children’s Chapel Time program, which was researched for this paper, was predicated upon the following particular understanding of children: Children are born spiritual beings, connected with God. Acknowledging this and encouraging its continuing development is a central task of families, the faith community and the church. In today’s American culture, both secular and religious, the nurture of spirituality usually takes a back seat to many other things, if