Resource: Gather the Children.
Published by: Pastoral Press.
Gather the Children is published by
Pastoral Press, a division of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
The publisher is denominational, and the resource is intended for
specific use by the Roman Catholic Church.
Scripture selections from the New American Bible with Revised New
Testament are used.
Does the resource offer a
rationale/reasons for including children in corporate worship?
The rationale is to not have
children included in corporate worship. This
resource is specifically designed for children’s liturgy for their own worship
experience. A quote from the resource says, “Children cannot understand much of daily adult experience; it easily
wearies them; and, in fact, in the realm of the spiritual “we may fear
spiritual harm if over the years children repeatedly experience in the Church
things that are scarcely comprehensible to them.”
How is the resource organized?
Gather the Children begins with
Advent and continues, Sunday by Sunday, through the liturgical year.
The resource is cyclical (A, B, & C). Each cycle contains scripture
for four cyclical years.
What does the resource give you?
These
materials are clearly for liturgy/worship. Each cycled resource gives you a
Bibliography of Music for Sundays and Seasons, Selected Children’s Literature,
Index of Scriptural Readings and the Scripture selections for four years. There
is also an Introduction to each resource that includes explanation of the
resource and guidelines for the leader. There is some flexibility in the
materials. Numerous suggestions and
possibilities for activities and illustrations are given using a variety of
learning styles.
The outline for each Sunday varies.
Activities included are:
§
Scripture references
(some from Apocrypha)
§
Gather the Children (opening
activities)
§
Share or Proclaim the Gospel
(exploration of scripture)
§
Make the Good News Our Own
(Biblical application through discussion, stories, liturgy, singing and some
hands-on activities)
§
Prayer (occasionally)
How age level/developmentally
appropriate are the ideas?
In
the introduction to the resource it states that the material is for children in
grades K-6 but it is difficult to determine this for each session.
It is suggested that leaders simplify the material for the different aged
children but never gives any direction in how to do so. The resource refers to
the children as younger and older but does not give specific ages.
It is our opinion that much of the
material is not developmentally appropriate for young children.
An example of this is the lesson on the First Sunday of Advent talking
about the Isaiah 2:1-5 passage. Apocalyptic terms are used like “the end of the world”
and the “judgement will come.” At
one point the writer asks the leader to remind the children of the
“ever-present danger of devastation”, showing them newspaper articles on the
threat and horrors of war.
How would you describe any
Biblical or theological interpretations offered in the resource?
The
resource:
§
Is very symbolic which at times is
over emphasized.
§
Relates Bible to current world
situations.
§
Refers to Biblical stories which
are not literally true but rather imaginative and faith-filled.
§
Theology, at times, is very
pessimistic (gloom and doom, be ready etc.)
§
Introduction states that “Gather
the Children draws upon the principles of modern religious
educational psychology” and also that “children
may learn and children may be happy
with activity, but even good activity does not make genuine liturgy”.
§
Does not present the Bible as being
literally interpreted.
Are
there any features or characteristics that make this resource more appropriate
for one denomination than others?
Yes,
there are features and characteristics intended for the Catholic faith.
Lessons are centered around Catholic holidays and sacraments which
Protestants do not observe. The
children are led to say, “Hail Mary’s and lessons refer to Mary as a model
Christian who was conceived without sin. Children
are instructed to make the “sign of the cross” with holy water.
The material also assumes the children were baptized as infants.
Who
is the intended user of this resource?
The
intended user of this resource is a lay leader. The leader should be someone who has knowledge of how to
teach and develop a lesson as well as a good, biblical background and an
understanding of child growth and development.
How
are you supposed to use this resource?
This
resource is intended solely for use in Children’s Worship, especially during
Mass. The leader and parents are
reminded to not mention the word “class” or “lesson”. It could also be adapted in Catholic schools when sharing
scripture with children in presentations not directly related to Sunday
liturgies.
Does
the resource have any distinctive features?
§
This resource uses scripture from New American Bible (Catholic Bible).
§
Music for Sundays and Seasons and a Selected Children’s Literature
section is provided in each cycle of material.
§
A 4-year cyclical calendar showing the organization of scripture is
provided.
§
Each lesson is specifically for worship with children, not a class or
activity time.
What are the strengths of this
resource?
§
Numerous options are given for each
Sunday lesson.
§
Various art forms such as music,
poetry, drama and crafts are suggested.
§
Many different learning styles are
used.
§
One can infer that the leader needs
a general understanding and knowledge of scripture.
§
It is the writers intent for the
children to experience Catholic worship at a level they can understand.
What are the weaknesses of the
resource?
§
The layout of each lesson is poor
being wordy and difficult to read.
§
There is no guidance for
age-appropriate materials within each lesson.
§
The material, at times, is not
developmentally appropriate for children.
§ There is a fear factor present in some of the Sunday lesson plans.
§ The presentation of each lesson is left solely to the leader’s discretion.
