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Lately, as a part of its Structure collection, Lego launched a wonderful construct of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. I’ve a sure fascination with cathedrals and what they’ll train us about what it means to be the church. I noticed a possibility to replicate with my congregation on church historical past, structure, religion, and being the individuals of God collectively. So I created a seven-week Youngsters’s Time collection the place we explored one side of the cathedral every week till it was full.
This coincided with our capital marketing campaign to boost funds for much-needed enhancements to our church constructing. It turned out to be an effective way to speak about how our bodily church constructing displays and helps our mission and ministry. It was impressed partly by the Lego challenge at Washington Nationwide Cathedral.
What follows is an overview for the way to do that challenge together with your congregation, together with the theme for every week, photographs, and the corresponding pages within the Lego construct guide. As a result of we had been on the ground with the youngsters, it was arduous for adults to see it from their pews, so we took footage of every stage of the construct and projected them on display. Every week we confirmed one slide from the earlier stage of the construct after which one slide with the brand new sections we added for that Sunday. You may entry and adapt these slides at this hyperlink: Lego Construct PowerPoint Slides.
Define of the Construct
Week 1: Foundations
(Construct E book pages 1–45)
For our first week, I launched our cathedral constructing challenge and confirmed the youngsters the field for our Lego Notre Dame. The field shows the finished challenge and a few of the cathedral’s historical past. Then I confirmed the primary construct, which hardly appears like a church or a cathedral in any respect. I requested the youngsters to go searching our church and marvel about what an important a part of a church is. One stated, “Religion”; one other stated, “The cross.” I drew their consideration to the ground and stated that the ground, or basis, is most essential as a result of, with out that, nothing else can stand. We talked about love and religion being the muse of our church. The whole lot rests on these issues.
Week 2: Supporting One One other
(Construct E book pages 46–97)
For week two, I talked in regards to the flying buttresses of Notre Dame, which was the primary cathedral to make use of buttresses on this method. I described how the flying buttresses permit the partitions of the cathedral to be thinner, increased, and in a position to help extra stained glass, which permits for extra mild. I clarified that it’s “flying buttresses,” not “flying butts,” and this obtained an excellent chortle. Lastly, I talked in regards to the help that we give each other at church: the love, grace, forgiveness, and care we prolong to one another, which buttress our lives collectively and make our church stronger.
Week 3: A Area and Place for All
(Construct E book pages 98–137)
This was, maybe, my favourite a part of our construct with the big open nave. I talked about my expertise of visiting Notre Dame and being with individuals from everywhere in the world in that nave. I associated that there’s a area and place for everybody within the church, together with them. I introduced a set of random Lego figures that I ordered on eBay and invited the youngsters to take one and put it within the cathedral so we may see ourselves in it. They beloved selecting a determine and placing themselves within the cathedral.
Week 4: We Are Cross-Formed
(Construct E book pages 138–189)
At this stage of the construct, you possibly can start to see how Notre Dame, like most different cathedrals, is constructed within the form of the cross. We talked about how the church is cross-shaped as a result of we’re formed by Jesus’s life, loss of life, and resurrection in addition to by hope, new life, love, and serving our neighbor. This form will change into extra apparent because the construct continues and the roof is accomplished.
Week 5: There Are Many Methods In
(Construct E book pages 190–239)
For week 5 we regarded rigorously on the entrances to Notre Dame: the three primary entrance portals throughout the entrance, the 2 massive entrances on the aspect, and the small crimson door, often known as “The Porte Rouge.” We mirrored on the entrances to our church and the way there are numerous methods to return right into a church. We additionally talked about how we need to make sure that individuals can discover their method in and discover a place inside the church.
Week 6: Magnificence
(Construct E book pages 240–287)
For the finished construct, we regarded on the ending touches of the cathedral: the spire with figures of the apostles and evangelists surrounding it, the pinnacles, the bushes, and extra. I talked in regards to the significance of constructing one thing lovely as a result of that magnificence reminds us of the goodness and great thing about God. We are able to additionally discover this magnificence in nature and within the individuals in our lives.
Week 7: Gentle
(Gentle Equipment)
As a bonus week for the challenge, I found that there are third-party lighting kits for Lego initiatives. I ordered and put in this lighting equipment for the Cathedral. This ingenious little equipment helps mild up the Cathedral from exterior and inside. We talked about how the church needs to be a beacon of God’s mild and love on the earth. This occurred to coincide with our first week of Introduction, which was an ideal tie-in to the lighting of the Introduction wreath and the theme of sunshine shining within the darkness.
Conclusion
The response to this challenge was overwhelmingly optimistic from our children and adults. It’s by far the perfect Youngsters’s Time thought I’ve ever dreamed up. Doing it as a weekly collection created continuity and anticipation amongst our children and congregation. Everybody loved following alongside, studying extra about Notre Dame and cathedrals, and reflecting on being church collectively. It was a frequent level of dialog between Sundays.
Featured picture in addition to extra photographs of Lego Notre Dame Cathedral are by article creator, Keith Anderson
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