Disappointed by the take-up on a recent “Puppets and Ministry” day, the parish church at Prudhoe looked around for someone else to invite – which is how I came to be there. So far as I was concerned, it was an opportunity to grasp, for I have some puppets of my own and was very keen to extend my puppet skills and know-how. There was plenty of opportunity to do both: selfishly, I was glad thatit had turned out to be a smaller group!
The day fell comfortably into two halves, the first of which allowed all to understand why puppet ministry is such a useful tool:
So having heard the benefits, the next question was What do you need to create such a puppet group? The answer is a single person. Puppet ministry can begin with one person and a puppet – and the range is huge from glove puppet to Muppet-style large puppet.
How you choose to use your puppet can also vary - taped music, voice or a shy puppet that mines or whispers to you.
Having seen the puppets in action, the second half of the day allowed us to have a go. We learned how to use puppets, work as part of a team, and how to perform and operate puppets.
If anyone thinks this is just playing let me tell you that it's hard work and tones the upper arm muscles very well indeed. The group I was with varied from teenagers and youth workers to mature adults and the rest of us in between. While we had a lot of laughter we all agreed it was harder than it looked, having to remember to co-ordinate with other puppets. However if you are a shy person, never say you cannot do puppets. The strength of puppet ministry is that behind a screen no one sees you: only the puppet is visible, which is great.
The key to a successful puppet group, as always lies with practice: practice does make perfect. or as close as we may ever get. The enthusiasm found in puppet groups has led young people in churchesto grow in number from seven to thirty - and of course puppets can engage all abilities, including children and young people with special educational needs, which is such a positive bonus for church and community.
If you thought, “This is great but what about us?”, just watch this space. A church group currently meeting in Northumberland hopes to participate in the ‘Morpeth Gathering' next year. Also, some of our ministers have seen puppets at work and have some of their own too, so this could be set go further then you think.
If any of what you have read thus far has whetted your appetite to explore more, then there is an opportunity to have a go for yourself, and ask questions about puppet ministry and much more, at the ecumenical children's ministry conference A Heart4Children at Bethany Christian Centre, Houghton–le-Spring on September 30th 2006.
More information from Hannah Middleton, Synod Children's Officer