Plants tell Bible stories

 BOOM, boom, boom went the sticks on the garamut each morning to herald the start of the Sunday School teachers’ workshop. 

Church leaders in the Sos-Kundi language group living in remote East Sepik welcomed the new ideas presented in the workshop. 

They discovered they could use local materials found in nature to make Bible stories come alive.

One local material they used was the sago plant. 

Teachers manipulated its leaves to make the snake in the Garden of Eden, stars for the story of God’s promise to Abraham and balls for the slingshot in the David and Goliath story. 

They dug up clay from the riverbank to create miniature replicas of Noah’s boat and rolled up banana leaves as make-believe trumpets to use when announcing the return of Christ.

The Bible stories came alive through the interactive games.

Participants thought of Noah as they raced their boats, talked about Abraham as they hunted for stars and imitated David the shepherd boy as they aimed their slingshots. 

Their leaf-rocks may not have been strong enough to bring down the giant Goliath, but they did make the story memorable.

The 33 Sos-Kundi teachers learnt and practised the lessons each morning and in the afternoons taught the lessons to local children. 

When the trainers left the village, the teachers were filled with new ideas about how to make the Bible relevant and exciting for their students. 

The Sos-Kundi people gained a fresh enthusiasm for the ongoing translation of God’s Word in 

their language.

At the end of the workshop, the pastor’s wife said: “I was a Sunday school teacher for many years, but I only used a blackboard and chalk.

“Now I realise that I can use different things to help children learn God’s Word, even games.”

A woman from a neighbouring village announced: “I want to start a Sunday school in my community.” 

A young man begged the staff: “We want you to come back.”

His comment reflected the attitude of the entire community and their gratefulness for the workshop.