By Dorothy Henderson

Inviting Space:

A Practical Guide to Creating Beautiful Learning Spaces in Churches

By Dorothy Henderson

© The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 2004 Permission is granted for photocopying the fol lowing pages: 9-14 Writer: Dorothy Henderson Design: Matthew Donnel ly Print ing: Rel iable Print ing Every effort has been made to trace copyrights on the materials included in this book. I f any copyrighted material has nevertheless been included with-out permission and due acknowledgement, proper credit wi l l be inserted in a future print ing after not ice has been received. The Presbyterian Church in Canada 50 Wynford Drive Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 1J7 Printed in Canada

Introduction Why Inviting Space?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

A Theology of the Beautiful In the image of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hospitality: Inviting space welcomes. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 “Learning” beauty through the senses . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 All true beauty is inclusive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 True beauty in variety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Assessing How surroundings foster good Christian education. .7 Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The assessment tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Conversation after the tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Planning your new design Design elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Draft a budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Put the plan into action Involve church leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Involve volunteers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Special problems for educational spaces Dealing with clutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Working with small spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Using the sanctuary as learning space . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Making large spaces inviting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Creating multi-use rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Coping with noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Appendices Easy display ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Low cost solutions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Print and internet resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The use of colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Welcoming people with special mobility needs . . . . 26

Have you considered that space has a spir i tual dimension? Quietly enter a log cabin chapel in the woods. Tiptoe up the aisle of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Both spaces have profound spir i tual dimensions. Likewise, the learning spaces we provide in our churches have a last ing ef-fect on spir i tual development. Both the echoing, cavernous auditorium and the yeasty aroma of fresh bread in a “Mary-Martha kitchen” wi l l teach. Which environment wi l l have a more posit ive impact on the learner? Which is more l ikely to lead to l i fe-long fai th in Jesus Christ? The intent of this book-let is to help congregations take seriously the spir i tual dimension of their learning spaces so these spaces are enriched and posit ive. In 2003, the national Church Education Advisory Committee of The Presby-terian Church in Canada began a project cal led Invi t ing Space . This commit-tee was convinced that learning environments real ly do matter. Careful use of learning space increases active learning, prevents disrupt ive behaviour, creates interest and curiosity, and communicates that, just as God sur-rounds us with love, the congregation cherishes chi ldren and youth in the careful way we welcome people of al l ages into a learning space. Using an attractive, creat ive ad, the committee offered congregations across Canada an opportunity to apply for a $500 grant to transform a learning en-vironment. The committee asked, “Do you have a dumpy, dreary educa-t ion space in your church? Transform an uninspir ing educational space into an attract ive learning environment. Make a dreary space into a place where chi ldren and youth want to be.” The ad, placed in our nat ional mai l-ing (cal led PCPak) inspired over 50 congregations to write or cal l for an ap-pl ication form. By the appl icat ion deadline, the committee received 28 appl i-cations. These submissions were wel l-planned, diverse and, above al l , crea-t ive. In an attempt to be fair , the members of the Christ ian Education Advisory Committee had an impart ial person remove al l identi fy ing congregational references. The appl ications were sorted by province and terr i tory and clas-sif ied according to size: “family” for membership under 100; “pastoral” under 150, “program” under 350 and “corporate” for those with over 400 members. From the 30 submissions the Committee chose 8 based on the fol lowing cri ter ia: • Need • Creativi ty of project • Creativi ty of appl ication

The projects themselves were truly imaginat ive: • A damp, mildewed basement wi l l t ransform into a Garden of Eden, a Tent Room, a Temple Room and a mountain-side trompe l ’oei l . • A “junk room” wi l l become a funct ioning mult i -purpose room. • A hal l wi l l become four educational spaces—Bible story area, craft and play areas, quiet space where people can gather their thoughts. • A small , crowded basement wil l be careful ly re-al located to accommode babies, toddlers, school age chi ldren and teens. • A large, downtown church wil l add an “art ark” for art displays in their gathering hal l . This wi l l be avai lable to the homeless on evenings when their con-gregation hosts the “Out of the Cold” program. • An old coal bin wi l l be transformed into a youth centre.

• As part of “A Decorat ing Challenge” rooms wil l be trans-formed into an art ists’

studio, a storytel l ing tent, a mult i -media area and a “Kenya mission room.” • A small rural church wi l l change a “blank slate corner” into a cozy hut for story t ime, s ing-a-longs, puppet shows.

The Church Education Committee was aware that, i f a congregation appl ied for a grant to transform a learning environment, they were already wel l on their way to making i t happen. People saw a need; they had a vision. In fact, many of the appl icat ions expressed thoughts l ike this, “Even i f we don’t re-ceive a grant, we have begun a much needed process at looking at our edu-cational spaces with new eyes.” In order to encourage al l congregations—whether they obtained the money or not—the committee decided to produce a booklet enti t led Living Space: A Practical Guide to Creating Beauti ful Learning Spaces in Churches.

Last year we had exchange students from Thai land staying in our home. Be-cause they grew up in a Buddhist tradit ion, most had never been inside a Christ ian church. When we took them with us to worship, they were amazed at the drama, the stained glass, the banners, the wood carving, the dis-play case ful l of beauti ful s i lver. For those of us who have known these things al l our l ives, we have become accustomed to their beauty and sometimes fai l to not ice them. What happens i f our worship area is not beauti ful? Could we st i l l worship God? Of course, but i t would not have the r ichness that comes when sur-rounded and embraced by beauti ful things. What happens i f our educational spaces are ugly? Can we sti l l learn about the amazing beauty of Jesus? Of course, but i t wi l l not have the depth of meaning and sense of connectedness that comes when surrounded by places that soothe the soul and fuel the imaginat ion. The chi ldren in our churches can learn about Noah, Esther, Moses and Christ in a damp, mil-dewed basement. But, what more would they learn i f they were in a room transformed into • an “Israel i Household” • an “Old World Map Room” • a “Storytel l ing Tent” • an “Al l Creatures Great and Small Art Room” • a “Hear i t Through the Grapevine Mission Room” • a “Buried Treasure Room” with a “treasure is land” for learning about bib-l ical history and geography • a “Family Room” for learning about great people of the Bible • a “Dream Team Imagination Room” • an “Oak Branch Playhouse” for puppets and drama • a “Tree Top Theatre” for movies and popcorn • a “Great Feast Dining Room” or a “Mary and Martha Kitchen” for bibl ical snacks • an “Easel Area” or an “Art Park” to display some of the great rel igious art of the

There is an amusing story about a Sunday school teacher who talked with her class about what God looks l ike. They agreed that i t was impossible to describe the appearance of God. However, one chi ld picked up her crayons and began to work. Her teacher asked what she was doing and she said, “Everyone wi l l know what God looks l ike when I am done colouring my pic-ture.” Whether or not we can describe the lovel iness of God, we have seen his beauty in Jesus. The stor ies of Jesus’ l i fe l ived ful ly, lovingly, thoughtful ly, purposeful ly and forceful ly are accounts of incredible beauty that have in-spired the world for over 2,000 years. We know that God has a heart for beauty. Genesis 1:10 says, “And God saw what God had created. And i t was beauti ful .” Beauty keeps us tuned into the Spir i t of God. Beauty reminds us to continue to work on the original seven-day mas-

terpiece unti l al l the world is f i l led with the passion and beauty of God. We are created in the

image of God (Genesis 1:26) and every t ime we create or not ice something beauti ful , we part ic ipate with God in re-creation. The Bible gives us direction and stor ies about hospital i ty and invit ing space. When Abraham and Sarah welcome the three strangers at Mamre, offer them food and drink, they are revealed as God’s messengers. Looking back on this story, the author of Hebrews wri tes, “Do not neglect to show hospi-tal i ty to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing i t” (Hebrews 13:2). As Marjor ie Thompson points out in her book Soul Feast , we are, at one and the same t ime, guests in God’s world and hosts in God’s world.1 God wel-comes us; we welcome others. God cal ls us “family” and our homes become a laboratory for pract icing hospital i ty. Hospital i ty becomes the centre of our l ives because i t is the cl imate in which we relate to God and others. What does hospital i ty have to do with making and maintaining beauti ful spaces? A beauti ful space says at least these things: “We’ve been expect-ing you. We want you to be comfortable. We want to share with you. This bui lding/room is accessible for you. This room/area gives you the freedom to reveal yourself as you choose. In this space, you need not fear personal at-tack, al lergic reactions, reject ion or cement-block grayness.” To a chi ld or youth a beauti ful space says, “We wi l l not impede learning for you. Our learning areas wi l l not convey monotony or st i f le creativi ty. Our rooms and spaces wil l be bright, safe and welcoming, especial ly for newcomers.”

The human senses can open for us opportunit ies to think more deeply and become more sensit ive to new real i t ies. They can also open us to a new awareness of God. In recent years the mult iple intel l igence theory of Howard Gardner has opened our eyes to a myriad of ways of learning—through words, through logic and pattern, through seeing, moving and rhythm. The beauty of this theory is that, whi le we have preferred ways of learning, the theory is also hol ist ic. I f we are unable to use our eyes to learn, we can use our nose or our ears. In the foreword to 7 Ways of Teaching the Bible to Adults, Dick Murray tel ls the story of losing most of his sight and learning to enjoy, in communion, the smell and taste of bread and wine. He says, “ I am grateful for an imaginative God who provides such variety.”2

Scene 1: The l ights are off . There is clutter on the table. Someone has for-gotten to empty the trash and i t has begun to smell . The glue from the art work of last week has hardened on the table. Scene 2: Warm yel low l ight f loods l ike sunshine in the work area. The walls are creamy white. Orange and red origami papers arranged on the gleaming table top suggest that something interest ing wi l l happen soon. From the cor-ner, the aroma of fresh bread sl ips from a bread maker. A si lky cloth, drap-ing a rough hewn cross, begs you to touch.

Which scene would you rather have touching the

senses in your teaching area?

Robert is an act ive 6-year-old; some might cal l him “hyper.” One day, after hearing and seeing a beauti ful , sensate tel l ing of the parable “The Great Pearl ,” Robert picked up a paint box and paper. For 15 minutes he slowly, careful ly and colorful ly recreated a story about the Kingdom of Heaven. Erica, a 23-year-old with Downs Syndrome, regular ly comes to worship with her parents. There are other places that Erica does not l ike to go—she is not fond of shopping malls—but she l ikes church. Why? She loves to look at the pictures in the stained glass windows and hear the beauti ful music. Al l people, with varying abi l i t ies and ages, are creat ive beings. The aes-thet ic dimension of l i fe can be understood, enjoyed and created by every-one. Inclusivi ty may be as simple as displaying a picture with Jesus sur-rounded by chi ldren and adults of al l races and abi l i t ies or adding a painting of chi ldren and adults sharing a celebratory feast together.

Remind people of the diversi ty of God’s creat ion by providing a First Nations rug on your f loor, an Afr ican basket for an offering plate, a vibrant primary-coloured Guatemalan cross on the door. Good places to shop for i tems l ike these are the Mennonite Central Committee’s stores, Ten Thousand Vi l lages. Visit the website www.vi l lages.ca for store locations.

What is the most beauti ful music for worship or Sunday schools? Bach with i ts complex, intertwining motifs? Popular choruses providing l i fe- long suste-nance? Hymns from the Reformation reminding us of history and connected-ness? Contemporary Christ ian rock with i ts soul-awakening assert iveness? Most of us would opt for a combination of these genres. While we may have personal preferences, we seem to intui t that variety is essential to opening our minds. Variety helps us attend to ideas and concepts of fai th that are not evident when we always do things the same way. Invi t ing spaces wil l have variety as part of the theology of the beauti ful . This variety wil l be expressed through a range of colour, textures, shapes, smells, and l ines.

How do surroundings foster good Christ ian education? Why is i t important to put t ime and effort into the environment? Here are some reasons: • An attract ive and orderly learning space communicates that you care about the learning and the learners in your congregation. • Having spaces that are geared to the age and abi l i ty of the learner gives a sense of belonging, a feel ing of ownership. • The more invi t ing the space, the higher the retent ion for learning. Con-versely, poor design hampers productivi ty, makes one feel i rr i tated, sleepy or non-engaged. Some brain based research studies show that enrichment environments actu-al ly change the brain and increase learning. • A beauti ful learning space begins to “teach” the moment the learner walks in the room. I t begins to teach before the teacher opens his/her mouth. • Enthusiasm for learning is encouraged by the use of the room itself . The

room may be cal led “the forgotten aspect of curriculum.”

• Everyone feels more posit ive when some needed renovations or improve-ments are made. I f you have had the experience of doing renovations or adding a new room to your home, recal l the pride with which you showed the new area to guests when they came over for dinner. You and four others from your congregation (al l of whom are members of your Christ ian Nurture Committee) have agreed that something needs to be done about the learning spaces in your church. You cal l yourself the “Invit ing Space Task Group.” Meet the others: Tom is a parent and a Sun-day school teacher; Becky is his teenage daughter; Joan is the minister; and

3. The committee reviews their reasons for this involvement by reading the section “How surroundings foster good Christ ian education,” (see page 1). 4. The committee commits to doing some prel iminary work—an assessment tour, a v isioning plan for changes, and a draft budget. The committee also com-mits to br inging church leaders on board as soon as this work is done. Further, the committee commits i tself to involving as many church members and adherents as

possible to complete the plans.

The Invi t ing Space Task Group is now ready for the “Assessment Tour.” Before start ing the tour, give everyone a copy of the checkl ist , pp 9-14. I f you have several learning spaces to consider, do a separate checkl ist for each. Do you wish to do the tour si lently and discuss your f indings later? Or do you prefer to talk as you go? Before you enter each area, discuss the future purpose of the area. Is this space to be designated for one age level only? Wil l community groups need the space? Wil l i t be used for congregational fel lowship functions? I t is im-portant to define the purpose of the area for the future before going on the

tour. Otherwise, you wi l l f i l l in the chart based on the use of the area in the past.

Note: As you enter the room, and while you are checking through this l ist, kneel down or stand on a chair to bring yourself to the height of the learner who uses the area. For instance, if a room is used by 2-5 year old children and you are an adult, get down on your knees so you can see things from their perspective.

The tour of this learning space had 13 sections. The group leader should tabulate on a chart paper the areas of concern. I f there was division in the answers—e.g. Jake and Jean say, “Yes, there is good air qual i ty,” whi le you, Tom and Becky al l say, “No, the room is stuffy,” mark this with a yel low star. Return to i t later. With a green hi- l ighter, mark the things that are strengths in the room—items that al l or most of you agree on. With a red hi-l ighter, mark the areas that you al l agree are poor. You now have an orien-tat ion to action. (GO!)

Entrance(s)

Lighting

Stop in the entrance(s). What is the first impression of the room?

What is the focal point in the room?

Are there coat racks? How accessible are they for the people who use this area?

Are water fountains and washrooms accessible?

Questions Comments Rating

Is the lighting adequate?

Are there ways to in-crease natural lighting?

Is there glare?

Do the walls and ceilings reflect light?

Questions Comments Rating

Space

* The smaller the learner, the more space required. Crowded circumstances contribute to misbehavior.

If the room is for young children, is there space for movement?*

If the room is for older chil-dren and youth, is there space for games and activities?

Are reading or work cen-tres out of traffic flow ar-eas?

What is the room capac-ity? Is this posted?

Questions Comments Rating

Are there areas for dis-play—walls, dividers, bul-letin boards, chalkboards?

Are the display boards at eye-level and work-level for the age of the learners?

Is there a regular clean up of the student work?

Are there out-of-season or dated posters and pictures on display?

Questions Comments Rating

Air Quality

Storage

Questions Comments Rating Is there good ventilation?

Is there a pleasant or neu-tral smell in the room?

Is there a moderate room temperature?

Is there adequate storage?

Is the storage easy to get at?

If this is a multi-use room, do different groups have storage areas?

Do people have access to keys if the storage units need to be locked for safety?

Questions Comments Rating

Health & Safety

Questions Comments Rating Is there a posting of where all age levels meet?

Are there waste baskets?

Is there a regular clean-up of the area?

If food is part of the pro-gram, is there a fridge and sink nearby?

Are fire exits clearly marked?

Are fire and emergency procedures posted in each area?

Do doors push open from the inside?

Are railings situated at the height of the users?

If there any danger zones, are these clearly marked?

Accessibility

Questions Comments Rating Could someone in a wheelchair, on crutches, or using a walker use this area? If not, what modifications would need to be made?

Questions Comments Rating Are there adequate sup-plies for the children (e.g. good scissors, glue, paper, pencils, workbooks)?

Are there musical instru-ments available (e.g. pi-ano, percussion, cassette, CD player)?

If this is a preschool room, are the building blocks, cribs, books, puzzles and displays safe, clean and up to modern standards?

Questions Comments Rating Are there ways to control, absorb or deflect class-room noise?

Furniture

Colour

Questions Comments Rating Are the chairs and tables appropriate for the age of the learner?

Is the furniture clean and undamaged?

Questions Comments Rating Does the room reflect the age using it? For instance, a dramatic black and white painted floor may be won-derful for the youth room but not great for the nursery.

Are there decorations that express beauty and func-tion?

Is there a moderate room temperature?

This is probably the best t ime to spl i t your work group into two groups. But, before you go, brainstorm some ways that the learning area can become more attractive and beauti ful . I f i t helps, use the l ist on pages 2 and 3 to in-spire you to “think outside the box.” Paint a f ict ional picture of what could be. Don’t hold back. This is brainstorming, so al l ideas can be fanciful and without a pr ice tag. Assign two pieces of work—one for the “r ight brained” creative people and another for the logical ones on your committee. Joan has a house ful l of beauti ful art and tasteful décor. Becky does the stage props at her school play. Everyone agrees that Joan and Becky should take the information they acquired from the tour and create a draft /design of what the space might become. Tom is an accountant and l ikes facts and f igures. Jake admits that he is just plain tradit ional, and you l ike to f igure things out as you might f igure a puzzle. The three agree that your group wil l look at the “yel low” and “red” areas (the areas that need im-proving) and see i f , regardless of what Joan and Becky might propose, you can improve on some of the shortcomings of the learning area. Wait! We’ve forgotten one important thing. Who wi l l be using this room? We need to ask their opinion. • Are they pre-schoolers? Even pre-schoolers can be asked, “What is your

favouri te colour? What is your favouri te toy?” • Are they school age chi ldren? These chi ldren can be asked, “What is the

favouri te part of your bedroom? What is the favouri te part of your class-room at school?3

• Are they teens? They can be asked, “I f you had permission to decorate your bedroom any way you l iked, what would you do?”

• Are they adults? Ask adults, “In what type of environment do you learn best? Do you l ike to si t in sofas, around a table, with music, with bright or subdued l ighting? Do you l ike space to move? Do you l ike activi ty or ref lect ion?”

I t is important to consult the people who will be using the learning space. It gives people ownership of their environment and they are much more likely to treat the area with care and respect.

I t is not necessary to have a professional consultant for your new design. But, by al l means, ask around your congregation to see i f anyone works in this area or does design as a serious hobby. You may be surprised to discover how many people are ad-dicted to the Home and Garden Television network and have a keen interest in this area! As you plan, keep in mind the elements and principles of design: Elements Principles

shape of the room balance texture of the wal ls rhythm

colour of room harmony scale proport ion You’ve done the tour. You’ve done your homework. Now i t is t ime to share what you have done. You, Tom, and Jake present your report on what could be done to im-prove the “yel low” and “red” areas. Becky and Joan bring in their creat ive design. You work together on the plan and i t looks terr i f ic. Everyone feels posit ive and ex-ci ted about i t . You are ready to present i t to the church leadership. But f i rst you need to work on a budget. I t is important to have the church leadership behind you and support ive of your project. Having a rough budget is an important part of that plan. A budget should include cost for at least these things: • Paint • Equipment or furniture • Renovations • Suppl ies • Labour that must be contracted (e.g. electr ic ian) and wi l l be donated (e.g. painting)

Housecleaning One of the tr icky problems in church l ife is the discarding of do-nated items and left-behind treas-ures. Here is a suggested proce-dure: Ask people on the design team to gather to-gether al l i tems that have been “house-cleaned.” Announce to members of the congregation that these i tems, while sti l l useful, are not helpful to the new design. Invite members to take any of

Helpful Hint Tour other churches and consult other congregations about where they

I t is vi tal ly important to involve church leadership throughout the process. The more church leaders who are on board with your vision, the less resis-tance there wi l l be to change. Keith Boyer, Regional Staff person for the Synod of Central and Northern Ontario in The Presbyterian Church in Canada, says that, “Growth cannot happen without change and change in-variably br ings some confl ict .” The key is to plan and communicate care-ful ly so confl ict remains at a low and manageable level. Change can make people nervous. As your church school improvements go through a t ime of transit ion, some members of your congregation or even your planning group, at f i rst excited about the idea, may begin to question the changes. I f this happens, i t is important to remain calm and understand why this is happen-ing. Change can be fr ightening. The more prepared you are and the better your plans, the more able your planning group wi l l be to withstand pressure. Those of you who are planning the change should ask, “ Who are the people who real ly must be involved in whether or not this change can go forward?” You may want to start with the sage advice of the minister, the clerk of ses-sion or the chair of the board of managers or his/her equivalent in your con-gregation. These people may not have had opportunity to part ic ipate in the prior steps as you did, so al low some t ime for them to catch up. Ask, “Who is the best person on our team to make the presentat ion to church leaders?” Then, make sure that the others are there to support and answer questions. Prior to making a presentation, try i t out on the rest of your planning group. Ask them to “play the devi l ’s advocate,” that is, ask tough quest ions which may be asked by others. Your presentation should include: • A summary of how you arrived at the plan (the tour, your discussion after the tour) • A summary of what you propose • A summary of how the church as a whole wi l l benefi t f rom the renova-t ion/creation • A t imel ine for the changes

Some years ago I attended a workshop by Marlene Wilson, the great guru of volunteerism. We were a large group of non-profi t workers. She asked us to do an exercise that I have never forgotten. She said, “ I f you had t ime and energy, put up your hands i f someone approached you to do a volunteer job and i t was…” Then, she ran through a l ist of possible jobs ranging from accounting to apply nai l pol ish in a nursing home. To my surprise, a good number of hands went up for every volunteer posit ion. That exercise was a good lesson to me—“Ask and they wi l l come.” Previ-ously, I made assumptions about volunteers. I f I didn’t f ind a volunteer posi-t ion attract ive, I assumed that others wouldn’t ei ther. Now I real ize that peo-ple volunteer for a wide variety of reasons and with an equal ly wide range of interest. As you prepare to change an environment, make a l ist of al l the possible volunteer tasks that can be f i l led by members and adherents of the congregation. Set a specif ic t ime so people wi l l know how much t ime is expected. Your volunteer posit ions might include: • Accountant • Scrounger of materials • Shopper • Cleaner • Carpenter • Painter • Supervisor of project

• Store supplies in stacking see-through containers for easy locat ing. • Provide each learning area with a basic supply ki t . Depending on the age, each area should have Bibles, penci ls, paper, crayons, markers, scissors, con-struct ion paper, glue. • Have storage boxes and waste containers clearly labeled so learners can help clean up at the end of each session. • I f you have a storage cupboard, post a l ist on the inside door of the in-ventory of suppl ies. Have you seen a l ist on the back of publ ic washrooms? “This washroom was last cleaned by ____ at __ a.m.” Post a chart l ike this on the storage cupboard. “The inventory of suppl ies in this cupboard was last checked by ____ on __date__.” • I t is possible to create a storage area by hanging fabric or a curtain that matches the décor. Instal l a track from the cei l ing a few feet from the wal l and hide

your extra

materials. • Have a regular t ime to get r id of real trash and sort out odds and ends. Throw out dr ied-up glue, t iny pieces of crayon or chalk, dr ied paints, scissors that do not cut, short stubs of penci ls, fading fel t-t ip markers and small bi ts of paper. Sort odds and ends into smal l boxes or containers—construction paper, fabric scraps, pipe cleaners, wal lpaper samples. • I f you have leftover curr iculum, offer i t to famil ies

for home use.

“Do we really need this?” Many Sunday school rooms get doubled as storage for the church. This creates c lut ter and is d is-pleasing to the eye and annoying to the teacher and learners. I f there is unwanted clut ter in an area, ask, “ Is th is needed by our congregat ion?” I f not , d iscard or recycle the i tem. I f i t is needed, f ind a spot for i t in a

• Do you have a storage room that could be converted into a class area? Bui ld a storage shed to free up that space. • Consider double session church school, ei ther before and after worship, or during each session of double worship.

• Change furniture i f

the current furniture is bulky or overstuffed. • Use the front pew and gather chairs around i t in a half moon style. • Use the f loor for si t t ing space and add pi l lows for comfort and interest. • Place a piece of painted plywood on several pews to create a table. • Make painted lap boards for personal use. • Use covered storage boxes for work tables. • Unscrew some pews from the f loor so they can be rearranged to make a cozy square

learning space. Use colourful cush-

ions to soften the area into more of a “ l iv ing-room” look. Add a f loor lamp, a worship table, a refreshment “coffee” table. • You may want to replace pews with high-quali ty church chairs so worship space can be easi ly converted to educational space.

• Use move- able screens, or room dividers deco-rated

with bibl ical scenes. • Create “rooms” within a room. In recent years, gar-deners have learned to create garden “rooms” in the backyard. In a simi lar way, use some of the ideas for theme areas found on pages 2 and 3 to create areas within a large space. • Create portable banners that can be brought out at Sunday school t ime to define the function of di f ferent areas. • Use ropes t ied between two chairs to produce “rooms” for di f ferent act ivi t ies. I t is important when sharing space to know and talk with the groups with

Setting up camp St. Columba by the Lake Presby-terian Church in Montreal creates a cozy, attrac-t ive tent, f i l led with colourful cushions, in the middle of a large, open, multi -use room. This can be used as a Bedouin tent, a bibl ical home, a

• I t may be necessary to have a locked storage cupboard. Make sure that al l teachers know where to f ind the key. Nothing is more frustrat ing to a volunteer teacher than not having access to suppl ies and equipment. • Use a chalkboard or whiteboard on an easel so things don’t need to be erased and can be put into a closet at the end of the day. • Create spaces and moods with portable cloth—place a blue blanket or

fabric on the f loor surrounded by plants to

simulate a bibl ical lake. Place a green blanket with f lowers to suggest a hi l ls ide, or a sand-coloured blanket and shel ls to suggest a beach. • Coordinate the learning t ime so that any act ivi ty that creates a lot of sound can be done as a large group act ivi ty to t ie together the day’s lesson at the be-ginning or the end. • Often adults are more concerned with noise than chi ldren. Ask, “Is the noise disruptive to the adults or the chi ldren?” I f i t is not bothering the chi l -dren, focus on how to help the teachers. • I f chi ldren are disrupt ively noisy, look at changing the teaching style. Chi ldren who are happi ly working on things that interest them are natural ly quiet. A good resource to help teachers understand di fferent learning styles is 7 Ways of Teach-ing the Bible to Chi ldren , Barbara Bruce, Abingdon, 1999. • As chi ldren enter, have soft c lassical music playing. This can have a soothing effect on chi ldren and set a tone for ref lection rather than rambunctious play. • Often when teachers complain about noise, i t is because the chi ldren en-ter a learning space and things are not prepared for them. They respond by creating their own activ i ty…and i t ’s usual ly noisy. Often the best ant idote for noise—be prepared with engaging act ivi t ies and some choice of activi ty.

• Set off a chi ld’s art piece by placing a picture in middle of construction paper. • Use construct ion paper to offset a picture. (wi l l add photo in f inal ver-sion) • Make a three dimensional effect by putt ing pictures on a board backed with an arrangement of construct ion paper. Create a three-dimensional frame for each picture. • When using maps, place t i t le of important locations near the border of the bul let in board and run yarn from label to locat ion on the map. • Use cotton for texture—bunny tai ls, snow, smoke, animals. • When adding people to a bul let in board, create texture by adding yarn or cotton for hair, c loth for robes, vinyl for sandals, wal lpaper for trees or f lowers. • Make peek-a-boo messages where people can open a “window” or “door” to discover a message or picture. • The word “free” often attracts people to a board describing a church pro-gram. • Put “coupons” in a pocket on a board. These can al low chi l -

dren to do a number of things—borrow a paint box this week, take the “stewardship bear” home for the week,4 or something suitable to your si tuat ion. • Create 3-D effects by cutt ing a picture or shape from construct ion paper or magazine, then gluing a slab of Styrofoam behind i t to a poster. • Outl ine a bul let in board with crepe paper to match the l i turgical seasons, wal lpaper sample borders, white picket fence along the bottom or three inch de-signer r ibbon. • Establish a worship centre/table by covering a small table with a cloth that is the colour of the l i turgical season. (You wi l l need green, white, red and pur-ple cloth; some churches also use blue for Advent.)

• Carpet stores are often wi l l ing to donate carpet samples for chi ldren’s programs. • Large appl iance boxes can be painted or decorated for art nooks, quiet corners, music centres. I f the box is cut down one edge, i t can be stored f lat when it is not being used. • Invi te older chi ldren or youth to cut large animal or bibl ical shapes from

appl iance boxes. Paint and adhere to wal l . These

can be changed regular ly. • Introduce l iv ing things to your environment—a fish tank, plants, a small t ree. Print Releasing the Creative Spir i t , Alyson Huntly, Seasons of the Spir i t , 2003. Church Business: Chi ldren’s Spaces with a Christ ian Bend , Jan Hubbard, August 2002. Internet

I f you have a healthy budget, you might consider a company that wi l l help you through the creat ion and design process to meet your budget and space requirements. Design Directions for Church School, Ltd., offers themed rooms and interior design experts. Their phone number is (847) 564-0676. They also offer free consultat ion over the internet at their website www.churchschooldesign.com/ideas. We are surrounded by colour in God’s wonderful world—blue skies, green grass, pink roses, br i l l iant yel low sunshine, sparkl ing white snow, fragrant brown earth. Whether soft and mellow, bold and vibrant, pure or muted, col-ours rejuvenate the spir i t , calm our souls, enl iven our interest. Using colour in creative ways can enlarge or diminish a space, make i t seem warm and comfort ing or cool and sophist icated. The Hebrew bibl ical wri ters recorded their fascinat ion with colour, too, in the creation of the sacred tent. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tel l everyone is Israel who wants to give gif ts… Here is a l ist of what you are to col lect: Gold, si l-ver, and bronze, blue, purples and red wool…’” (Exodus 2-4a). For those of us in the church, colour describes our l i turgical seasons and leads us through our church year. We ant icipate the change of colour both

Soon after birth, a baby can respond to colour. The f irst colour a chi ld sees and relates to is red. Favouri te toys of young chi ldren are usual ly red. Young chi ldren cry more when they are in rooms painted yel low, because yel low is the most dif f icul t colour for the eye to see. Knowing about physiological and learned responses can be helpful when trying to decide on a colour scheme for a room with a specif ic purpose such as church school classroom, meeting room, off ice space or general mult i -function spaces around the church.

Colour

Effect

Use

Red, burgundy, br ick, wine

• Hot, warm, st imulat ing, enr ich-ing, exci t ing • Red is a “ touch me” colour • Stimulates appet i te, ra ises en-ergy levels and b lood pressure

Use in smal l areas, ex-ercise rooms, cafes; avoid in s tudies and l ibrar ies

Pink, rose, b lush, salmon shel l

• Nurtur ing, gent le, relaxing, se-dat ing, rest ful • Offers a posi t ive ref lect ion on sk in, creat ing a heal thy glow

Often good for the eld-er ly and young

Orange, peach, rust , terra-cotta

• Warm or hot colour • Gives feel ing of support and f r iendl iness • Aids digest ion • Has strong associat ion wi th thirs t (orange pop looks more refresh-

Use in k i tchens, p lay areas, s tudies, bed-rooms, l iv ing/din ing rooms or wherever gre-gar iousness, act iv i ty and jovia l i ty is expected

Yel low, pr im-rose, cream, ochre, gold

• Bright, l ively, warm, sunny • Most di f f icul t colour for the eye to see so i t is hard to be in a yel-low room for long per iods of t ime • Psychological associat ion to sunshine

Use in l iv ing/dining rooms, fami ly rooms and k i tchen

Colour

Effect

Use

Green, mint, seagreen, apple green, leaf, fern

• Creates a quiet , t ranqui l room, sense of comfort , quiet , re laxat ion • An “undemanding colour,” nei-ther too hot nor too cold • Cools and enlarges space • Can be cold and neutral on i ts own

Use anywhere except a cold or dark room; do not use in an act ivi ty room

Turquoise • Creates a cool larger room, fresh, upl i f t ing • Does not dis tract, c lears the

Use for smal l rooms, in study, teens room, gym; do not use in d in ing room

Blue, duck egg, Wedgwood, per iwinkle, sky, royal

• Creates large cool a iry sense • Most popular of a l l the colours • Relaxing, peaceful , non-

Use in areas where people re lax or where people enjoy being alone; do not use in

Violet • Creates a medi tat ive or melan-choly mood

May be ef fect ive in a medi tat ion room, sanc-tuary, s tudy

Purple • Warm but powerful • Can lower blood pressure, sup-press appet i te, quel l in ternal ten-s ion and calm over-act ive glands • Can be a di f f icul t colour to l ive wi th for long per iods • Strong associat ions with f lower scents, royal ty and rel ig ion

Use in entrance hal ls , s tudy

White • Creates a cool & airy feel ing • Can be cold and c l in ical

Wonderful as an accent; use in a l l rooms wi th contrast ing colours or other shades of white

Colour

Effect

Use

Black • Makes space seem smaller • Can be t i r ing or make you feel

Use spar ingly to high-l ight other colours

Brown • Warm, nurtur ing, earthy comfort • Makes you feel safe, sol id, rel i -able, sense the comfort of home • Has strong wholesome food associat ions—brown bread,

Use wi th warm neutrals; can be used to set of f other colours; can be used in a l l areas

Brown, gray, dove gray (warm), s teel gray (cold)

• Most neutral of al l colours • Not distract ing but can be bland and uninspir ing alone • Can negat ively af fect people

Use spar ingly to high-l ight other colours

Gold • Adds sparkle, r ichness • Provides inspirat ion

Use to accent other col-ours; avoid large ex-panses

Silver • Cool, s igni f ies change • Feminine

Use to accent other col-ours; avoid large ex-panses

Some of our church members use wheelchairs, walkers, canes, braces or crutches. Means of assistance are often expensive (e.g. bui lding ramps) but they are also of great benefi t to people who move heavy equipment, people carrying in bags of groceries for a church dinner or parents with baby strol l -ers. Here are some ways to widen congregational hospital i ty:

• provide outside barrier-free access including curbcuts, street level or ramped entrances • provide 32” doorways • designate 12’ 6” wide parking spaces near the accessible entrances • i f you have an elevator, lower the control panels • provide an accessible source of water; i f a drinking fountain or cooler cannot be lowered, provide a cup dispenser beside i t

• the metal stal l dividers in most bathrooms represent a major barr ier for people in wheelchairs; i f i t is not possible to remodel immediately to include an accessible stal l , remove the metal wal ls ent irely, and surround the toi let area with a hospital curtain; this temporary measure al lows privacy and is easi ly accom-pl ished • extend hand rai ls beyond the top or bottom step, a feature helpful to those with braces, crutches, canes and walkers • instal l f i rm carpet ing and reduce f loor sl ickness • shorten several pews so one or more wheelchairs can f i t into the main body of the congregation and not be placed awkwardly in aisles • move the locat ion of any classroom that is inaccessible • think about room arrangements for al l meetings, coffee hour gatherings or receptions ( Is there clearance in hal ls? Is the meeting or eat ing table a convenient height? Are there loose or curl ing rugs that wi l l impede travel? Are there enough chairs for people who t i re easi ly?) • set microphones at the appropriate height and locat ion to be easi ly ac-cessible have someone avai lable to open heavy doors.

For more information on welcoming people with visual impairment, deaf-ness, mental i l lness, developmental delay, learning disabi l i ty or chronic i l l -ness, read That Al l May Worship: An Interfai th Welcome to People with Disabi l i t ies (Washington: National Organization on Disabi l i ty, 1992). To or-der this resource, visi t the organizat ion’s website at www.nod.org/publ icat ions.