Choosing a theme
Faced with an assembly to do ?
The worst thing in the world is being told "just do anything" .
Where do you start?
How do you come up with a theme for your worship?
Worship should be real - arising out of the real experiences of everyday life. It isn't simply a box to tick for the benefit of the Ofsted inspectors. It is a way of helping the pupils and staff to express and reflect on things which are important to them.So the key is to look at what is really happening for both children and adults.
Here are some brief suggestions for doing that.
1. What is happening in school?
The events of the week may give you a place to start. Is it sports day - how about something about winning and losing, or being part of a team? Is the school photographer coming in? - a good moment to think about how we see ourselves and how others see us. Is it SATS week? Maybe some reflection on feeling scared , or how we feel when we are being assessed will be important?
The idea is easy - just have a look in your school calendar.
2. What is happening in the world?
There may be great events unfolding - disasters or joys. The children will see these things on the news, and talk about them in the playground, so they are a good place to start. You can often find photos in the newspapers which can be photocopied or scanned onto acetates to provide a visual focus.
3. Seasons
The passing seasons are often good to celebrate in collective worship. Spring, summer, autumn and winter are obvious - but what about things like the moment when the clocks go back ? -an obvious time to think about darkness and light.
The natural shape of the school year can be marked too. The beginning and end of the year are moments for hello and goodbye, for looking back and looking forward. The start of the year can also be a good time for looking at the aims of the school , and its shared values.
Included in this consideration of the passing year must be the Church's Year.
The feasts and fasts which make up the cycle of the Church's year take in the full range of human emotion and experience. From the anticipation of Advent, to the small beginnings of the child in the manger, through the courage and fear of Holy Week , the despair of the crucifixion and the hope of the resurrection, the Church's year has it all. A more detailed guide to the year can be found here.
Many Churches follow the same pattern of Bible readings (called the Revised Common Lectionary - RCL). If I am stuck for a theme, I often simply look at the set readings for the week and see if anything suggests itself. You can find the readings at Textweek.com, along with links to material to explain them, as well as links to works of art on the net (which can often be printed onto acetate) and links to movies on the theme as well .