Resourcing audiences of all ages to encounter the story of Jesus and awaken to the universal presence of love.
Values
Mythic storytelling – Sacred Canopy approaches New Testament narrative mythically. This is not to say the story of Jesus is falsified, but rather it recovers the relevance of an old story to the times and challenges in which we live. What’s more such a telling of the story of Jesus engages all the best traits of myth that are so captivating to kid’s imaginations (i.e., a multi-tiered universe, awakening to one’s full humanity, struggle with darkness, the wellbeing of earthlings etc.). This approach is in contrast to traditional Sunday School materials which, whether they intend to or not, have often had the the effect of flattening Bible stories with their moralistic or theological agendas. Kids aren’t fooled.
Archetypal storytelling The Sacred Canopy method approaches the stories of Jesus and the early church as archetypes of the human experience. This is to say the stories of Jesus and his followers are as much stories about ourselves – who we are, our deepest struggles, our longing for wholeness and inclusion, and the pathway through suffering and loss that we are invited to walk.
A relational Jesus The Sacred Canopy method introduces kids to the person of Jesus as brother, friend and mentor. In other words, our materials emphasize a relational Jesus, human in every way yet with a grounding in God/Spirit that makes his presence safe as a place to seek refuge and to undergo conversion and spiritual growth.
A universal (resurrected) Christ Sacred Canopy materials distinguish the resurrected Christ from the person of Jesus (in other words, Christ is not Jesus last name, nor are the two names synonyms). When Jesus passed through the harrowing narrows of death without creating any more victims he emerged on the other side as a visible sign of the unitive presence at the centre of all living things.
Spiritual practises (eg. mindfulness and prayer) that nurture a relational connection to Jesus and an awakening to the universal Christ are important elements of the Sacred Canopy method.
Whole-body curriculum insists on an integration through learning of a young person’s mind, body and emotional life.
