Last summer in Vancouver, British Columbia, a group of folks met for what is sometimes fondly referred to as “Peace Camp.” It’s the summer conference of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. Last summer the theme of the week was “Upon This Rock: Building a Culture of Peace.”

Karen Peters, an educator in Decatur, Georgia, came up with a memorable children’s activity that fit the theme of the week. She began with the gathering of rocks of different sizes (most had a flat side that could be decorated).

Once the rocks were gathered, the children (with supervision) painted words and images on the rocks. They were encouraged to think of things that would be true if the church were really being what we should be, or really doing what we really should do.

The children decorated the rocks with words and phrases like “nobody is hungry,” “peace for everybody,” “people don’t hit people,” “people love each other,” and “no more war.” Karen and her staff arranged the stones, with other objects from nature, on a foyer table just outside the main worship center.

This table-top “rock garden” made an profound impression on the adults attending the conference, as well as helping the children to understand what the church should be about.

Here’s an interesting idea for including the rock garden in a worship service: After the children have gathered and decorated their rocks (and after they have had time to dry), arrange for the children to process down the aisle of the sanctuary during the first hymn or the call to worship, carrying their rocks. They could then arrange them on the altar. The rocks could later be moved to the foyer for people to see them more closely -- perhaps for a couple of weeks.

-- lkc

-- Art by Sharon Rollins