Bhubaneswar: Carrying candles and singing carols was the most exciting part of festivities, said seven-year-old Riah, while her friend Reon enjoyed playing a shepherd in the Nativity play (portraying the birth of Jesus). Like Riah and Reon, children of Sunday School at Union Church here portrayed events from the Bible through colourful cultural programmes and showcased their talents as a part of Christmas celebrations.
More than 100 students of various ages are enrolled in the Sunday School, which aims to inculcate values among kids through storytelling and engaging them in various activities.
“We enjoyed every bit of the pre-Christmas celebration. We practised for so many weeks to present our play, choral song and musical perforamnces during the event. We came to know about the life of Jesus Christ, his principles and stories of the Bible. They are interesting and full of morals, which are applicable in every step of our lives,” said Samir Digal, a Class VIII student, who is attending Sunday School for the last few months.
Wearing colourful dresses and Santa Claus attire, children played music, sang in the choir, performed carols and recited memory verses, while each child performed and displayed their talents. Children acted in the Christmas skit, engaged in making decorations, and fashioned the crib, while the older children handled church decoration.
“At a time of degrading values, our Sunday School imparts the teachings and philosophies of the Bible through stories, songs and activities so that they imbibe faith in God. Apart from honing their talents, children are taught principles of social justice, kindness and compassion,” said J M Manna Whitson, secretary of the Union Church.
Parents said they are happy that children are not only learning the teachings of Bible but are also being taught how to behave socially, stay away from drugs, respect parents and elders, and show kindness and compassion to the poor, needy and elderly.
“With both parents working in nuclear families, children spend time alone or with gadgets. Sunday School has been a great source of hope for us that our children are being shown the right path. The show they presented for Christmas is really amazing,” said Priyanka Abraham, a parent.