Adult Learners' Week

Adult Learners’ Week is celebrated at the Mission in a ‘Jack in the Box’ service with jazz band and clowns! It was called 'Jack in the Box', because the world of learning is so full of surprises... the ninety year old learning computing, the young Mum learning to read and write, those born overseas learning English as a second language, the student become teacher. ‘Slinkies’ - springs - were hung from the church ceiling, decorated with ‘jack in the box’ faces painted by children from the Collegiate nursery. Drinks-mats, with strap-lines of learning encouragement, decorated the hymn-book shelves in the pews. So there were no end to the surprises sprung upon us, and indeed clowns were waiting in the wings as we celebrated that diversity and mix of adult learning, hearing the stories, telling the tales of doors opened, obstacles overcome, visions fulfilled, worlds discovered. Over a hundred visitors, most with little or no traditional church connection, joined us at Bold Street Methodist Church for the time of fun and reflection on Sunday 13th May at 3pm. Led by minister of Warrington Methodist Mission, the Rev Stephen Kingsnorth, a member of the Adult Learners’ Week Steering group, the service was attended by the Mayor and her consort. Prayer balloons were released. The local Salvation Army jazz musicians, "Majazzical" played for the hymns and songs, and indeed the accompaniment, as the clowns mimed the sadness of being bound by chains of ignorance, a past where opportunities had been lost. Then the ‘fools’ applied fresh face-paint in celebration of the opening up of hope for all who would seek new possibilities. This year’s "service? May 19th 2002, 3pm at the Mission...