Innovative Ways to Encourage Learning

Picture This!

Part of following Jesus is learning to “see” other persons and the world in new and different ways. Christians learn to see hope in the midst of trouble, to see joy in spite of pain, and to see God's hand in beauty, nature and other persons. Picture This! provides a fun end-of-summer approach to helping your congregation do a vision check-up. By taking and sharing photos, your church can sharpen its sight and strengthen its ministries.

Vision Check-up
Many times, our educational efforts focus on learning in a traditional classroom setting, and is heavy on "words". This learning event takes persons outside the church and into the world with their cameras. It also focuses more upon visual images than on words.

As you consider this emphasis, realize that persons can be involved at a variety of levels. Some will feel comfortable using a camera, while others will enjoy viewing the images and being part of the conversations. Children and youth can easily be involved in the program, if you wish to make it a full-church event. Some churches may instead prefer to make the first three sessions a small group activity, made up of those with skill and interest in photography, and invite the entire church to the final session and slide show. Choose the approach that works best for your setting.

The suggested schedule involves an opening event that sets the stage for the emphasis and where assignments are given. The next two weeks the photo-taking group is invited to briefly gather and then disperse to take photos. The final gathering will center around a presentation of the photos in a slide show, followed by a brief discussion. Feel free to alter the schedule to best meet the needs of your group.

Program Description

Getting Started
• Enlist a facilitator for the program. This person should be able to organize the group's meetings and their work, as well as promote the event within the church. Choose someone with a bit of charisma and organizational skills.
• Enlist someone to lead the devotion during the first session. Provide them with the outline included in the "week one" instructions.
• Enlist one or two persons to assist in preparing the slide show. We strongly suggest that the show be prepared using digital photos and presented with a computer and projector. Most churches already have a projector, and if not, they are available for rent. Enlist a member who has the skills and computer hardware/software (Powerpoint, Keynote, etc.) to assemble the slide show. If possible add music to the final presentation.
• Set the schedule for the event. You may wish to leave more than one week between having the final photos due and the date for the presentation, depending upon how much time the slide show preparer needs.
• Enlist a person to coordinate the snacks and the fellowship for the final night. If your church has a hospitality or equivalent committee, they may be able to handle these functions.

Week One: Get Focused
Prior to the initial session, prepare a brief slide show of faces of persons in the church (your usual church photographer usually has a batch of recent/past photos on hand). Also, have a brief devotion prepared based upon Luke 7:19-27. Use the devotion to highlight the nature of "seeing" in our faith. Seeing and understanding are closely related, just as seeing and believing are connected.
Talking Points:
1. Not everyone could see that Jesus was the Messiah
2. When we believe, we see differently
3. What will we "go out and see"?

After the devotion, discuss ways our faith can change how we see the world. Can we begin to see the world more like God does? Show the slides prepared earlier.

After the slide show, ask questions like these:
• Where could you see God at work in these photos?
• What do you think God would see if He viewed these images?
• What do we learn about God as we look at others and our world?
• How can our faith cause us to see differently?
• What are examples of ways your faith has helped you see differently?

Then, distribute "Picture This!" guidesheets to everyone (click here to download the free guidesheet), and walk them through the instructions.

Announce the dates and times when photos are due, and for the final gathering where slides will be shown.

Week Two and Three: What Do You See?
The next two weeks are opportunities for participants to take photos (see the "Picture This!" Guidesheet). If helpful, brief meetings can be scheduled as a check-up and as a reminder to stay focused on the assignments.

A suggested meeting format:
• Gather for a snack or light supper.
• If possible, ask a person with photography skills to offer a tip or two about how to take good photos.
• Remind the participants of the due dates (and where to deliver them) for photo files.
• Pray and dismiss the group to disperse and take photos around the community.

Week Four (or Five): God's Vision and Our Vison
The closing event centers around a slide show featuring a selection of the photos taken by the participants. Many groups will choose to invite the entire church to this session.

A suggested format:
• Welcome, prayer, and share a hymn or chorus together.
• Describe the events of the preceding 3 or 4 weeks, including the sort of assignment given to the participants. Perhaps invite 2-3 persons to give a brief (2-3 minute) example of something they learned or something interesting that happened while working on this project.
• Present slide show
• End with prayer and dismiss to a fellowship.

Technical Suggestions
• If you plan to allow film cameras to be used in the project, make sure that the participants agree to have the developed photos provided on a CD-ROM. Most photo development vendors now offer the option of having photos placed on a CD-ROM for a nominal charge.
• Encourage the use of digital cameras. At the first meeting, encourage participants to bring their cameras, and have several persons who are knowledgeable about digital cameras assist in checking resolution settings. For the best results during the final slide show, digital cameras should be set to take photos at higher quality levels.
•  When all photos are turned in, select enough to fill a 6-9 minute slide show. At 3 seconds per slide, you would need 120-180 photos.
• When selecting from the photos (it's highly unlikely you could or would want to include all that are taken), choose a variety of shots, and perhaps arrange them by mood, beginning with darker or moodier shots, filling the middle with nature photos, and concluding with happier photos of people. Adjust the music selection according to how the photos are arranged.

Resources
• Computer (laptop is preferable), projector, software for preparing slide show.
• Copies of the "Picture This! Guidesheet" for all participants in the first session (download it here)..

Promoting the Event
• Enlist a member with some acting skill to be present at two or three church mid-week meetings. The member should arrive with a camera and dressed as if a stereotypical tourist on vacation. Have them take pictures of people during meals, fellowships, and other events. Then, a minister can ask them (from a microphone) what they are doing, and the "tourist" can announce that they are practicing for the upcoming special program, "Picture This!". "We will be taking photos that help express the ways and places we notice God's presence in the world." Invite everyone to join the event, and announce the time and place to meet.
• Announce through flyers and newsletter notices, and on the church's website.
• Specifically invite several persons you know to have skill with cameras to participate, and encourage them to talk up the meeting among the church.