News Flash!
Binghamton District Lay Servant Ministries of the United Methodist Church is sponsoring a brand-new course based on my book Puppet Ministry Pizzazz: Make Your Message Pop with a Puppet Pal. Being a UMC lay speaker myself, I’m super excited about this opportunity to equip and inspire more puppeteers.
Artwork by Jeffrey W. Olin. ©2019 Linda Bonney Olin. All rights reserved.
The course will focus on “personal puppet ministry”: a solo puppeteer sharing the love of Christ and teaching lessons about the Bible, the church, or Christian living, by chatting with a puppet buddy in front of audiences of any size and any age. Personal puppet ministry adds a fun but meaningful element to children’s time in worship services, to Sunday school and vacation Bible school, to visitations, and many more settings.
I’m preparing to lead the pilot class, assisted by my pal Moochacha and my son’s pal Clyde (visiting from Texas). We’ll meet at First United Methodist Church, Chapel Street, Windsor, New York, for a full-day session on Saturday, May 9, 2020. Eligible participants who complete a pre-class assignment of reading and activities in addition to attending the class can receive advanced lay servant/speaker course credit from the Binghamton District.
If you’d like a flyer with information and registration form for the May 9 course, pop me a request on the contact form.
EDIT: Class postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, I’m working on the syllabus and leader guides for both the one-day class format and a 4-evening classes format. Farther down the line, I hope to create a scriptwriting workshop for puppeteers, too. We’re looking forward to submitting these courses for possible inclusion in the UMC Lay Servant Ministries Course Catalog nationwide. It’s a big “ask,” but my Holy GhostWriter is up to the task, God willing.
News Flash #2 (about being #1)
Speaking of my HGW being on the job… Puppet Ministry Pizzazz reached Amazon’s #1 Best Seller status among Kindle books in the Puppets & Puppetry category earlier this week! That was a huge gift of encouragement. Amazon rankings fluctuate pretty quickly, but I snagged a screen shot before my book got bumped out of the number one spot.
Sorry, Elmo!
To follow my journey of developing a ministry with my pal Moochacha, check out the series of puppet ministry blog posts here on Faith Songs. You can find that and other helpful stuff on my Puppet Ministry Resources page.
Blessings,
Linda