The building-blocks of faith:youth in Denmark learn about God
A group of teenage girls gather around a large pile of LEGO® bricks—an unusual sight for girls their age.
They concentrate intensely on finding the right bricks in order to build an elaborate scene that tells a story. When complete, it is not hard to see that the scene depicts a story from the Bible.
The YMCA-YWCA of Denmark’s Christian youth club runs a program that uses Lego to help young people illustrate the principles and values from the Bible. “Denmark is well known for the Lego brand of small plastic bricks,” explains Kirsten Lund Larsen, General Secretary of the YMCA-YWCA of Denmark, “We have taken advantage of this and introduced Lego as a tool to encourage youth to be imaginative and creative.”
To run the programme, local associations order containers of 30 kilograms of Lego bricks. The Lego comes with a guide and project ideas on reconstructing specific stories from the Bible such as Noah’s Ark or Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Participants can also depict Biblical concepts such as ‘love your neighbour’, grace, salvation and faith. As part of the programme, participants publish photos of their Lego scenes on the Internet.
The Christian youth clubs have over 4000 members under 18 years old and using Lego has become a popular part of the programme nationwide.
The YMCA-YWCA of Denmark was formed with the particular aim of building Christian fellowship and sharing the Gospel with young people. “Our vision is to ensure young people in Denmark know about God and understand that God believes in them,” says Larsen.
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This article is reproduced from the World YWCA Common Concern December 2009: Women, Faith and Action. Read more
