What did you do?
As the St. Matthew’s youth group, we decided that we were going to paint a portable picnic bench that we could place outside to be used as a space for intentional and non-judgmental listening. With the help of the 100 Table anniversary initiative, we purchased the picnic bench at Rona. We sanded the table and benches. After this, we painted each piece with pale blue in order to evoke calm.
Then, each youth member decided on a design related to our theme: the Holy Spirit and the ways it manifests in our community. We chose to have each member paint one of the three surfaces related to water, song, nature, and silence. On the main table, the design we chose was that of waves, to symbolize the fluidity of the Holy Spirit and allude to the story of Jesus Christ walking on water. Similarly, we then painted one of the benches with stormy rain clouds in order to portray the release of negative emotions and the solidarity that can be found within negative situations.
Lastly, we painted the second bench with the design of a bird singing in order to visualise the ways the Holy Spirit can be heard. We noted that oftentimes in the big city, we hear the Spirit in birdsong and the diversity around us, hence the rainbow-coloured music notes. This project was met with very positive reactions from our church community and from those who were able to use it.
Why did you do it?
We have a ministry of listening at St. Matthew’s United Church, and needed a place to sit in various parts of our garden. This way, we could welcome people in the larger community to share their feelings and experiences without judgment or advice.
