In October of 1517 Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the church. Thus began the Reformation not only in religion, but also in every aspect of European life. From that time, the Bible, where the most important things about the past and the future of mankind is written, became accessible to ordinary people. In celebration of this event, "Glory to God Alone" was chosen as the main theme for a group of festivals held in Moscow, Russia last month.
The activites of each festival were proposed by the children's ministries department of the Adventist Church in Moscow and were in tune with the themes of the Reformation. Children from 5 to 15 years of age were instructed to prepare musical numbers about Bible stories, sing a song about a Bible verse, tell a mini-sermon about the life of the reformers or recite a poetic composition about the heroes of faith. The children could present the theme, "The Bible- the main book", through puppet skits, shadow play or even science experiments. Young artists created drawings on the theme "Glory to God the Creator!"
The children were helped by parents, children leaders and music instructors in the community to prepare the musical numbers and skits. Some wrote scripts, others sewed costumes and recorded tracks. During the rehearsals, the children and adults plunged into history, the life of the Biblical heroes and the great men of faith in the time of the Reformation.
“One of the goals of the festival is that its participants are plunged into the history of Protestantism," says Svyatoslav Muzychko, President of the Adventist Church in Moscow. "This experience has undoubtedly re-opened to children the importance of the Bible as the living Word of God, brought them closer to God and to each other, put them into action, and especially taught them to praise God daily and to be grateful to Him for everything- for talents, enthusiasm, love and the kindness of our neighbors and the Church, of which they are a part."
The festival was held in two stages. In November, more than 300 children from 24 communities showcased their talents at concerts in different districts. Six Adventist Churches hosted six festival concerts to the Glory of God. Each of these concerts showed how talented our children are. At these concerts, representatives from the coordinating council of the festival presented each participant with a certificate and a medal.
Over 500 people attended the final concert. During the concert, the presenters combined all the items into one fascinating storyline, causing enthusiastic applause from the audience.
"Oh! What talented children! - admired a visitor, who came to the concert with her two daughters after an invitation from an Adventist friend. “Oh How they sing! What touching stories they tell! And the Costumes! And the plays! Just as in a real theater! It seemed as if we plunged into another world - a kind and beautiful world,” she gushed. “My girls are engaged in drawing, there were master classes here. They couldn't make up their mind where to go- there were more than fifteen of these workshops here."
By tradition, at the end of the concert, a charity fair was organized, prepared by the association of "The Pastor's Wife" of the Adventist Church in Moscow. The ladies themselves baked delicious pastries, and the rangers and adventurers prepared crafts for the fair. The proceeds from the fair were sent to the developmental center for children with cerebral palsy in Krasnodar.
