Have you ever noticed how some people just can't seem to put a sentence together without using their hands? The faster some folks talk, the faster their hands seem to illustrate their ideas.
Let me suggest that some of the most effective ways to talk with your hands in minstry settings is by using puppets. There is something "dis-arming" (sorry non-pun lovers), about puppets. Seeing these creations of foam and felt, most people let down their guard a bit and allow new ideas to creep over the top of their defenses. Puppets can relieve anxiety, diffuse tension, and remind us all of a more gentle kind of life.
I visited the Smithsonian museum a few summers ago and saw a prominent display of a famous sweater with a zipper. That sweater belonged to a man who understood the power of puppets to encourage, inform, and uplift. In his own gentle way, Fred Rogers spoke volumes with his hands as he used puppets in ministry.
You might not be Mr. Rogers, but if you teach a Sunday School class, or lead children and youth, learing to talk with your hands will open all kinds of possibilities. Why not give it a try!
Puppet Resources: www.puppet-planet.com
www.maherstudios.com
www.onewaystreet.com
1 comment:
Greetings from a fellow ventriloquist. I have been using puppets in ministry for a little more than five years now (using ventriloquism for about three).
I would love to be in ventriloquism ministry full-time and am working toward this end. God bless you in your efforts. If you have time, I would love to hear any advice or stories about your use of puppets in ministry. It would be nice to have another ventriloquist to correspond with.
-daryl_smileyface_
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