Fishing For Hope
#fishingforhope2020
In the Southern & Islands Region of the Methodist Church
A prayerful challenge for this era of lock-down, sent to Methodists in The Southampton District, The South East District and The Channel Islands District…although all are welcome and invited to take part!
Initiated in March 2020 by a group
of people, lay and ordained, from across the three districts who are already
beginning the challenge!
The Challenge:
Create a fish prayer object.
Or, create a shoal!
Use your talents and whatever
creative resources you have available in your home to make your fish!
You could make a fish by:
-
Knitting
(pattern included with this challenge!)
-
Crocheting (pattern
included with this challenge!)
-
Cutting,
sewing, sticking, scrap materials
-
Painting it on
a stone
-
Paper Mache
-
Lego
-
Iron-on beads
-
Clay
-
Or any other
creative means you can think of!
Why a fish prayer object?
The fish has long been a symbol of
Christian identity, hope and salvation.
At time like these, perhaps it is
good to hold on to our Christian identity, hope and salvation! Literally! With
the fish we create, we can hold them in our hands and we can hold what they
represent symbolically in our hearts and minds.
Why do this?
The fish could be an object for prayer during this time.
They could also be gifts for others; whether they can be
gifted now, if there are others in your household, or later, when the time is
‘right’ (according to governmental health and safety instructions and advice).
If you plan to gift your fish,
consider what story your fish might tell its new owner!
Your fish could be a tool for evangelism. Consider the
fishy stories in the Bible, like The Miraculous Catch of Fish (Luke 5:1–11) and
the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14: 13-21).
Your church, circuit or district might,
at a later date (when the time is ‘right’), request to gather in all the fish
created, to be presented as a whole,
to a wider audience. To reflect our
prayers and hopes, while we were all being ‘alone together’ at this time; united in our identity, hope and
salvation.
The fish may then be requested to be
offered as gifts for the local community
– to be used in a similar way as, for example, knitted angels at Christmas
time.
You could document your fish making, and or the prayers that you’ve said in
this time. You could record these in a notebook, in photographs, or if you’re
online, you could share them with your online communities via your social media
platforms. If you share them online, it’d be great if you could include the
hashtag #fishingforhope2020 so your
content can be easily searched for and found.
Fishing for Hope Gallery
- Vicarage Road
- VERWOOD
- Dorset
- BH31 6DR
01202 822212
Email Us