Jingle Jam Details. What is Jingle Jam?

Transcription

1 Jingle Jam Details What is Jingle Jam? Jingle jam is a program we have purchased that provides a memorable Christmas experience for our children with a limited number of volunteers. Each year, Jingle Jam has a special theme. This year s edition is a great way to show children the Christmas story and let them know that Jesus is the reason we can have Joy in our lives. Jingle Jam lets children know that whatever is going on in their lives they can think of Jesus as the bow on the greatest present ever given. This Christmas, we hope all families are reminded to put a bow on it. What does this mean? A bow is the final mark of a beautifully prepared gift. When you take the time to put a bow on a present for someone, it means you care, you ve prepared something for them, and you want them to open it up. It was on the first Christmas that God gave us His Son, Jesus. It was a gift He had been preparing since the beginning of time. Jesus is a gift for you. And so, this year, we prepare something very, very special for our children.

2 We will welcome many visitors at Christmas. We want everyone to know that we have prepared a place for them through our beautiful environment, our inspiring music, our meaningful message and liturgy. If you attended our Ministry Rally, you remember that Christmas is the time when our One Day person will come to church maybe it s your neighbor, a family member or a friend. We are going to be ready for that One Day when that person you have invited to church walks through the door. And we especially focus on those three masses on Christmas Eve to welcome and make disciples of our youngest visitors. What does it look like? Jingle Jam will look similar to Children s Word in its format. Children in grades 1-6 will be invited to leave from the main worship space before Mass, go to Hoffman Hall and will return after the homily. Parents with younger children will be invited to accompany their children to Hoffman Hall if they wish. Each section of the church will be color coded, including the Atrium. A color block sign will be in the metal floor stands in front of each section Each child will receive a silicon bracelet in the same color as their section. Worship leaders will hold up a sign with the same color as the section and invite children to follow them into Hoffman Hall. When they go to Hoffman Hall, they will sit on mats that are the same color as their bracelet and their section in church. Children will stay with their color group. This will help us return the children to their families in an orderly fashion. All volunteers will be wearing Halos. This will easily distinguish those involved in Jingle Jam rather than a Santa hat that anyone could have

3 The Environment: There will be stage in front of the TV for the actors and dancers. At either side of the stage will be live Christmas trees with lots of lights and big red bows on the top incorporating the theme of Put a Bow on it. The star shower lights will be on and the windows will be darkened. On the floor, will be seven sections of colored mats the same colors as the sections of the church. Dancers/singers will be on stage. The program has provided dance steps for the songs more about that later. There will then be a countdown at the beginning of our meeting to start the program and children will sit. There will then be a welcome and script read by the main actor. The actor will be speaking about the Joy that Christmas brings. A comic actor will come on stage dressed with an ugly Christmas sweater, Christmas lights, carrying toys and empty cookie tins. The main actor will point out that Christmas joy is not found in things like cookies and toys but in Jesus Christ. A children s version of the Nativity will be shown ( see it on our website: Holyeucharist.org/#/jingle-jam Children will then receive the JOY ornament we hope this will be a collectable that children will come back for each year as the theme and ornament changes There will be a brief conversation then the song Down to Earth will be shown and the dancers and singers will be on stage.

4 A closing prayer will be offered. We will have preprinted petitions with various short prayers for the children to put in the basket on the altar as they return into the Worship space. We Wish You a Merry Christmas will be shown. Dancers will be on stage We ll have other Christmas songs available to sing should we need some filler time before going back into the worship space. Children will be led back to the Worship space after the homily. Children will process up the main aisle in their color group, deposit their prayers in the basket and then return to families. Your Part! We have divided our teams into five groups: Security and Operations team, tech team, Worship leaders, dancers/singers and Actors. Here s where you can get involved as an individual or as a family. Remember you can serve at Jingle Jam and be back to Mass for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Security/Operations: We want to be sure that we create a safe environment for our children. The security team will ensure that all children get from the main worship space to Hoffman hall and back to their families. This team will monitor the two hall ways and be aware of the surroundings. If a child needs to go to the restroom or return to the family, a security person will guide them and stand outside the restroom and return child to Hoffman Hall. Tech Team: A flash drive with all the resources of Jingle Jam has been. Members of the teach team will run the program, manage the lights and the sound.

5 Worship leaders: Worship leaders will have a role similar to those who participate as leaders in children s word. they will distribute the wristbands, accompany the children from the main worship space down to Hoffman Hall, help maintain order, direct the dancers on and off the stage, and be among the children to participate in the program lending a hand to create a fun environment. Worship leaders will be assigned a color section and stay with that group throughout the program from the time the children leave the worship space until they are returned. The worship leaders will also distribute the ornaments and the prayer slips at the end of the program and return the children to their families. The worship leaders can also help out with the dancing. Dancers/singers Jessica Waters, a parish teen, will be leading the dance team. The Jingle Jam program provides dance instruction videos for all the songs and Jessica will coordinate that effort. Actors: There is a script provided that explores the theme of Joy for Christmas. There are two actors for each mass time one straight actor and one comic actor. Hospitality Room For these three masses, we will have light refreshments set up in the Children of Terezin room. Halos and other props will be set up here. Worship leaders will pick up the color signs and the silicon bracelets here. Any volunteer who has been through the Child Protection program should wear their badge. There will be continuing communication via . Rehearsal is Wednesday December 21 at 7:00 pm in Hoffman Hall..