Murray Schafer and Eleanor James Working With Our Youth

It is such a unique opportunity to have this eminent Canadian composer working with our members of Many Gifts One Spirit. Beginning in January, 2011, Murray and his partner Eleanor James will join us once a month to create a new music-drama based on the biblical story of Job. We will all be challenged to be artists as Murray and Eleanor guide us to create the storyline, script and blocking for the story. Murray will write original music for the production.

Our children will have an integral part in this drama, with opportunities to sing, act, and most significantly, to help shape the narrative of this story. In discussing the relevance of the Job story to our lives today, Elizabeth MacDonald, minister of SSUC observed the following:

• The story of Job explores the depth of human faith and the presence or lack of divine grace and providence in the midst of suffering
• Like many people who find themselves coping with unjust, unexplainable hardship, Job never gets an answer.
• Many people today are hooked on prosperity theology in which God’s grace and individual’s faithfulness are supposedly reflected in material wealth
• Job’s friends are well-meaning, but they are out of touch and don’t begin to comprehend what he is going through. Their advice is neither insightful nor helpful.
• Job’s suffering becomes God’s suffering as God embraces and embodies human story in and through Jesus

By engaging in this story at an appropriate emotional and cognitive level, our children have an opportunity to engage with one of the greatest epic stories of history. All children, ages five and up are welcome to participate.

We're Ready To Film!

A month has passed since we began working on our movie. This Saturday, October 23, we will film all day, under the expert direction of Kat Rush. Tomorrow's Monday session is a chance to practice our script, check costumes and get everything set for the actual filming. From there, Kat will help us to edit our shots and in the end we will have a five minute film. We have an assistant director, someone for costumes, makeup, and props. Our script was developed by MGOS members and fine-tuned by Kat. Stay tuned for the final result. One thing we don't have yet is a name for our movie. Any ideas?

Movie-Making: What story shall we tell?

What story indeed! Eleven of us met with Kat Rush this afternoon to talk about how to decide on a basic idea for a movie and then how to turn that into a story. This week Kat will look at all of our ideas to determine what proposed story lines are actually feasible.

Would you Like To Be On A CD?

Gary Raspberry

Gary Raspberry has the spirit of a child and the mind and heart of a poet. Combine these elements with great guitar-playing and exceptional parenting skills and you have an artist interested in children’s music.

MGOS Is Making A Movie!

Kat Rush

Have you ever wondered what goes into creating the movies that we enjoy watching? Camera angles, lighting, costumes, the setting--so many elements combine to create an interesting and meaningful story.

Last season in May, the Monday MGOS group met at my place to watch a movie. We saw the Pink Panther 2 and ate lasagna. Out of that evening came the idea that we might try to make our own movie.

Pushing Boundaries: MGOS Summer Camp

Can a community be formed in four short days? I say yes, because that is exactly what happened last week. Four days have passed since we finished our camp dancing and singing down at the water's edge. Time goes on, but it seems that the songs and dances, the drumming and the fun are still replaying in my head. Last week Sydenham Street United Church was vibrating with energy as Pushing Boundaries, our first camp, took shape.

September 2010 begins the second year of Many Gifts One Spirit! We welcome young people from the Kingston community. Meet your friends. Make new friends. Express yourself artistically.