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THE CHURCH IN THE CURRICULUM

The local church building, often belonging to the church of England and often rather ancient, is the most obvious and tangible reminder of our Christian heritage even for those who do not belong to it. As an artefact for both history and RE it has a great deal to offer, and it can be used for many other areas of the curriculum too - maths, science and technology, nature study and environmental issues etc. Its existence and longevity begs many questions, some of which may well be asked in lessons other than RE, but which could provide an excellent starting point for a discussion about questions of life and religion. It is certainly an aid to education which should not be ignored.

However, there are times when its existence as an historic artefact can militate against its usefulness in presenting Christianity as a living and vital faith. It is important to remember that the church is really the people rather than the building, and that without the people the building is a collection of interesting items - a kind of museum. Within RE we would hope that the children would come to understand the building as the home of the Christian community, where they can meet together to worship God and share their common concerns as well as each other's company. As such the building does tell us a great deal about the Christian faith through the symbolism of many of the features and the furnishings which it contains. Many children are introduced to the church only as the building, and while this section of the material will concentrate on the building, we would hope that this would be seen in the context of the whole worshipping community.