Coronavirus Leicester Church Uses Minecraft to Teach Bible to Teens
Coronavirus: Leicester church uses Minecraft to teach Bible to teenagers
17 May 2020
A church has turned to Minecraft to teach children about Christianity during the lockdown.
The server is being used to recreate Leicester's St John the Baptist Church so that the youth club can have a place for Bible classes.
Josh Young, the organizer said that it was an opportunity to meet young people "whereever they are" and engage with them in a space that is familiar.
They can also use virtual reality to create their own lessons.
For example Mr Young made an underwater whale so they could learn about the Jonah story. Jonah and challenged the teens to create boats to study the story of when Jesus calmed the storm.
The 27-year-old youth worker added: "Having a community for these young people is really important and I wanted to keep that in mind in the lockdown.
They don't have any friends and some are struggling in the present. They can chat and play on Minecraft without ever physically being there. It's a tool for engagement and building communities.
"Young people are living in an digital world, and the Bible teaches us to meet people where they are, in their local community.
"Jesus pushed the boundaries on what people thought was normal worship, and he would be pleased that the church is moving aheads."
Every Wednesday, 20 children between 11 and 17 spend two-and-a half hours on the server.
They are free to explore the world and pursue their own projects during that time, but for 30 seconds they are transported to a communal area to complete an task that is based on the Bible.
Mr. Young stated that they had ensured that the adults were able to stop bad language, and control who joined and were given permission from parents for their children to join.
Rosie, 15 years old is one of the teens who regularly play at the club. She said, "I love it because it lets me talk to my friends while playing. It's as enjoyable as meeting up for our regular youth group."
"I thought it was awesome that Josh brought everyone to one place. We also had a competition to build a boat from Matthew Chapter 8, when Jesus stopped an incoming storm. My team won because we created lightning storm clouds."
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