When Debbie Hough, the Christian Educator at Derry Presbyterian Church, noticed that a large number of kids were reading the Harry Potter series, she saw an o
pportunity to breathe new life into moral lessons taught in Scripture. Inspired she put together Harry Potter summer church classes for children AND adults.
"Generally you go from Scripture to culture, but here we're going from culture to Scripture," Debbie said. "It gives us an entree into discussion and gets us into Scripture pretty fast!"
The word "witch" has been a point of contention among Christians and in many cases the books have been banned. However Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey, PA has embraced Pottermania.
Kids arrive at a room set up as King's Cross Station and run through gate 9 3/4 to end up in a classroom set up as the Great Hall. After being sorted into groups by the Sorting Hat (on left), the kids separate for activities and a themed snack. Teaching draws on the moral lessons of the books to connect with Scripture, and each week kids get a ne
w mini book filled with activities and verses to take home with them. Perhaps the most adventurous part of the experience: snacks are plucked right out of the books and have included chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
Adult classes focus more on the academic and Scripture-related themes in the books. According to Debbie, Harry Potter has given church families a common ground to discuss their faith. "It helps to explain social situations because the characters are so 3-D", says a mother who sends her kids to the summer church classes.
Most of 
the parents have been accepting but Debbie urges Christians who are way of the Harry to read the books.
"I think people will be studying these for a long time at the level that people study C.S. Lewis and Tolkien," Hough says.
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taken from The Patriot-News, July 8, 2007 |
