ultimate church visit an introduction for teachers What is an Ultimate Church Visit? Ultimate Church Visit is a fun, interactive and memorable visit to a local Salvation Army church. Designed especially for primary schools, it enables pupils to learn about The Salvation Army in a way which is relevant and meaningful, and to ask questions, express their thoughts and opinions, and reflect on their own values and beliefs. It’s a great opportunity for pupils to experience faith first-hand, and to interact with people in their community.
How does it work? An Ultimate Church Visit usually lasts for a morning or an afternoon and works best with one class at a time. The visit begins with a short introductory session to allow pupils to meet the church leaders and share their initial thoughts about The Salvation Army and the building they are visiting. Pupils are then organised into small groups of about 7 or 8 pupils which visit different zones set up around the hall. Through these zones children explore, with the help of a zone leader, the history, beliefs, worship and work of The Salvation Army through a range of activities which can include drama, music, DVD clips, discussion activities, quizzes and stories. At the end of the visit there is a think tank session to allow pupils to think about and share what they have learnt. Ideally the visit(s) would take place at the Salvation Army church building, however if it is not practical for a class to visit the church then it may be possible for a team to hold the visit(s) at your school. You may like to have more than one class experience Ultimate Church Visit over the course of a week or two weeks. Talk to your local Salvation Army church to discuss whether this is possible.
The zones There are nine possible zones which can be set up during an Ultimate Church Visit, each one exploring a different aspect of The Salvation Army. Bible zone Worship zone Community zone International zone Symbol zone
Music zone History zone Uniform zone Homelessness zone
In a typical half-day school visit three or four will usually be set up. These can be chosen by the teacher to fit into the topic(s) the class are studying, or may be chosen by the church to reflect the particular work or ministry which is most important to them. Each zone lasts approximately 20-30 minutes depending on the time available for the visit.
Why organise an Ultimate Church Visit?
Many Salvation Army churches welcome groups of pupils to look around their building and find out about the worship and work which happens week by week. However, by bringing the Salvation Army church (or your school hall) alive through an Ultimate Church Visit, we hope that pupils will understand that the church is not just a building, but it is the people who make up the Christian community and how they express and live out their faith. Organising an Ultimate Church Visit is a great way not only to deliver aspects of the RE curriculum, but also to make valuable links with your local Salvation Army church, providing an opportunity to explore ways in which you could support each other in the future.