Guardians of Ancora is
a new digital environment for 8 to 11-year-olds that combines the excitement
and creativity of a high-spec online game with an immersive experience of Bible
content and faith formation. Delivered via app and free of charge, Guardians
of Ancora aims to provide a fun and positive social space where children
can explore their relationship with God and the Bible.
The game includes two interactive Bible
quests, quizzes and challenges, access to videos, space to reflect on the
experience. More Bible quests and other content will be released regularly
throughout the summer.
What’s great is the game meets children where they
are at with their interests, and is instinctively compelling for them, offering
the wealth of God’s Word freely, and potentially opening a doorway into a life
with him forever.
We asked
three ‘game’ volunteers – Daisy (6), Poppy (8) and Caroline (old enough to know
better!) to test the app and tell us what they thought. Here’s their reviews…
Daisy:
“It’s OK but quite difficult to control, which makes me frustrated!”
Poppy: “If
they can sort out a few of the glitches and it will be good. I like the
adventures you can have and I’ve learned things from the Bible.”
Caroline: “A
good game but they do need to sort some minor glitches out. It’s very addictive
and very informative - as soon as you’ve learned the controls, you can travel
through the different stories of the Bible.....and passing these, you get
points which link with other stories and create a timeline. Overall it’s a
really good game for ages 8+ because of the controls.”
Guardians of
Ancora is available to download for free from the
iTunes App Store, Google Play and the Kindle Fire Store.
Bryony Taylor’s More
TV Vicar?
Christians on the Telly: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky
We
as a nation love our telly. From the days of gathering as a family around he
set, waiting for it to warm up and the fuzz to clear, to the modern obsession
with on-demand box sets of popular shows, available instantly via the internet,
we Brits spend on average four hours a day watching television. I don’t get to
watch so much these days, (and when I do it’s mostly CBeebies with 4 kids in
the house), but I have fond memories of programmes watched through the years
and do try & keep up to date with the shows people are talking about. As a
Christian, I’m also fascinated to see how my faith is portrayed in programmes –
which is why I found the idea behind Rev’d Bryony Taylor’s new book More TV Vicar? Christians on the Telly: The
Good, the Bad and the Quirky to be a hugely compelling one.
In the book Bryony takes us on a whistle stop tour through
the portrayal of Christians across many years of TV, and assess them as they
were created to be seen – the good guys, those made to be loveable endearing
leaders of the faith; the bad ‘uns who bring comic effect from being exactly
what you wouldn’t expect from a Christian; and the ‘quirky,’ those who don’t
fit into any real box but bring eccentricity, and at times great heart, to the
mix.
The beauty of this book is its style – it is written in an
easy, relaxed manner, akin to chatting to a friend about old TV shows over a
cold glass or steaming mug of something or other. Each character is introduced
by a handy box laying out a bit about who they are, and rated out of 100% on
attributes such as Longevity, Offence & Realism. Add to that the research
that has gone into the book – for example, the revelation that Richard Curtis,
creator of The Vicar of Dibley, took
quotes he had heard at the debates over women priests at the Church of
England’s General Synod and put them in the mouths of his characters - and
suddenly you have an informative and thought provoking piece of work.
But perhaps the jewel in the crown is the little section at
the back, entitled “What Would Jesus Watch.” Each section concludes with
Bryony’s reflections on the thought process of writers & directors when it
comes to making polarised Christian characters, how we tend to relate to them
& the range of emotions we can feel when we encounter them as people of
faith. But the conclusion looks at the life of Jesus and how this should inform
our viewing habits, pointing out how far ahead of many modern comedians and
writers Jesus Himself was. His use of storytelling to teach those around Him is
well known, but it is easy to miss the humour He employed – from satire to
stand-up and all in-between – to really make an impression on those He
encountered.
In the introduction Bryony expresses a hope that
the book will take us on a ‘pilgrimage’ of sorts, leaving us “a little bit more
worldly wise and refreshed in our outlook on life.” In my humble opinion, with
its balance of wit, style and theological reflection More TV Vicar? achieves this with ease.
“More TV Vicar? Christians on the Telly: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky!” is available now from all good bookstores, including Eden & Amazon.
Here's a selection of pictures from St. Peter's Medieval Festival, held as part of the celebrations surrounding the launch of the new church grounds.
Click the links to read reports from the Sunderland Echo and Sunderland City Council, and find more pictures on our Facebook page.
Enjoy!
