A new initiative has been launched to share the stories of the Christian Bible with school children – in a fun and interactive way.

Members of Peasedown St John's three churches, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Peasedown Methodist Church and St John's Anglican Church have formed a team to go into Peasedown Primary School every week to lead 'Open the Book' assemblies.

Team member, Rev David Winstanley, said; "Open the Book is a way of telling and acting out Bible stories in a fun way, using the Lion Storyteller Bible. Adults and children dress up to tell the story, there is a short time of reflection after the story and a short prayer, but it is all about letting the stories speak for themselves."

'Open the Book' teams go into many primary schools all around the country, using material from the Bible Society.

"We do the same story 2 weeks in a row - once for the older children, once for the younger children."

"We're really grateful for the welcome we have received from the school and for the children who help with the music and projecting up images; and the enthusiasm of the children who take part." added Fiona Carr.

Stories this year have included the Creation story, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses.

Rev Shaula Reilly said, "There was a wonderful moment recently when we were telling the story of Moses leading the people out of slavery in Egypt across the Red Sea - the children sitting on the floor (representing the sea) all moved as one to create a path down the middle without any prompting and then instinctively moved together to close the gap and 'swallow up' the army who were pursuing them."

For more details about the Open the Book initiative visit The Bible Society website: www.biblesociety.org.uk/get-involved/open-the-book

Phil Lye, Assistant Headteacher, added: "Last year, we were fortunate to have the three churches in Peasedown reach out to us, asking if we would be interested in starting Open the Book assemblies at PSJ Primary.

Since January, they have been a pivotal part of our assembly time, with children developing their knowledge about the Christian faith. They have become confident in discussing the moral stories within the Bible - learning about one of the many holy books we study as part of our RE curriculum.

All of our children, from Reception to Year 6, look forward to their Thursday afternoons. Whether it be acting and dressing up as different characters; being involved in the story through responding; or simply listening to the story, they really do embrace it.

Thank you to Shaula, and the team, for bringing some entertainment, drama and knowledge of the Christian faith to our assembly times, at PSJ."