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 Harlequins of Hope is a Christian clown troupe led
by Rev. Ed Salvant. Participants include various members of
Hope Presbyterian Church.
The Harlequins of Hope provide a unique roll of proclamation
of the Christian Gospel in the life of the church. On occasion,
the clowns make a brief presentation during morning worship
or during some special church activity.
The Christian clown is reminded of the words of the Apostle
Paul that "we should become fools for Christ's sake!" Also recall
the words of the first question in the Shorter Catechism: "What
is the chief end of man?" and the answer: "Man's chief end is
to glorify God and enjoy him forever." There is a sense of JOY
associated with the Christian Faith as well as a sense of Glorifying
God.
The Christian clown movement is an attempt to put all of
this together. It is not for entertainment alone. It is not
for laughter alone, though it is true that the clown can be
entertaining and funny. But the Christian Clown is much, much
more.
It is through this entertaining, funny approach that the
Christian clown puts the congregation at ease and sort of catches
them by surprise and unawares as a deep truth of God is proclaimed.
It's sort of a "gotcha" kind of proclamation! But the Christian
clown becomes in some respect the "Jesus Figure." He or she
(and the clown is asexual, by the way) assumes the feelings
or the pain or the joy of the people in order to release joy
in the world, just as Jesus did.
In short, in Christian clowning the chief task is
- to be childlike
- to give of oneself
- to elevate other persons to positions of worth
- to communicate clearly that other persons are loved.
For more information on the Harlequins of Hope and
their Ministry, contact Parish Associate Ed Salvant at
512-258-9117.
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