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The 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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