Broken Arrow Assembly uses Mayberry to teach values

by LUCIENDA DENSON
Lifestyle Editor

Sightings of Deputy Barney Fife have been reported recently in Broken Arrow. The reports have come mainly on Sunday morning about 11 a.m. at Broken Arrow Assembly, just outside a third-floor room that features a Mayberry street sign. The uniformed deputy, the sign and several other ‘props’ are just part of the Mayberry Curriculum that was added to the church’s Christian Education in September. Bringing Mayberry to Broken Arrow seemed to be the solution to unmet needs in the church’s educational programs, said Thomas Harrison, director of communication for the church. "Earlier this year the Broken Arrow Assembly was looking for some kind of avenue to do something different with its Christian education department,” Harrison said. One particular need was for people new to the church. "We had no specific mechanism on Sunday morning to help people who had no knowledge of the Bible, or very little knowledge of the Bible to come into a class and learn anything about God and Bible.” Harrison explained. He had heard of an alternative to traditional Sunday school that some churches had successfully implemented called the Mayberry Curriculum. It used a television show — in this case, the “Andy Griffith Show” set in Mayberry, RFD in the 1950s and 1960s — to teach Christian values. Harrison visited different churches using the curriculum, did some Internet research and talked to one of the people who had originated the curriculum. His initial reaction was that it was a great idea, but the existing programs didn’t meet Broken Arrow Assembly’s needs as nearly as he wanted. He decided to go to the source and purchased several videos of the show. "I started watching those, and it was amazing. The more I watched those (episodes), the more lessons jumped out at me.” he said. H started developing “Take Me Back to May- berry,” a customized curriculum he believed would meet the particular needs of Broken Arrow Assembly. For instance, last week’s lesson was the episode called “A Wife for Andy,” that Harrison used to teach about the qualities of friendship.

“We looked at what the Bible had to say about friendship, about how there is a time when friends are closer than a brother. But there is also a scripture that says know when to leave your friend’s house so you will not be a nuisance. Sometimes I will use the actual dialogue and tie those to scriptures.” Harrison said. One of the features of “Take Me Back to Mayberry” is to enjoy learning. “Our take on the issue is - We have new people, either new converts to the Lord, just experiencing church, our church or any church for the first time. We ask them to come into a class and study a book that they’ve never read - the Bible.’’ he said. Harrison said the curriculum was not developed for intense theological issues. “When we say, let’s come and look at a Video tape of an old Andy Griffith Show and learn more about spiritual values from that program, then that seems to be an easier thing.” The curriculum also allows for just plain fun. “We are sometimes just as campy as we can be,” Harrison said. “We come in class and everybody is wearing deputy badges in the class. The hand out note for that day is actually the newspaper, the Mayberry Gazette and everybody gets a copy of the Mayberry Gazette for that day.” In keeping with the central theme, Barney Fife, whose alter ego is Stefan Miller, is usually on the scene, directing traffic and often blowing his whistle. The Mayberry set is being created by Kyle Winner, who is also on the maintenance staff at assembly. “Andy Griffith originally wanted to become a minister,” said Harrison. He believes Griffith used humor to minister to the people who watched the original broadcasts. That ministry continues through reruns and programs like the Mayberry Curriculum. “You call see it in the references to Aunt Bee going to choir practice, about the family attending church, and the moral values that are in almost every episode.”

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