Cíntia Vieira Soares:

“To teach babies the Gospel means educating the Spirit from their early days”

The Spiritist educator from Brazil’s central Goiás state talks
about the beginning and the aims of its programme to
teach babies the Gospel of Jesus

	Cíntia Vieira Soares (photo), director of the School Music and Baby in the city of Goiânia, where she lives, joined the Spiritist Movement in Goiás at a very young age. She has always been involved in the education of children. Cíntia has a degree and a Masters in Music and is known at national level for its  book,  Evangelizando Bebês   (Teaching  the
Gospel to Babies). She is a volunteer worker at two Spiritist Centres and coordinator of the Childhood Sector at the Spiritist Federation of the State of Goiás.

Why did you begin this project, Evangelising Babies? 

If you take into account that when you evangelise you reach the hearts of other people with the Spiritist Teachings and the moral of Christ, teaching babies the Gospel means educating the Spirit from their early days, enabling them to feel the vibrations of love from Jesus and the protection of God. Babies are not only exposed to stimulation and other activities linked to Christian principles. They are encouraged to feel the tears of tenderness and love that bond them to their mums and dads, as well as other family members. All that, in an environment filled with good vibrations. 

How did you come up with the initial idea? 

The idea came up from the need to help babies under the age of two, who had then no opportunity to get engaged in any activity in our Spiritist Group. The parents came to meetings and study groups and wanted to leave their babies with their elder brothers in the evangelisation groups for children. But we were not prepared to receive such young children, babies really. As I was already engaged in projects to teach music to babies, I was inspired to apply the same methodology I was familiar with in my professional life, which was based on the explanations on God and the Teachings of Jesus. 

You also run workshops. What is that experience like? 

Wonderful. The idea here is to share projects and practical experiences about the theme “Evangelisation of Babies”. Our project is still unknown in some parts of the country. That is why we start with a class, a lesson gathering parents and babies. The workshop is structured in two parts: first we have a typical “Evangelisation for Babies class, so everyone can have an idea. Then we give them the pedagogic and theoretical framework, based on the question asked by the future teachers attending the workshop. 

What particular aspect of the project, or unique moment of your experience, you would like to share with us? 

The most unique aspect of this project is the possibility of having the parents interacting with the babies. The actual presence of the mother and the father in the evangelisation activities is an important source of well-being and security for the babies, who eventually become fully adapted to the educational and spiritual ambience of the group. We cannot overlook the fact that the parents, most of all, share responsibility in the process of moral education of their children. Learning the Gospel through a structured programme helps both the baby and the parents build a solid basis for the future. It also creates new bonds between the family and the Spiritist Group they attend and strengthens the existing links.

How do you disseminate this project? 

When we go to a new area or region, we organise a talk on “The Art of Serving and Educating,” followed by a workshop for potential coordinators of children groups, which are attended by the babies and their parent. The future coordinators, or educators, will see, in practice, how to teach the Gospel and moral values to babies. That way, we hope to be encouraging Spiritist Centres across the country to improve their current “Gospel for children” courses and to set up specific programmes for children under the age of two.

Interviewer's Note:

Cynthia presented the Evangelizing Babies Workshop at the 3rd edition of the Cairbar Schutel Meeting held in Araraquara-SP in September 2013. The workshop is available on the Cairbar Schutel Institute site at the following address:http://institutocairbarschutel.org/index.php/cintia-vieira-soares-e-a-evangelizacao-de-bebes/#.UqW8ZfRDuhs