‘God has an immense sense of humour’

Jackie Macadam learns about the faith journey and clowning ministry of Claire Van Geete.

“I HAD been earmarked for children’s ministry and had been working with some lovely people who ran that. At that time, I was really struggling to know what my talents/calling were and I found that most people seemed to know quite quickly whether they were teachers, preachers, evangelists, apostles, prophets, have the hospitality of angels; but I did not.

I recall very vividly walking home one evening mulling all this over and feeling quite deflated.

“I happened to look up into a shop doorway which had a poster of a clown smiling back at me. I felt very sorry for myself and said to God, probably very childishly, you see God that’s me I’m nothing but a big clown. I felt a sense in my spirit, be a clown for me. I think I probably felt it was God saying something like, there, there now don’t take on so.”

Claire Van Geete who is Children and Families Development Worker at Aberdeen:

North didn’t know it then, but God was speaking to her in a fairly direct way.

She added: “The following Sunday came and I presented myself at children’s church to help support the groups. I had literally just arrived when one of the elders' wives who led the children’s service approached me with a large bag in her hands. She looked at me apprehensively and said:

“I don’t know why, but I just felt the Lord put it in my heart to give you these”. As I looked inside the colours and vibrancy of a clown costume, wig, red nose, big boots, make-up and some props smiled up at me.

I caught my breath and for the first time I realised two things. One, our God is personally interested in every detail of our lives. Two, God has an immense sense of humour.”

Her story does not start in a funny way though.

“I was born at home in Dumbarton during a fierce snow storm. This meant that my mother was taken off to hospital without me, it being deemed too treacherous to bring me with her. My mother, having two young boys at home, had thought a home birth would be the most pragmatic solution to the logistical problem of being in two places at once. However, she became quite unwell during the birth, bless her, and matters were taken out of her very orderly hands. She was a children’s nurse, having trained at the Sick Kids’ Hospital in Edinburgh, and I’m sure she would have found it more difficult to be the patient on this occasion. So I was left in the care of my father, a Belgian immigrant and top rate mechanic, but with no clue which end was up with a baby; bless him too. He also had charge of the two of my four brothers who were with us at that time, so very soon had to call for the cavalry! “

The ’cavalry’ arrived in the shape of her great aunt Rose.

“My great aunt Rose, a returnee from the Irish diaspora to USA, was a tremendous, firebrand and apparently rescued my dad from trying to feed me ‘porridge’ formula milk at his wits’ end as to why I wouldn’t eat. So, all in all, it was quite a tumultuous entry to the world and family.”

“I was baptised Catholic as early as my mum could arrange. She was a very devout Roman Catholic and brought us up faithfully in to all the sacraments and devotional membership of the church and school community. My uncle, who is a Dominican monk, and now actually the father of the order, baptised me. My father had no real knowledge of faith apart from my mum, having experienced many of the traumas of conflict and displacement that many are still facing today. These things have always informed my view of the need to care for all travellers, border crossers and wanderers in strange lands; as the Lord himself once was. My father died at a very young age when I was 10 years old, in many ways as a consequence of his early traumas. This, of course, informed my world view.

“Church and school life were particularly intertwined when I was a child. There were large community faith events like the Easter and Corpus Christi processions.

Training for sacraments like First Holy Communion and Confirmation were milestone events that were prepared for over a whole school year and as a family we spent every summer ‘at home’ in Ireland where religion is like breathing.

I remember vividly gazing at the crucifix in church and wondering how people could have hurt Jesus the way they had, and seeing Him in the distance as someone who had known such great pain. It wasn’t until I was 24 years old that, by God's grace, I was given the understanding that it was not ‘they’ who had crucified Jesus but me.”

“I caught my breath and for the first time I realised two things. One, our God is personally interested in every detail of our lives. Two, God has an immense sense of humour.

It was an eye-opening revelation for Claire.

“I realised it was not ‘they’ for whom He had allowed Himself to die but me. It was a personal, living sacrifice that I had to accept to be born again by the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to live a new life pleasing to God. I have learned that religion without relationship may be soothing but it does not bring us into the fullness of God’s will for us.

“I have had the privilege of spending time with friends from Christian and other faith groups; Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Bahai. I felt the Lord very strongly lay on my heart some years ago now, His prayer of John:17. When we learn that we are one in Christ’s love and begin to demonstrate that in this world by the power of the Holy Spirit, then will the world see that Christ is indeed God. I believe very strongly that the Lord has led me to Aberdeen in the power of this Word and prayer.

“I really didn’t like school! Primary school was intense because my mum had taken a job as a school auxiliary so that she could have the holidays with us. Very little was left unreported so it was always double dibs on the consequences of any misdemeanour! High school just taught me more about prejudice and inequity and I didn’t particularly achieve very much there. As an adult I came back to education through the wonderful Open University, then went on to do a PGDE in Primary Education and later an MSc in Professional Education and Leadership.

One of my great passions as an educator is breaking down barriers to learning and enabling people to understand learning in a way which suits them best. It’s one of the things I love about Jesus, that He always read the real need in the situations He was confronted with and by the Spirit responded in so many unusual ways that just arrested the moment precisely.

“I only had one secret dream when I was growing up and that was to be an actor. It just wasn’t something that was possible where we lived. I took part in some amateur dramatic things when a student and in various workshops in Glasgow and London when I lived there. However, life was work and paying the bills. When I gave my life to Christ and moved to Dundee, to join the Christian Fellowship where I had experienced that encounter, life began to change! There was a very present move of the Holy Spirit at this time and a real encouragement to find your ‘ministry’.”

“I do remember doing the classic squirty flower gag on the pastor which brought the house down – but I felt really guilty!

That was when she had her meeting with God in the window of the toy shop!

“When the Lord gave me this gift He first and foremost was healing me. I didn’t really realise at the time. My childhood had been absolutely peppered with sadness, family illnesses and deaths, so much so that I was way too serious for my own good. I had withdrawn into myself and quite frankly without a script really often didn’t know how to express what I wanted to say. God is so clever, picking the foolish things to shame the wise even within our own selves. The other thing clowning does is gives one a complete sense of freedom. Having received the first gift I was immediately offered the opportunity to ‘appear’ at a church service in the coming weeks. This second gift was important as we need an opportunity to develop our gifts and talents, and sometimes the push to stand up and actually use them. We must bless each other with this if we are to make disciples and not simply pew fillers!

“The chosen Sunday arrived and I can still remember nervously waiting in the corridor for my entrance when the pastor's youngest son came by. His name was not Barnabas but he truly was a son of encouragement, and jovially managed to help me with an entrance. As I recall he pushed me through the door! Everyone stopped in their tracks and quite honestly the next 10 minutes remain a blur.”

Claire’s first experience of ‘Clowning for Christ’ was short but very sweet.

“I do remember doing the classic squirty flower gag on the pastor which brought the house down – but I felt really guilty!

I remember clambering up into the old wooden pulpit area, which was no longer in use, and sliding down the banister.

I cannot remember what Biblical justification I had convinced myself of for any of it, but the one thing which I remember so clearly is that no one (bar those who had set it up) knew it was me.

It becomes, I can only imagine, like flying.

Not long afterwards, I was introduced to a Christian puppet group called Hands Christian Puppets. The lady whose vision it was had come from South Africa and so had a whole other way of looking at things, which I Ioved. It was here that through the need for an introduction one day my clown, Splash!, was christened. The puppet show was recounting the story of Noah and the great flood when it was my turn to come on.

“From there I did occasional church services, children’s ministry at church, youth groups, community fundraisers, events like Youth with a Mission, Spring Harvest, missions in various parts of UK, USA and Rwanda. Over time I got married and we had our daughter.”

Sadly, things didn’t work out for Claire and her husband and they separated.

“I was in need of an opportunity to be earning which could accommodate my daughter and had been praying over what to do. Once again, God answered my prayer almost immediately. I attended the local community centre with my daughter and was approached by a man who said:

‘Excuse me, aren’t you the clown?’ I said yes and he then told me about his youth club of lads who were so rowdy he could no longer persuade anyone to come visit with them. He asked me if I would come and he would pay me. And so, I did. It was an experience I still remember because yes, the lads were lively but the minute they became engrossed in juggling and plate spinning and in thinking about comedy routines all the negative energy became immediately positive; and we laughed! It taught me a lot that day too; that we all need second chances and sometimes a positive distraction. This event was also significant for me because word travelled back to the community centre about the success.

“One of the centre workers asked if I was interested in meeting a man from the Economic department of the council.

He was identifying possible small business ideas with a view to funding start-up businesses. I agreed to meet with him and within a short space of time had new equipment, a business plan and funds.

From there I developed my business, The Company of Fools. For several years we travelled the length and breadth of the country. My daughter became very adept at running the junior workshops and loved being in the shows. I became involved in the international professional clown circuit and was blessed in 2002 when I won the International Slapstick award.

I was, at that point, the only female and only solo Scot ever to do so.

As her daughter grew, so Claire realised she needed to be at home more and entered teaching. I have taught across all stages of primary as class teacher and latterly teacher of Additional Support Needs. I then went on to teach maths and ASN in the secondary sector before joining Aberdeen North Parish as a Children and Families Development Worker.

“The role involves me drawing from all my previous experience; God is so amazing! This has enabled me to reconnect with some of our schools in whole school assembly, Bible Clubs and end of year services of Thanksgiving to take place in our church here. This is huge as so many children have lost the connection with church services through the Covid pandemic and a disconnect from families with church. It has also been my privilege to restart Messy Church here with families eating together and listening to and responding to the Word together.

We have played, created, sung, played instruments, planted, decorated and will juggle and plate spin into the end of term.

“I work as part of a team in Aberdeen North called the Tesco Hub project. I invited the team to have our evaluation meeting at church, which might not have been cool before. I taught the team to juggle, spin plates and roll diablo. We had such fun we nearly forgot to have the meeting! It was a real joy to see everyone relaxed and at home in our church space. Quite a few conversations started around memories of church services, clubs or grandparents sharing Bible accounts that I just don’t think would have happened if we hadn’t played together first.

“The Lord led me on a journey of faith which has been character forming and deepening. God spoke a word to me many years ago via people of faith in both Dundee and London. I didn’t ever think the fulfilling of that word would lead me to Aberdeen but God knows the plans He has for us, every step of the way.”