Young Church 

Small people learn and grow when they’re having fun (maybe we all do!) so engaging them in activities, games, crafts and stories are all part of Young Church – with God and Jesus woven through our exploring. Stories Jesus told, incidents in his life, big Bible stories – with movement and interaction at the core of each.


Young Church takes place on the first Sunday of the month in the 10.30am service during term time. Tiny ones are welcome to bring a parent with them, and the enthusiasm of the other children soon puts tinies at ease.
 

What happens at Young Church?

Below is an example of one of our sessions…
We move into the rooms with music bouncing beside us, and start with a simple game that involves all our names. This makes sure everyone feels they belong. Our theme for the day will reflect what is happening in church, and today we are thinking about the Invisible God. A challenge, as it doesn’t involve a story, but it proves to be great fun!
 
We blow up balloons, pat them around, marvel that they’ve changed from flat rubbery things to bouncy light globes because they’re full of air that we can’t see…  We think of how God works in actions, in people – kindness, patience, generosity – only visible in their results.
 
We have six pictures – a school, a playground, a supermarket, a home, a church and a swimming pool – and the children play musical chairs, dancing around the pictures and when the music stops thinking about how they see God at work in that particular place. Everyone is encouraged to think of things, but nobody has to.
 
Time to sit down, pick up markers, and decorate cotton wool pads with coloured dots, then pop them into a clear bowl of milk and watch how the dots spread… what we do God can spread further into the world…
 
We always end with a craft they can all engage in and chat about what we’ve discovered – the children are so full of insights and wonderings –  and complete the session by  gathering everything up in prayer.
 
Do bring your child and discover more…
 
If you’re interested in joining our team of Young Church leaders you can find out more by talking to one of them and to Patrick.