|
St. Mary Magdalene & St. Denys Parish Church of Midhurst |
|
Children in our CHURCH |
|
Children and families are a vital ingredient of our Church community. The activities below reflect a few of the ways we try to incorporate children, and their parents, into our Church lives.
Children and Young People A working group met in August 2009. It reviewed what was going on already and identified four main issues: 1) the need to support parents of young children to enable them to attend Sunday worship 2) a review of how we develop the spirituality of the children we have with us 3) families need to be followed up after the baptism of a child to draw them into the church family 4) a mid-week toddler service needs to be established
Since that meeting we have benefitted from a training session in November on Godly Play (provided by Chichester Diocese) and have started using some of the ideas in Sunday Morning Live and Sunday’s Cool. Godly Play is a story telling technique that encourages children to engage with a story and explore its meaning.
There was also a short meeting with some parents after Sunday Morning Live in December to discuss what they felt would be helpful to them.
Over the course of 2010 the PCC will need to ensure that there is progress on all the issues that were identified, and in particular how this area of work will be resourced and led.
Sunday Morning Live ... is a new service bringing a completely fresh feel to our first Sunday in the month Family worship. The service is informal and lasts just 40 minutes, with live music led by our own "in house" band of musicians, creating a real atmosphere of lively celebration.
Different members of the church help lead the services and the teaching is designed to be fun and imaginative and hopefully engage all ages. Although we welcome children whatever their age, the service is not just designed for the young. If you are just beginning to explore what the Church has to offer, but are worried about the “formality” of a Communion service, then you are very welcome to join us on the first Sunday of every month.
Sunday's Cool Our Sunday School re-launched in 2009, under the name “Sunday’s Cool”. The gang meet in the Parish Room at 10:30am on the 3rd Sunday of the month, each time with between six and ten children. They are mostly pre-school, with a couple of older ones, but they are all growing up together. Some of the mums and dads help, or they use the time to worship in church free from their little darlings for a short while. The children then join us in church for a blessing at around 11:15.
We try to develop the spirituality of our children using a range of different materials, arts and crafts. In late 2009 we started experimenting with Godly Play, which is a lovely way of learning through story telling, reflection and craft. For more information, please contact Helen or Peter O’Connell on 812674.
Solid Rock In April 2009 (replacing the Stanns after School Club) we began a new club with a new name. Meeting in Midhurst Primary School every week during term time, the “Solid Rock” after school club was greeted with enthusiasm by over 20 children. With an age range of 5-10 years old, the children play various board games when they arrive. There is squash and cake, a Bible theme or story, and some active games or drama and some craft work. To find our more, please call Alison Watson on 816145
|
