Taking children to church can be a challenge. In fact, let’s face it, taking children anywhere outside your living room can be a challenge some days! But as you’ll also know, the rewards, when you do manage to get the kids somewhere new and special are immense. You get to see them grow as they interact with new people and face new challenges. You get to share new experiences with them and make memories as a family. You get to share the things you love and that are important to you with your children, shaping them for who they will become in the future. You get all this and more when you bring your children to Church. At St Barnabas we love having children in our service and they are at the centre of our community. Of course we meet in a school – so that helps! – but we also really value the spiritual lives of the children and recognise that they need nurturing as much as us adults do. Our children’s thoughts, feelings and insights are really important to us and we want to see them flourish from their time spent at Church. We also aim to make life a bit easier for you because, well, parenting is hard work!! At our services you will always find a play area where babies and toddler can be let loose meaning that you can enjoy and participate in the service. There is also an area with craft activities, colouring, puzzles and games to keep slightly older children entertained. We try to create services that are engaging for all ages using drama, storytelling and prayer activities to get them involved with the action. Our services aren’t silent, there is plenty of laughter and outbursts from excited toddlers don’t faze us! We also run children’s groups every other week when the children go out of the main service to have their own session. Here they might be doing any number of things from exploring a story from the Bible using Playmobil, doing an obstacle course, having discussions about their life and what is important to them or crafting up a storm! All our children’s leaders are safely recruited and you are welcome to stay with your child in their session or leave them to it and go and enjoy the service. Children of all ages are welcome in our groups. Every community is a work in progress and St B’s is no different. We are always seeking to develop what we offer for the children amongst us, and this is a big priority for us in 2020, but you can always be sure that your children will receive a warm welcome at St B’s and will be very much part of the community. Why not bring them along and see if St B’s is a good fit for you? Rev Nicola Comments are closed.
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