Messy Church

Next meeting: Saturday 22nd January 

10:30-12:30

at Christ Church

Messy Church has become quite a buzz word throughout the Parish since it started early in 2009 following about 6 months of discussion and prayer. It is a Parish initiative drawing on Lucy Moore's books and Messy Churches elsewhere and it has benefited from the enthusiasm and commitment from members of all three of the congregations in the Parish of Staines, sharing their artistic skills, providing friendly practical support both before, during and after the sessions, in a variety of ways all very important to the success of the mission. 

So what exactly is Messy church? Well, briefly, it is an opportunity for those in our community who might not feel so comfortable with coming on Sunday to a more traditional style of service but who neverthless want to gain a sense of belonging and an experience of meeting together as God's people in a way that might be fun and enjoyable. It's a chance for people of all age groups to express themselves creatively using God's gifts, as they explore the scripture stories and offer thanks and praise for those gifts. And also it is an opportunity to cement friendships and talk over the theme of the day over a common meal shared by all who attend. 

People involved with Messy Church will agree that helping people to see that Church can be fun is very rewarding. Introducing people to Jesus through friendship and God centred activity is worthwhile and an opportunity to grow in faith and help others to do the same. There is a real sense that God is working here.

Initially we met after school on either a Wednesday or Thursday, as these have been days when the hall was available but more recently meetings have been held, typically at Christ Church, on a Saturday afternoon, generally from 2:30 to 5pm in the hope that this will allow working Mums and Dads to attend with the rest of the family. Our planned capacity is 30 and the target age range for the kids is from 4 to 8. At the moment, we have a little room to spare.

While there have always been enough volunteers so far, more will be required in the future if we want to involve more children and their parents/ carers. There is plenty to do !  

You may like, for example, to help before the event by offering to make a cake, by preparing templates or a prototype of one of the 8 different craft activities offered each time, or maybe you feel called to help on the day with one of the craft activities. You do not need to be a great artist to help in this way. Individual tasks are explained in full in writing and placed at each work station along with ideas on how to explain how your activity fits into the narrative of the day and simple prompts to encourage both children and adults to understand the significance of the story to the way they live today. Others have helped by providing resources and practical advice both before and during the sessions.

If you aren’t tempted by the craft then maybe you would like to help in the kitchen. This is a very important role as they are responsible for the welcoming cups of tea, coffee, juice and biscuits at the beginning of the session and the scrumptious tea at the other end. Of course there is always plenty of washing up to do at the end, so if you can only spare half and hour then this would be a great way to join us and feel that you were being really useful. 

We have been encouraged by the obvious enjoyment of those who have attended and hope that word of mouth and personal invitations will soon lead to more families being included. If you know of any one you think might like to attend please let Sue Wood (01932 228712, sue@stainesparish.org) know and we will make sure they are invited to join us next time. 

MESSY CHURCH

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