
Children are welcome in church at any time for any service. Children are particularly catered for at the ten o’clock Sunday Communion service.
We offer a Junior Church at 10am on Sundays throughout the year during term times, and occasional other Sundays. We start in church along with everyone else and leave during the first hymn to go down to the Old Stables for age-appropriate activities. These can be based on the bible readings of the day or, when approaching major festivals, we work together over a number of weeks to produce something to share with the whole church. We return to church in time to receive either communion or a blessing and the children are invited to share their work with the congregation. Something enjoyed by all!
In Junior Church we offer:
- Pebbles – Nursery to school year 1 – lots of colouring in, sticking and fun with bible stories – parents are welcome to stay with their children but once children are old enough to manage you are encouraged to leave them and enjoy the service.
- Rocks – School years 2 and 3 – craft activities and teaching about that day’s bible readings.
- Stones – school years 4 – 6 – activities and discussion about the day’s readings.
Sadly, we don’t have room for a regular creche in the Stables. Toddlers are very welcome in our services however, and there are toys available. We really don’t mind a bit of child noise in services, but if your child becomes very restless or loud, feel free to take them and a couple of toys down to the Stables for a while.
We have a team of adult volunteers who are all DBS checked, who all undertake Safeguarding training, and who take it in turns to lead the various groups. We are always keen to welcome new members to our team of leaders, if you would like to find out more, please contact Ruth Cunliffe via [email protected].
Please email Elizabeth Scott if you would like more information about Junior Church.
On the third Sunday in the month, there is no separate Junior Church – the children stay in church for the All-Age Service. This is a shorter, fairly informal Eucharist, where members of our children’s groups often help to lead the service.
‘Ace’ – Fun, Faith and Friendship for those in school years 4 – 6
We meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month in the Old Stables from 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm. Sessions involve lots of silly games – inside and out; faith-based discussions and activities; and on the 2nd Sunday of the month, we end in church for an informal communion service at which parents and siblings are welcome. We do not always meet in school holidays.
Our regular leaders are all DBS checked. It is assumed that young people will not be accompanied by an adult, but we do have a parent rota to give us an extra adult each week.
Ace+
We now have a group for young people of high school age. We meet in the Stables after Ace. On 2nd Sunday of the month we start in church at 6:00 pm for the Ace Eucharist before heading down to the Stables. On the 4th Sunday we start at 6:15 pm in the Stables. We finish at 7.30 pm.
JJ's
JJ’s is a friendly group which meets in term time usually on the first Friday of the month, at The Old Stables, 1:30 to 3pm. The date is printed on the weekly pew sheet, and on our website. It is a church group for our very youngest children, below school age, and their parent, grandparent or carer. We have a theme, such as Friends, Helping others, Harvest, Baptism, Christmas or a miracle by Jesus. We enjoy a story, sing songs and rhymes, have a craft activity, and free play, with refreshments. Sometimes we go outside to fill up the bird feeders or collect things from nature. We like to end with a ring game and finish in time for the school pick up. You are most welcome to come along and join us.