Pat Smith, LLM at Meldreth and Melbourn, together with other volunteers, have come up with a new and sustainable way to engage with children and families who only come occasionally to church.
They’ve put together a folder of pick-up-and-go Bible-themed activities, making it possible to run an impromptu session if any children walk through the door on a Sunday morning.
In recent years, fewer families have been attending church regularly in Meldreth and Melbourn, two villages in South Cambridgeshire. However, Pat and the team wanted to have something ready to offer those families who still visited from time to time, or children attending weddings and baptisms. They've put together resources for six complete sessions on Baptism, The Lost Sheep, Christmas, Easter, Jesus Calms the Storm, and Prayer. The ’standby folder’ is kept with a toddler-friendly book of Bible stories in a comfortable space in the church, with sleeves containing pre-made crafts and activity sheets. Pat finds many of these resources online, and most only require basic craft supplies like coloured pencils and glue sticks.
As Pat explains,
"We keep a toddler bible with the relevant stories and pictures marked so that the children can see and hear about the story and then make the activity. We used this at a baptism with a three year old who with her parents were visiting family here. We were happily sitting down on the floor sharing the story and pictures of Jesus's baptism. We looked at the bird which represented the Holy Spirit and later made a dove from card to remind them of the Holy Spirit which God gives them at their baptism. The dove was appropriate as it was light weight and fitted in the suitcase to take back and was a reminder of a special day for all involved."
Pat Smith, All Saints Melbourn and Holy Trinity Meldreth