May Last week, I accidentally attacked a Bishop with bubbles.

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1 May 2017 Welcome to Children s Ministry News; the newsletter for all involved in children s work in our parishes and communities. It is available online or by post - to sign up for it: E: youthoffice@stalbans.anglican.org or T: You can also find it on the Children s pages of the Diocesan website: and via a link on our Facebook page: Children s Ministry St Albans Diocese. Last week, I accidentally attacked a Bishop with bubbles. This was part of an event organised by our Director of Mission and his staff, to introduce clergy and other key people to Thy Kingdom Come a ten day wave of prayer from Ascension Day to Pentecost. This year, the team organising Thy Kingdom Come has included lots of resources for helping families and young people participate. You can download many of them here: the Kingdom Kits use ordinary household items, so you can assemble these yourself, or buy them ready made from CPO here: One of the daily prayer activities includes bubbles, and, well, still being a Children s Worker at heart, I can t resist bubbles. Except I was a bit more forceful than I intended, and the bubbles went everywhere, including right in the Bishop s face (I took that as a metaphor for how we need to behave in drawing the decision-makers attention to the needs of children.) Another activity we tried was making prayer bracelets. I ve recently done prayer bracelets with beads in my own church s Junior Church, and did a related post on the blog at This activity used yarn, and was related to Thy Kingdom Come s Five at Five prayer discipline, where, for ten days, at 5pm, you pray for five people by name. We had five different colours of thread, and made three lots of five colours each, then plaited them together. Having children make these bracelets and wear them, with the five colours reminding them of the five people they re praying for, is a good way to help them remember to pray and to make it more physical. Some churches are also setting up prayer spaces for the duration of the ten days, which are open to the public meditative colouring, sensory prayer spaces, room for sacred play, and more. If your church is in an area where everyone leaves for half-term, this might be more difficult, but in other areas, the fact that school is off for this week might give you an opportunity to involve children much more than usual.

2 And finally, while Thy Kingdom Come focuses predominantly on praying that individuals will come to know Jesus and follow him, it s worth remembering that following Jesus is not just an individual but a collective act. Jesus spoke out, repeatedly and forcefully, about justice for the poor, the marginalised, the oppressed, and the forgotten including children. And this year, Thy Kingdom Come corresponds with the lead-up to a General Election. So in this time of prayer, let us pray not only that individuals come to know Jesus, but that we as a society come to take his words and actions seriously, and consider especially the needs of the least of these. Then we will not only be Jesus friends, but truly his followers. Peace, Margaret Drop-in On Monday 3 July, from 2.30pm 4.30pm, I ll will be at Costa Coffee in Ware (25 High Street, Ware SG12 9BP), for a drop-in office hours session. Come and bring any concerns you have, or ideas you d like to share there s no agenda, no particular topic we re focusing on just a chance to share what s on your mind and what s going well/not going well. Thy Kingdom Come Beacon event Pentecost Sunday, 4 June at 6.30pm, St Albans Cathedral. All are welcome. Come and share in a great celebration of Pentecost. A flyer is attached with this mailing. In this edition of Children s Ministry News: Pocket Money Praise BRF Resources for Spring & Ascension Day ROOTS Resources for Summer Church Urban Fund Together Grants Messy News Resources Events, Conferences and Training. 2

3 Pocket Money Praise Many of you may see a dip in attendance over the summer holidays, as families depart for beaches, forests, camping trips, grandparents houses, and many more. Why not send them out into the world with a prayer bag, to remind them that wherever they go, they re still part of the church family and still close to God? Mina Munns, of Flame Creative Kids, has put together some ideas, which you can look through here: Or you could develop your own ideas, based on popular summer holiday destinations think leaves, shells, sand, water, pebbles, fruit, family, trees, cars And why not ask families to bring back something from wherever they went on holiday, to make a display in church in September, bless those places and the rest and relaxation that happened there, and have a big picture of the church in the centre to bless those who stayed and kept things going there while the others travelled? BRF Resources Ideas for Ascension Day Empty shoes: Fun and simple ways to explore Ascension Day - so grab your slippers and have a go! Celebrate Ascension: A simple, short celebration focused on the story of the Ascension. It could be used in an all-age service or as part of a Messy Church celebration; for a Sunday or midweek group; or even, with suitable adaptation, for a collective worship in a school. The outline includes a call to worship, Bible links, a way into the story, a way to tell the story together, a suggestion for a song, a prayer activity, something to go on talking about afterwards and, finally, a blessing. Spring into creation! As we move into Spring, from the darker days to lighter mornings and longer days, we begin to see new life in beautiful plants and baby animals. Children have a natural sense of awe and wonder, allowing them a free pass into the majestic world of creation. Why not enter into this as a church children s group, group of friends or a family at home? Younger children love to plant cress seeds in cotton wool, watch it grow in just a few days and enjoy some egg and cress sandwiches. Buy some daffodil stems watch as, over the next couple of days, they open to form a miniature golden garden. If you are doing this in a church group, simply 3

4 have some before and after examples cress seeds and grown cress, daffodil stems and daffodils open. Have a selection of pictures of various flowers. Talk together about which colour flower is your favourite. If you know the names, which type of flower is your favourite? If you made a flower, what would you call it? Have some pictures of animals include some more unusual ones too! Which animal is your favourite? Which animal do you think God had the most fun making? Why do you think God gave the giraffe such a long neck and put spikes on hedgehogs? The plants, the animals, the world, the people are all part of God s amazing creation. Why not read the creation story together? Choose a version that is suitable for your age range. For a fun activity book that includes the story of creation, take a look at 101 Busy Bible Activities. Read the stories of some famous Bible people and keep busy with 101 activities as you match, colour, count, find and stick! Ideal for 5s 7s, price ROOTS - free resources for the summer ROOTS summer prayer journey This prayer journey contains reflections for adults and all ages, and is extremely flexible: it can be used by individuals, or with a group - indoors or out. Age is no barrier: indeed an older and younger person journeying together can be an enriching experience for both. ROOTS holiday discipleship for all the family Why not spend a bit of time as a family over the summer holidays reading the Bible together? This sheet of ideas offers some imaginative ways of getting to know Paul's Letter to the Philippians. There are suggestions for different ways of reading the passages, and six themes to explore together, with activities that will appeal to all ages. For more information on Roots and the resources, available via their subscription service, go to: 4

5 Church Urban Fund - Together Grants The Church Urban Fund Together Grants programme offers grants of up to 5,000 for faith-based organisations to engage in social action, either for initiating or developing community work. To qualify, the activity should meet the following primary criteria: It must be directly tackling poverty. They favour activities that are working directly with people in need. The lead applicant must be faith-based. Applicants need to be working in partnership with at least one other organisation. These do not need to be faith-based. The activity must have a local focus, being based locally with community involvement in identifying needs, initiating responses and running the project. For more details check out Messy News New Messy Regional Coordinator for South West Herts We are delighted to announce that Laura Graham-Brown will be your new Messy Regional Coordinator for the South West of Hertfordshire! What an encouragement she is - the Diocesan Children s Team particularly appreciated her input with our Messy Cathedral, which we ran a couple of years ago! You can read about Laura on the Messy Church website: Laura will be communicating to you, in her new capacity as Regional Coordinator, if you are in the Hemel Hempstead, Watford, St Albans and Hatfield areas. Laura will be praying for you and offering support. She has lots to share and coordinates a Messy Church at St Mary s Apsley End in Hemel Hempstead. We would also encourage you to pray for Laura, as she takes on this additional role! Messy Church would dearly love help with the North and also the East Herts areas, so if you d like to enquire about the role of Regional Coordinator jane.leadbetter@brf.org.uk The Messy blog If you haven t looked at the Messy blog recently, it s worth spending a few minutes having a read there s a particularly interesting article from Martyn Payne on making Messy disciples: 5

6 Resources Faithful Families, by Traci Smith Over 50 ideas to help families engage with prayer, traditions, transitions, festivals, death, the difficult times of life and so much more. A practical book, rooted in real family life. ISBN: Approx Emotional Health & Wellbeing, by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton If you are working with 0-5s, this book will help you reflect on your practice, give you ideas for healthy activities, explore the place of stillness and develop the capacity for creativity. It not only looks at the well-being of young children, but also the importance of well-being for adult carers. ISBN: Price Events, Conferences and Training May May: Godly Play Childhood Spirituality Conference Sheffield The programme for the weekend includes opportunities for wondering, response, exploring new Godly Play opportunities, walking a labyrinth and silent reflection. Throughout Saturday there will be time to browse a variety of stalls including resources from St Michael s Workshop, a Godly Play flea market. The cost to attend the Friday evening and Saturday (including lunch) is 50 (excluding accommodation, which you will need to arrange yourself) May 18 June: Ely Cathedral Science Festival Ely Cathedral A month-long event of interactive fun and discovery exploring science and the natural world through art, music, exhibitions and fun activities for all ages. This extraordinary festival will involve science shows, live experiments, prehistoric creatures and fascinating talks by leading experts. Highlights include a lecture by Prof Robert Winston, a dinosaur dig with a life-size T-Rex and a Sci-Fi Prom featuring music from favourite composers and movies. A great opportunity to encourage children in the idea that Science and Religion can co-exist and support each other. 6

7 23 May: Baptism Matters Breakout day The Rufus Centre, Flitwick 9.30am 3.45pm Baptism is a great opportunity to develop your ministry with children and families. Whether you came to last year s Baptism Matters event or not, this day will offer the opportunity to look at ways of putting the Christenings Project research into practice. With a keynote address from Bishop Michael, practical case studies from churches, and workshops from Dave Tomlinson and others, this promises to be an enriching and helpful day. The cost for the day is May: Holiday Club ideas and inspiration High St Methodist Church, Harpenden, 7.45pm 9.30pm One of their series of Total Training Sessions, this equipping evening is being run by the267project for volunteers involved in youth and children s work. This session has a Children s Work focus and the subject is Holiday Club ideas and inspiration. Cost 4 - for details contact Mike Palin on or mike@the267project.com. June 1 June: Pilgrimage Puppets (Family Discovery Morning) St Albans Cathedral 10am 12.30pm An exciting, fascinating trail packed with activities, followed by a fun craft session. An introduction to the amazing puppets which will process down St Albans High Street on Pilgrimage Day! Walk around our amazing exhibition, dress up as characters from the Alban Story and create your own puppet to take home. This is a free event, suitable for ages 3-11 (all children must be accompanied by an adult). We advise arriving before 11.30am to complete all the activities. 4 June: Thy Kingdom Come Beacon event St Albans Cathedral 6.30pm Come and join the celebration on Pentecost Sunday, with Bishop Michael, Bishop of Hertford, and Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Church UK. Worship by Soul Survivor. A great evening of prayer and worship for all in our Diocese, as a culmination to Thy Kingdom Come. 24 June: The Alban Pilgrimage St Albans Cathedral 11am The Pilgrimage Procession begins at 11am, setting off from St Peter's Church and arriving at the West End of the Cathedral in time for Festival Eucharist at 12noon. This year's Festival Eucharist preacher is The Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester. The day concludes with Festival Evensong at 4pm, at which the Very Revd Martyn Percy, Dean of Oxford, will preach. 7

8 This month we pray for: all running for public office, that they remember the needs of children, families, and young people. all children, young people, and school staff during exam season. St Albans Diocese Children s Work, Holywell Lodge, 41 Holywell Hill, St Albans AL1 1HE Tel: Margaret Pritchard Houston Diocesan Children s Mission Enabler E: cme@stalbans.anglican.org Julie Cirillo Children s & Youth Work Administrator E: youthoffice@stalbans.anglican.org Jeremy Hirst Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser E: safeguarding@stalbans.anglican.org Diocesan Resources Centre E: resources@stalbans.anglican.org

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