Children and Families in the Four Parishes
Families with children are always welcome to join in worship at any of our four village churches, but we do have some regular activities which are particularly suitable for younger children.
In 2022 we started some new activities to augment Family Church which had been running for some time, even though there have been developments with that too. All these activities are intended to be of special interest to pre-school and primary school children and their families, but of course everyone is welcome to them all! With all the activities, parents, or another adult, must accompany the children, please.
Each activity is different, but they compliment each other. You might be more drawn to one than the other, but please do think about trying them all. Those who have, have had a great time. A warm and friendly welcome awaits you!
Children's Church
St Nicolas, Forest Hill
1st Sunday of the month, 4-4.30pm
Children's Church is led by Anthea, our vicar, together with Julia Stutfield from Forest Hill, who is a member of the ‘Acting the Bible’ team.
Children’s Church lasts 30 minutes and includes a Bible reading, followed by a drama of it in ‘Acting the Bible’ style, songs led by members of the St Nicolas Choir, and prayers. Children and adults all join in rehearsing and acting out the drama, using scripts with stage directions specifically written for use in St Nicolas Church.
The songs are a mixture of traditional hymns and modern worship songs and children are welcome to join the choir for this (contact Julia Stutfield for more information).
Our vision for Children’s Church is to provide a place where we can introduce young children to the essential elements of a service in church, by presenting them in a brief and accessible format.
In spite of the fact that we meet in a beautiful historic building, the atmosphere is informal and friendly and we are passionate about making children and their families feel comfortable and welcome. Everyone is welcome to stay and chat afterwards.
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For further information email julia.stutfield@gmail.com or use the Contact form on this website.
Messy Church
Stanton Village Hall
2nd Sunday of the month, 4-5pm
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Messy Church is led by Anthea, our vicar, together with Betty Dye, who leads the ‘Acting the Bible’ team.
Messy Church lasts an hour: 40 minutes for activities including a Bible reading, followed by a drama of it in ‘Acting the Bible’ style, singing and prayer, and 20 minutes for a craft activity linked to the theme of the day, during which we chat and have drinks and cakes. An adult needs to accompany the children please.
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For further information email betty.dye10@gmail.com or use the Contact form on this website.
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Children's Craft Workshops
Beckley Church or
The Abingdon Arms
Dates and times TBA
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The Children’s Craft Workshops take place approximately once a month, usually on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon from 3.30 - 4.30pm. They are aimed at primary school children and are run by the 'Acting the Bible’ and 'Messy Church' teams - but you don't need to have attended either of those to come and join in the fun.
Children must be accompanied by an adult please. There are light refreshments and opportunities for conversations.
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For further information email betty.dye10@gmail.com or use the Contact form on this website.
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Family Church
Bernwood Forest
4th Sunday of the month, 3-4pm (winter), 4-5pm summer
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Laura Mermet-Burnet from Horton-cum-Studley leads Family Church, along with Anthea, our vicar.
Family Church meets in Bernwood Forest as ‘Forest Church’. Worship, including a short Bible reading and prayers, is intermingled with outdoor play, woodcraft, conversation, a walk, and an opportunity for appreciation of the natural world. Our relaxed get togethers always end with refreshments of cake and fruit. Attendees can bring their dogs along.
Worship and learning through play and walking is a family friendly activity and the children really engage with it. All ages and not just families are warmly welcome! An adult needs to accompany the children please.
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For further information email anthea@fourparishes.org.uk or use the Contact form on this website.