Context and background-
Small rural village – population around 1000, with a CE primary school with around 80 pupils. Village is predominantly over 65s. Not many children live here. Sunday morning worship is Holy Communion with organ and hymns and is not family or unchurched friendly.
What is working well with children and families?
Tuesday morning coffee stop and Thursday weekly collective worship and after school club has led to a family service with 15 children and 12 adults. It’s informal, starts at 4pm- which means at least 10-past as families arrive, grab drinks and snacks and catch up with each other. The service contains elements from collective worship so the children are familiar with it- lighting candles, worship songs, Bible reading, prayers- with a family activity or game in the middle. We usually get them to form into teams with the youngest member leading each team. It’s chaotic and it’s fun and they get to know each other. By 5pm we’re done, they head across the road to the family-friendly pub, we clean up and then join them.
What have you learned?
- To be patient.
- Regular contact on the school run (and fundraising school runs at Christmas and Easter- photos), as a school governor, as an active member of the school PTA, have all slowly meant that parents trust me and trust the church, and are willing to try stuff and support what we do.
- Giving the time to serve the school and the community bears fruit through the conversations that happen before and after meetings, at the pub, during fundraisers and at the school gate.
- It’s all about relationship and helping people know that Jesus loves them.
Contact
- www.kmkmm.org/
- Tel: 01691 682351