Children are an important group in church life and we continue to develop our children's ministry by helping them, whatever their level, to learn about and experience the love and grace of God. We aim to do all we can to help children enter a full relationship with Jesus by giving them the opportunity to hear, receive and respond to what God wants to offer them through His word in the Bible. We want them to learn about his life and teachings, and the Christian life in a friendly environment. We also aim to have fun in the process!
Our children are not just our future - they are also our present. Here at St Alphege we are pleased to have such a large and growing number of children as part of our family. To co-ordinate childrens activities and groups within St Alphege we have a Childrens Minister. For information on any aspect of the childrens or youth groups he can be emailed on Childrens Minister.
During the 10:30am family service there is provision for all ages, with children and young people beginning the service in the church and going out to their relevant groups at the appropriate time:
Here we start with a short bible story often involving the use of "Allie", our resident group puppet, and various other props relevant to the story being told.
The children then go on to reinforce their learning, exploring the Bible
and
the life of Jesus further, by making pictures relating to this story which
might include colouring, sticking, gluing and collage.
Other favourite activities also available include play-dough, jig-saws and various toys suitable for very young children.
The group finishes with a song and short prayer before re-joining the rest of the Church family.
We try to encourage parents to leave their children at the group once they feel settled and comfortable, although this is not compulsory and several parents choose to remain in the group throughout the session.
Within our group we explore the life of Jesus and the stories of the Bible by a short reading which sometimes includes the use of puppets and acting within the group. We then reinforce our learning and understanding of such stories by further discussion or making pictures which are relevant to the topic.
We usually finish with a short prayer before rejoining our parents and the rest of the Church family within the main worship area.
We are developing our relationships with Jesus and each other by learning to pray and explore the bible.
This is done by use of a prayer book and regular bible teaching and is reinforced using visual aids, acting, quizzes, games and artwork.
We often have discussions and the children are able to ask any questions they may have.
