To Walk with a Child : Your Thoughts on the Day

AS well as a very full graffiti board, signed by adults and children alike with comments about the day, we asked some of you to tell us why you wanted to ‘Walk with a Child’...

Luisa Edmond, aged 6, from Oxford, loved the puppets: ‘We’ve got two at Church already. They’re  called Katy and Greg and they’re brother and sister. Katy is really forgetful and Greg is crazy. They come out to tell us stories and talk about feelings. They’re great. I think we should have a whole family of them.’

Leaders of children’s church work at St Peter’s Church, Earley in Reading, said: ‘It has been a mission inside our Church to encourage parents who want to bring their children for baptism to come along to the toddler services before and afterwards and gain some understanding of what it means to belong to the Church.  It has been quite successful.

‘With children it’s important to pitch your talk correctly and have lots of ideas to illustrate what you are trying to teach them, and it’s really important to make it fun. The Glitter and Glue workshop this morning was excellent for new ideas.’

Rebecca Hoare and her daughter Emily had travelled from Steeple Aston for the conference. Rebecca told us: ‘This morning we did a dance workshop, looking at movement and worship, putting different movements together to express a prayer. I think combining the physical with prayer would be quite effective for children’s church.’

The Aukland family spent one workshop in Godly Play. Mrs Aukland confessed: ‘I was surprised. Before the workshop I couldn’t see how the concept could work with very small children but I can see now that, with the right story, it can work. We did the story of the Red Sea and afterwards one of my son’s recalled the story to me in great detail, so obviously it had captured his imagination and attention.’

Mr Aukland said: ‘I really believe in all age worship. I think the children appreciate being in the body of the church and adults can learn from the children. Having children there breaks down inhibitions and allows our worship to become, not childish, but childlike. I think today will give us encouragement in that as well as ideas for effective all age worship.’

From Beckley in North East Oxfordshire the Lea family were delighted to be among so many other Christian families who wanted to actively help their children grow in faith.

Mr Lea told us: ‘We belong to a small village church with only a quarter of a vicar and a mainly elderly congregation. Generally children aren’t welcome in the Sunday services, except once a month. It’s very traditional. But there are families in the village who  would like children’s church activities and it would be great to get something going. A day like this shows what is possible. We all enjoyed the puppet workshop this morning.

Angela Berry from St Mary’s Church, Hitcham Lane, Burnham enjoyed the practical ways of praying with children workshop and the chance to access so many resources. Daughter Nathalie said of the day: ‘It’s great.’