Family comes in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and practice. We are passionate about building relationships between church congregations and families within the local community and enabling parents to be the primary discipleship-makers of their children.
Hilary Wordsworth-Sewell, our Diocesan Children’s and Families’ Enabler and Emma Allinson, our Early Years Support, are here to support, encourage and resource churches and individuals with this work.
Do email Hilary or Emma to share plans, ideas and what you are already doing – they’d love to connect with you.
Training for children’s and families’ workers
“It is always helpful to know that you are not on your own; that there are other people who you can share ideas with, to encourage each other and to learn together”. We have training for people wishing to become Children's and Families' Workers or for those wishing to update or develop their skills.
Connect Training | Weblink
Messy Church
Messy Church offers families in your community the chance to come together and play in a fun and informal way. It is also an opportunity to explore Christianity. The meetings use activities to explore Bible stories, to reflect on a God of creativity and most also offers some free hospitality - whether it's a cup of tea, plate of sandwiches to share or a hot meal.
Messy Church reflects a God of joy who wants his people to have life in all its fullness.
You can find out more about Messy Church on thier website which includes a 'find a Messy Church near you' option.
Messy Church | Weblink
You can also find lots of resources for Messy Church on our Messy Church Padlet
Open the Book
Open the Book is well-established across the diocese and is a storytelling resource for primary school collective worship. For more information please visit:
Open the book | Weblink
The project involves teams, some old, some young, from a variety of local churches who tell simple stories from the Bible during Collective Worship. The teams visit a school regularly, once a week or once a fortnight. They use the ever-popular Lion Storyteller Bible, props and drama to bring important Bible stories to life for a new generation.
As part of a much wider national project, the teams work to a set pattern and a code of conduct. Locally many teams have become fast friends of the school, useful community links, and a rich resource for RE lessons too!
Emmanuel project
This project is the provision of a scheme of work for RE education in a school setting. For more information please visit our schools page
Emmanuel project | Weblink
Early Years resources
For information about Toddler Groups, Baptism preparation or engaging with young families on a Sunday, please contact Emma or take a look at our Growing Younger Padlet.
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