Bags Of Fun For The Children

Five years ago, down in Ferndown, I was very busy preparing  teaching materials for use with the children on Sunday mornings at Church. Last month, at chapel here, we had a meeting of the Sunday Club Staff. What to do over the summer, when the 'regulars' may be away one holiday, and visiting children may appear? "We need some sort of ready prepared storybags, which we could use as and when necessary" said one friend "And they could be on a table at the back, so we don't have to go out to the back room" said another. [visiting children often wand to stay near parents, and our Safeguarding rules mean two adults must staff the group even if there is only one child present]

"I think I can help with that" I said, "let me make a phone call or two" So I rang Mim, the Youth Minister back at UCF. No, they have not used the storybags since the pandemic. They do Messy Church on Sunday Afternoons, so of course I could have the bags back. Friends coming to Norfolk on holiday kindly acted as Posties. Thank you all. I spent Monday morning sorting out the packets

I had quite forgotten just how much work had gone into them. Worksheets, story scripts and simple crafts for each Bible Story.  Plus carefully stitched little finger puppets, royal crowns, and other story props. And now we have enough resources to keep us going over the summer - plus materials for me to use at our Café Church in the Autumn. All this effort has not gone to waste

And in the autumn I shall have to start putting my mind to Holiday Club 2024 [which will be happening in the February Half Term]