Children's work is an important part of our ministry in the Chet Valley.
We run Noah's Ark, a weekly drop in group for babies, toddlers and their carers.
To find out about the work of Xpressions, our events aimed at families with children, see our Calendar of Events.
Our Children & families Worker is Alison Ball. Here is Alison's latest report on our work:
Children and Families Work September - November 2009
We have a re-union planned for 16th January, 2010. Lots of the helpers are available and the invitations will go out by the beginning of December to all those who came in the summer. Dependent on the uptake, we may also invite people who have come in previous years as we did last year.
We have had between 40 and 50 people most weeks (greatest number 54 assuming everyone signed in and they don’t always). We are reaching ~40 families this term. Janet did Noah’s Ark harvest this year which went well by all reports. We are holding a Christmas party on December 16th with Father Christmas and a telling of the Christmas story as last year. We are supporting ‘Feed a family’ through Oxfam for Christmas at Noah’s Ark – just asking for donations from those who would like to contribute. Freecycle opened again in September. I have put an appeal out for more clothing, especially for girls, as well as for nappies. Again people are amazed that it really is free!! I have really appreciated all the help that we have in Noah’s Ark: Janet is a tower of strength and I will miss her support next year; but we have also had help from Kathie Henery, Tricia Bell, Catherine Knight, Sarah Woodger, Jill Haylock and Richard Seel with setting up, clearing up, chatting, playing with the children ... It is invaluable and I am hugely grateful that people in the church are willing to come along and support in this way.
Nigel, Janet, Richard and I continue to do assemblies in both the infant and junior schools. The children are getting to know Richard and Janet quite well now and hail them in the street! Both schools were invited to Harvest Festival in Holy Trinity and a good number of the choir came from the junior school + a good number from the infant school for a festival which was excellent (led by Janet); it really involved the children and we had many positive comments back afterwards. I was encouraged that John Robson (Headteacher of Hobart High School and Loddon Junior) asked if the older children from Hobart High could be involved next year as he felt it was a good community venture; he hadn’t realised how close the links were, I think, between the junior school, the infant school and the church!
Infant School
I went to a staff meeting in the infant school at the end of September to talk about where we are and what we do this academic year. In consequence, we had a maths day once again for the Year 1/Year 2 children from the infant school in HT as a start to the new academic years’ project with LIS. It went really well and staff were very appreciative. Sue Stiff was suggesting that the children take their parents into either of the churches to see photos of the day; they’ll be up soon! The nursery and reception classes are coming to visit St John’s for a Nativity telling at the beginning of advent and will be back for Epiphany in the New Year. Other events are planned for the remainder of the academic year. I continue to support music lessons in the school and to take a once weekly singing assembly.
We have started to support RE in Year 5 in the junior school in the last week. Janet and I went into the school to teach about Christian baptism. The kids were fantastic, very engaged and their HLTA was extremely grateful for what we did. They are going to visit St John’s at the beginning of December to interview a selection of people about their faith and how they act it out in the community. Lunch club continues with a new team of children in charge; they are getting used to their responsibilities and things are settling down well. Listeners and Xtended listeners continue. We have recruited one new listener who will be starting soon. I continue to run the choir in the junior school; I was really encouraged that so many of the new intake joined the choir having worked with them in the infant school last year. Also, I seem to have caught the imagination of the Y6 football boys; one of the former pupils of the school was amazed when I told her who had joined the choir!
Xpressions café continues and attracts a varying number of children and families. There are fewer children on average in Loddon than in Chedgrave though we have attracted one new family which has been each time to Loddon.
Xpressions Oliver sing-a-long: around 35 of us assembled for Oliver, pizza and pudding. Everyone who came enjoyed themselves and a few parents said that they hadn’t told their children about it as they were going to be away and didn’t want their children to be mad about missing it!!
Baptisms: I’ll leave Jill to tell you about these, and team news, just saying that I have felt very ‘privileged’ to have been able to co-lead a number of these with Richard Seel over the last few months.