The Revd Greg Bartlem, Vicar of St Peter's, Wellesbourne, writes about the growth in children's and families ministry at the church.
A few years back, at a large Clergy Gathering, we were all asked to stand if we had come to faith in our childhood, almost all the room stood, and yet so many of our churches today are child free zones. This is both sad and scary.
Coming out of the Covid epidemic, St Peter’s Wellesbourne was left with just 4 young people with little or no ongoing investment in them, something clearly had to be done so we bought into the expertise of Thrive Youth Ministries, which are based in Leamington. They’ve been brilliant.
A launch camping weekend led by Thrive's Fiona Strutton was a great success, the families that we had all agreed to come and some of their friends came too! Off the back of this, Thrive helped us to launch ‘Prayer and Pizza’ a weekly church kids group, aimed initially at the upper primary age.
Soon we had leapt from 4 children to fourteen, why? Because together we’d created a group that the children wanted to bring their friends to. Prayer and Pizza has been great for us, the Mothers Union supply the pizza each week and the children are really growing in faith. A highlight has been the performances they’ve put on at our crazy Crib and Christingle services on Christmas eve, with last year attracting well over 350 families packing into the church. I recommend Thrive to you.
Wellesbourne is blessed with a wonderful church school where I serve as Chaplain. The church runs ‘Open the Book’ Bible dramatizations and takes regular assemblies. However, the amazing ALIVE event at Stoneleigh last summer, when all church schools in our diocese were invited to a two day worship event gave us fresh impetus and so with a grant from the DBE we booked iSingPop a Christian Pop Group to work with our school for a week with a big concert in the church in front of friends and families. iSingPop were amazing!
The PCC at Wellesbourne have really caught the vision for the work with Children and Families, and so following a bequest from a lovely elderly lady, we were able to appoint Liz Host Elofson as our part time, Children’s and Families Leader, Liz has helped us to grow our work on Sundays, which now attract far more families into the congregation and along with Helen Smith our brilliant Curate, start JAM (Jesus and Me) Club a weekly Christian union in the school, they have big plans for the new school year!
Looking back, its been quite a journey, beginning with just 4 young people, but its been incredible!