This January, we are starting an exciting new Sunday Club at St Wilfrid’s. This will be a Sunday school club for school children aged 4-14 years of age, and will run on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month during term time (and half terms).

We have a brilliant team of volunteers who are looking forward to planning and providing an exciting range of activities for the children. During Sunday Club, the children will be enjoying activities including games, worship, team challenges, craft, cooking and prayer. There will be around three activities that the children can choose to take part in during each Sunday club, each aimed at a different age group. However, children can choose which activity they would prefer to take part in so if siblings would like to stay together, they are welcome to do so.

We have chosen to use the highly recommended activities from ‘Roots’ to help us to plan the sessions. This planning follows the lectionary, so each session will be looking at Bible verses that will also be covered by the wider church that Sunday. The children will also be able to collect stickers and earn rewards for attending sessions each fortnight.

Our team of volunteers will be split into two groups, each leading one session a month, and the whole team will meet regularly to plan for future sessions. These groups will be led by Elaine Davenport, Jo Snares, Denise Williams and Lisa Kernot. On the Sunday Club Sundays, the children will begin the service in church with their families, before leaving during a worship slot to gather together in the upper hall around 10 minutes into the service. The session will run for around 45 minutes before the children return to the church for the final 5 minutes of the service.

Children under school age will remain in the service throughout as they have done previously, and they are welcome to use the creche during this time. Jan Smith has kindly volunteered to sit in creche during these Sundays to support children and families as needed. We are also hoping to provide drawing and colouring activities in creche each week linked to the sermon.

To help launch this new club, we held a Christmas party for all children in church. We decorated ‘Blessing stones’ and gingerbread reindeer, played a variety of Christmas games and ate party food. Thank you so much for all the adults and children who came and helped, it was great fun!

We are looking forward to launching this new club, and have really felt God’s presence, guidance and encouragement as we have planned and prepared for starting this club. As we have prayed, God has provided us with the people, resources and opportunities we have asked for, as well as giving us signs of encouragement in all that we are doing.

We would appreciate your continued prayer for these sessions, that they may be successful and a blessing to the families and community of St Wilfrid’s and beyond.

The Launch of Sunday Club – Lisa Kernot