Children and young people
Children are full members of the Church
Children are not ‘the church of tomorrow’, they are the church of today, and they are welcome at all our services. In addition, there are some special services through the year (like the Christmas Eve Crib Service) that are specifically designed with children in mind. Keep a look out for these!
Sunday mornings
Children are always welcome. There is almost always a staffed creche at the 11am service, where you can either leave your child, or stay with them there if you prefer. For children of primary school age, there is usually an organized Junior Church. In any case, you are welcome to have your children with you in the service. We do understand that they can make a noise or become restless. Please don’t be embarrassed by this. If they become very noisy, feel free to take them into the church complex next door. You can come and go as much as you like during the service.
Growing in faith
One way in which we help children and young people to grow in faith is to prepare them for baptism or confirmation. We are happy to talk to you about this at any time. From October every year, a group with 10-15 year olds meets over a series of sessions to share pizza, talk about what is important in life, and in different ways explore God and the Christian faith. This serves as preparation for baptism and confirmation the following Easter, but is equally open to those already baptised and confirmed, or who are not sure whether they want to be baptised or confirmed. The group usually meets for eight sessions on Sunday afternoons, over several months in the run-up to Easter.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is at the heart of the life of our parish, and is a fundamental expression of the values of the Christian gospel. The Vicar and PCC strive to make the parish church a safe place for all. We promote good safeguarding practice as integral to the mission, ministry and service of the whole church. See our Safeguarding Policy and other important information here.