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NESTON PARISH STAY & PLAY.
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This group runs in the West end of St Mary & St Helen Parish Church from 9.15am – 11.15am on Friday mornings during term time. It is open to pre-school children with their Parents or Carers. The current charge is £2 per family (or donation). Stay & Play is run by a group of volunteers, mostly Mothers’ Union members. We regularly have about 25-30 children with accompanying parents or carers each Friday. Our programme includes crafts and early years learning activities. We have refreshments for adults and children. Storytime is much enjoyed by the children. It is a biblical story told in a way they can understand. This is followed by children’s action songs and a prayer. We enable parents/carers to meet and chat in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. For morr information call Angela Klabou on 0151 336 6312, or just come along one Friday morning
June was the month of prayer for Toddler groups. Mandi, a shining light on our Parish Stay & Play team has written this about our team. When you are involved in running a toddler group you can find yourself performing many different jobs and roles, firstly the very physical aspect of setting up and clearing up afterwards, ensuring the toys are set out in a way that is appealing to the children and at the end of a session making sure they are all put back where they belong. Are the toys clean? Are all the parts there? Are they broken or damaged? What value do these toys have in a child's development? We are greeters, providing a friendly welcome, by name if we can, to both parents and children. We are administrators, keeping databases up to date and ensuring there is good communication with our families also ensuring we follow recommended guidelines to keep ourselves and those who visit us safe. We are servers, providing drinks and toast to parents and children alike and ensuring that all are included, particularly those with dietary needs or mums holding new babies. We are temporary child carers when a parent or carer needs the toilet, or to nip out to the car or deal with a second child, we will watch a child, play with them and distract them. We are listening ears, when a parent or carer needs to talk we are there to listen and if welcomed, pray. We are playmates and examples, getting alongside children and talking to them and playing with them. We are evangelists and teachers, telling simple Bible stories and singing Christian songs that teach those who come about God's nature and his love for them. We are friends, checking in with parents and carers, remembering to ask them about things they have told us about, swapping stories and advice. Please pray for us as we serve God through Stay & Play. Pray that as we interact with the families that come to our group, we will hear God's prompting and that we will show His love in all we do, from the care we take with our resources to the care we take of those who attend. Please pray for the children (and the families they represent) and for us leaders throughout the year. We all love doing what we do! 74% of all families with under 5’s have attended a church based toddler group. These Toddler groups are not in isolation from the church … they are ‘the Gold dust of the church’.
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It’s just the Toddler Group!......No! …….. It’s the Gold dust of the Church!
Early years are hugely important to our faith journey. New research by the Church of England has shown that 76% of Christians started their walk with Christ under the age of 18 and 40% started under the age of 5. Church-based Toddler groups are important because they show all those who come to them that they are loved and valued by God. There is a considerable impact on parents at Christian Toddler groups. In our churches we are missing the 20’s and 30’s age group. But they are the ones who are parents of toddlers.
The Toddler group is both ministry and outreach to that age group. It is a hidden offering to the community and a missional opportunity for the church. It needs to be prayed for and given support. The missional potential is in offering love, hope and stability with the possibility of transforming church and communities. It nurtures people by building relationships and friendship. We should treat them as honoured guests because God loves us, so we should love them. When telling stories to the children, the adults are listening. Faith journeys are nurtured in toddler groups, lives are transformed and links are created for faith at home.
Mums who have been in a working environment suddenly find themselves isolated with a baby in a new and strange environment. Or they may be new to the area. When coming to a church-based Toddler group, they find a welcome and an understanding environment. New mums value the support, advice and sharing of problems with other mums, dads, grandparents or child minders and so it helps to reaffirm parents. Another example is the help and support these groups can offer to refugee families. These Toddler groups are not in isolation from the church … they are ‘the Gold dust of the church’.
Stay and Play, our Toddler group in the west end of St Mary and St Helen runs from 9.15am to 11.15am on Friday mornings. There is also one at St Michael’s on Wednesday mornings 10am to 12 noon. Both welcome new visitors.
Please pray for this ministry in our parish, the teams that run the groups and most of all the toddlers and parents/carers who come to them.
‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place – becoming like this child – is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.’ Matthew 18.1-5
The research concludes: Toddler Groups are one of the best ways the Church of England can reach young families.
Angela Klabou
This article is based on a presentation given by Mary Hawes, National Children and Youth Adviser for the Church of England. You can download the accompanying booklet by googling ‘It’s just the Toddler Group’.