St Mary Redcliffe Parish Magazine - September 2019

I was in the churchyard
for much of the morning
exploring the wonder
of water — bubbles; raindrops
which we made
into a rainbow above the
church door; a paddling
pool filled with ice and
water for everyone to try
their expertise at ‘foot fishing’
for exotic finds (like ice
dentures and reindeer);
chemical testing of water
to show up any pollution.
Inside the church the water
pendulum carried on
swinging back and forth
in its random and chaotic
fashion, which no one can
predict. The morning was rounded off by a gathering together, with song
and prayer — PM.
Above: Bubbles! Photo (detail): Dominic Hewitt
Light: Friday 15th August was a very special day for our Children’s Ministry
as it was the first session of Toddler Church. I had been looking forward
to this moment for some time, and I wasn’t disappointed! Following discussions
and planning, we agreed that the north transept would be the
ideal locality for the Toddler Church, and this worked really well. Our
opening theme is titled “God Loves Me” and over the next two months we
will be exploring the story of Creation. Our first session focused on “Day
One” and we filled the church with glitter as we decorated paper plates
with “darkness” and “light”. During our Welcome, we lit a candle to show
that Jesus is the light of life and to remind us of his presence. As well
as story-time, construction time, messy and “small world” play, we also
incorporated a bit of literacy, numeracy and French in our session, enabling
children to achieve some of the targets of the Early Years curriculum.
Toddler Church, just like Sunday School, Rockets and the summer workshops
simply would not happen if it were not for the support of the staff
and all the volunteers. I love working with people and to discover and
learn from their expertise and talents. I have been overwhelmed by the
kindness and support I have received since I have been co-ordinating
children’s work at Redcliffe and I am incredibly grateful.
Baptism: I have never really been a person to have “favourites” — and I really
do love every aspect of my position. However, one of the most fulfilling
parts of my role is, without doubt, assisting Kat in preparing children and
families for baptism and communion. On Sunday 11th August we
welcomed a member of our Sunday School, Alex Clissold, to baptism. Just
over 40 people — friends and family from as far as Turkey — gathered in
the Lady’s Chapel to support Alex on this special occasion. Kat led a beautiful
service, with an engaging talk and interactive prayers. It is always a great
privilege to be a part of such celebrations, and especially to walk alongside
the children and families as they move forward on their faith journeys.
Singing the Song of Faith and Justice: The second music workshop was
very popular, and its success is a tribute to our Director of Music, Andrew
Kirk, who led some incredible music activities. The session started with
an introduction to the organ and a very engaging “sound treasure hunt”,
which was thoroughly enjoyed by the adults as well as the children! By
locating the sounds of the organ, the children (and adults) discovered
tokens, which they then put together to spell out the name of a musical instrument.
This was followed by more fun down in the choir vestry where
Andrew continued the musical games and singing. It really was an excellent
opportunity for people to learn a bit more about our children’s ministry and
music — and to see just “how we do things” at Redcliffe Church. Andrew
ended the session with a “sing-along” — which also attracted a tourist from
Italy who came to join us.
It really has been an amazing summer, in which we literally have been
singing the song of faith and justice… and, as we approach a new academic
year and new beginnings, we will keep singing — and working together
to share God’s love.
Becky Macron
Families and Youth Minister
email: becky.macron@stmaryredcliffe.co.uk / mob: 07387 909343
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