WELCOME!

children & families

WELCOME!
Hello! Im Matt Lunn, Church Children and Families worker, and I am delighted to welcome you and your child to Bilton Area Methodist Church. We welcome all ages to our church family. This pack contains information about all our Church run and our Churchsponsored activities for children. We have Sunday Club each Sunday morning in our halls for children from nursery age upwards. We also run a Sunday crche called First Steps. These both take place from 10:30 during the time of our morning service. You are welcome to stay with your child or go through to the service. If you do go into the service, then please come and join us for coffee when picking up your child afterwards. If youd like to know any more information about any of our groups or activities, do not hesitate to contact me: 01423 501533 (Office) matt.lunn24@btinternet.com. A warm welcome once again! Matthew

HELLO FROM THE MINISTER

I echo Matthew in saying a warm welcome to you and any children who have come with you to Bilton Area Methodist Church. Should you have any questions about our Church and its activities, I would be pleased to hear from you. We are a church that is always glad to see newcomers. We are delighted to have children and babies with us at any of our events. This church is for everyone! We hope that you will feel at home with us. Rev. Dr. Roberta Topham 01423 870977 roberta.topham@ntlworld.com

TEAM
Minister: Rev Dr Roberta Topham 01423 870977 roberta.topham@ntlworld.com Children & Families Worker: Matt Lunn BA (Hons) 01423 501533 (office hours*) 07725 086880 (mobile, all hours) matt.lunn24@btinternet.com Sunday Club Team Leader: Matt Lunn Team: Jackie Keir Jason Lowe Amy Morrell Eddys Amaku Shirley Charters Margaret Cracknell Family Film Night Team Leader: Matt Lunn Team Chris Dekanski Andrew Dawson Ann Ellis Jackie Keir Helen Lunn Messy Church Team Leaders: Roberta Topham Matt Lunn Team: Jean Clay Margaret Cracknell Chris Dekanski Julie Dekanski Judith Dewhirst Ann Ellis Aileen Fletcher Kath Jones Helen Lunn Averil Makinson Jenny Wylie Raindrops (Parent Baby/ Toddler Group) Team: Judith Dewhirst Jenny Wylie Matt Lunn Parent helpers *Office Hours 09:00 - 17:00 weekdays

MISSION STATEMENT
Aim: To ensure that the children have a great time in a safe, Christian environment and learn more about Jesus and how to follow him. To have a club where children can belong and make new friends. What we do: Welcome children and families to our church Why we do it: We believe that all children are important and we want them to feel valued. Church is for all ages and we enjoy learning from each other. How we deliver it: By delivering fun, varied sessions including Sunday Club, Messy Church, Family Film Night, regular parties or social events and a summer holiday club.

SUNDAY CLUB
A huge thank you for your interest in Sunday Club. We meet every Sunday (apart from the second of the month) during the Morning Service, from 10:30 - 11:30. On the second Sunday of every month, you may like to attend our all-age Family (Parade) Service. These services aim to involve children while giving a message that is meaningful for us all. They are usually led by someone who knows the children and enjoys relating to them. At Sunday Club, we cater for all children, from any and every church or non-church background. Our aim is to introduce Bible stories to the children in a fun and meaningful way. We want to help children to understand and live Christian values and we teach this through fun activities and crafts. As parents, you have the wonderful privilege of teaching your children and as a church we want to support that too. To make this happen, we would like your support. We ask parents to * encourage your child attending Sunday Club when

* find out what your child has done at Sunday Club * support your child to attend most mornings. * encourage your child if he or she is wanting to explore more about the stories. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to come and speak to us. We have free Bibles and resources on request. We usually go in to join the end of the service and show the congregation what we have been doing. The congregation always love to see the children and hear from them. This is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn to contribute in an all-age environment. We also welcome children to receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion. Should you want to

know more about this or prefer that your child only receive a blessing then please just let us know. We regularly teach the children about the meaning of Holy Communion and events in the churchs calendar. We are also really delighted when babies or children are brought for baptism.

Please do speak to me or Roberta if you would like to know more about baptism (sometimes called christening). Should you be interested in helping in Sunday Club, even occasionally, please just let me know and I can discuss this with you. Thank you for your support. Contact: Matt Lunn 01423 501533

FIRST STEPS (CRCHE)

Each Sunday morning an area with toys, a ball-pool and fullsized Wendy house is set up in the hall for use during the service. A church helper and parent are always there to welcome and care for babies and toddlers. A simple bible story and songs are available if appropriate. A good chat is always had by the parents while the little ones have fun. At the end of the service the crche are invited to join the congregation, along with Sunday Club, and to share in the final blessing. There is a simple nappy changing area in the toilet opposite the kitchen at the very back of the church.

RAINDROPS
Raindrops is our toddler group that meet every Monday 10:00 12:00 at Bilton Area Methodist Church. We have toys for all ages to play with, playdough table, music and nursery rhymes. We also provide refreshments for parents/guardians and orange juice & fruit for the children. Newcomers always welcome. More details in accompanying flyer. Contact: Jenny Wylie 01423 507566 Judith Dewhirst 01423 563573

FAMILY FILM NIGHT

Family Film Night takes place on the first Saturday of the month at Bilton Area Methodist Church. Doors open at 17:30 for the film to start at 17:45. The evening consists of fun for the children and families with the latest family films. We have comfortable chairs & beanbags and provide hot dogs & refreshments. The event is free and all ages are welcome. Contact Matthew Lunn 01423 501533 Chris Dekanski 01423 507140

MESSY CHURCH
Messy Church takes place 16:00 17:30 on the fourth Sunday of alternate months. See posters around church for more details, or contact Matthew Lunn (details below). Messy Church is a way of being church for families, with the emphasis on hospitality, creativity and celebration. Children and parents/carers have fun together trying out the different acitvities that are on offer. We join together to learn about God in a fun and creative way, and families enjoy quality time together. The afternoon consists of several small workshops which all ages can enjoy; mainly crafts and games, but sometimes singing, Bible stories and dance too! It is possible to drop in for just a short time so why not come along and try it out? Contact Matt Lunn 01423 501533

SUMMER CLUB
Each year, a team of volunteers head a summer club for all primary school aged children. Grouped into teams, theres a lot of competitive fun including singing, games, crafts, drama and Bible stories. Look out for information at church and in local schools from Spring each year. Contact: Matthew Lunn 01423 501533

UNIFORMED GROUPS
We have a number of uniformed groups meeting at Bilton Area Methodist Church. Beavers Tuesday 17:50 - 18:50 Cubs Monday 18:00 - 19:30 or Wednesday 18:00 - 19:30 Scouts Friday 19:00 - 21:15 Contact: Mike Higlett 01423 561069 m.higlett@iee.org

BIRTHDAY PARTIES
The Church hall and rooms are available to hire for birthday parties at very low rates. Bookings should be made through our room booking secretary, Sheila Walton. Contact: Sheila Walton 01423 504288

SAFEGUARDING
Bilton Area Methodist Church operate a safeguarding policy, which can be found in full in our accompanying booklet. We comply with the Churches Agency for Safeguarding, and employees & volunteers are CRB checked. We expect your co-operation in order to implement our safeguarding policy effectively. This church is led by the Church Council who make important decisions about what we do and ensure that we follow guidelines for Safeguarding and Health & Safety. On a day to day basis, we are led by a leadership team consisting of Minister, Church Stewards and Children & Families worker. Should you have any concerns or questions please ask any member of the team. We also have a Church complaints procedure (details of which should be found on the noticeboard in the vestry) but we hope that you will be able to enjoy all our activities. Our Safeguarding Officers are Matt Lunn and Kath Jones (01423 562357).

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT ANY OF OUR EVENTS!