Our children and young people are an integral part of today’s church. Our aim is for them to experience church in much the same way as the adults. We want them to:
- experience Spirit led worship
- build a relationship with God through prayer
- feel confident in talking about Jesus to their friends
- build meaningful relationships with one another
- understand biblical truths that will impact their young lives
- begin to serve each other.
Our hope is that each child will receive the help in these areas that is suitable for them.
Children's Activities (0 - 11 years)
Crèche
Each Sunday morning there is a crèche from 10.30 –11.45am for children under 3 years old. This facility is available for all parents who attend the morning service. Activities include singing, stories, colouring and play.
Children’s Groups
These groups meet each Sunday at Greyfriars from 10.30 – 11.45am. The children join with the adults in the first part of the service and then go off to their special activities at various locations around the church site.
As we have such a large number of children we are able to provide a separate activity for each year group. All groups are led by a team of leaders that have been checked by our church’s child protection procedure to help ensure that all children are cared for in a safe environment.
On leaving the service the children meet in two separate groups (3 – 6 year olds & 7 – 11 year olds) for worship and various activities. The 3 – 6 year olds register in their classes first. After this each year group go to their own meetings, which may include stories, crafts, drama, prayer and other interactive forms of learning.
Special Services
During the year there are special services at Easter, Mothering Sunday, Father’s Day, Harvest, Nativity & Christmas Day when the church family stays together for the whole service.
Youth Activities (11 - 18 years)
Pathfinders
Each Sunday morning we meet from 10.30 –11.45am and is for young people aged 11-14 years. Activities include games, videos, teaching and discussions.
We also meet on alternate Saturday evenings from 7.00-9.00pm in Greyfriars church centre for socialising – including bowling, laser quest, videos and BBQs.
Engage
Engage is a new mid-week youth group for young people aged 11-14 years old called Engage. It will allow young people to grow in their Christian faith by engaging with friends and having lots of fun!
We meet on bi-weekly Mondays at New Hope Centre from 7:30 - 9pm.
Crossroads
Crossroads is for any young person from 14-18 years old.
Our aim is: "To bring the relevance of Jesus to a community of young people so that they can be more like him on a daily basis, sharing him with others."
We meet on Sunday evening after the 19:00 Service from 20:30-21.30 for our own activities including discussions, Bible teaching, worship and socialising.
Our core values include:
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To have Jesus at the centre of all we do.
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To empower young people to grow by doing as well as hearing.
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To equip young people to live the radical lifestyle that Jesus models.
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To equip young people to be preachers of the gospel in the way they live.
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To be focussed on relationships – in fostering care and respect.
Open Space
On Wednesday evenings from 7.30 to 9pm the young people (14 - 18s) of New Hope and Greyfriars meet at New Hope for an evening of looking at the Bible, discussion in groups and social time. Twice a term we also run social nights when we especially focus on inviting our friends to come along.
