Children and Young People
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Children are a welcome and wonderful part of our church family!
Our building is fully accessible for prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs, with plenty of space to park them indoors. Our disabled / ladies toilet has a baby changing table with spare nappies, nappy bags and wipes (just in case!).
We have very recently appointed our first Growing Faith Minister, whose focus will be on encouraging and growing the faith of children and young people in our community. We look forward to seeing where God leads us!
Little Angels
This group for parents and carers of babies, toddlers and pre-school children meets in church on Tuesday mornings (term time only) 10am-12noon. It costs £1 per family per session, with funds raised used to purchase additional resources for the group. There is an abundance of toys and games for all ages, with a snack mid-morning, brews for the adults and singing time at the end. You will receive a warm welcome, so please come along!
During Services
Families with children are welcome to any and all of our church services.
We have pew bags containing quiet activities such as books, colouring sheets and paper for drawing that our Welcomers will offer you as you arrive. Feel free to bring quiet activities for your own children if preferred. We understand that children make noise and move around! Please use the space we have in St Mary’s to help your family be as comfortable as possible.
We don’t currently have a Children’s Church where children and young people receive their own age appropriate Christian teaching, but if this is something you are interested in for your child(ren) please let us know via the Church Office on 01949 842859 or email: stmbottesford@gmail.com
Holy Baptism (Christenings) and Confirmation
We hold regular services of Holy Baptism where babies, children (and adults!) are welcomed into God’s family. During these services there are organized crafts for children that take place in the main body of the church throughout the service.
When children and young people (and adults!) are ready to confirm the promises made for them at their baptism and step into their growing faith, we participate in special Confirmation services led by our Bishops, approximately every 2 years.
If you would like to discuss having your child(ren) baptized or confirmed, please contact the Church Office on 01949 842859 or email: stmbottesford@gmail.com
Family Services and Events
We celebrate church festivals and special occasions with Family Services. These are worship services suitable for all ages and where we encourage the participation of children and young people. Examples are: Christingle and Crib (Nativity) services at Christmas; Mothering Sunday; St George’s Day; Pentecost and Harvest.
We also hold occasional themed family-focused sessions outside of Sunday services, such as our annual ‘About Easter’ – held on Good Friday morning in the church grounds, using storytelling and craft (making Easter gardens!) to tell the Easter story and what it means.
We publicise these services and events in our church newsletter “In Church Today”, the Village Voice and on this website. If you would like to receive a weekly copy of “In Church Today” via email, please contact the Church Office on 01949 842859 or email: stmbottesford@gmail.com
Schools
St Mary’s Church works with all the local schools, including Bottesford CE Primary School, Redmile CE Primary School and Priory Belvoir Academy (Bottesford).
For our primary schools, our Lay Ministry Team provide support with assemblies in school and occasional input into RE lessons. Our Open the Book Team of volunteers provide a fortnightly interactive Bible story in both primary schools too! Bottesford CE Primary School brings the whole school into church at least once a term for a festival service - Harvest, Christmas, Easter, and Yr6 Leavers – during which each Yr6 child receives a Bible.
Local and World-wide Mission
As a church family we engage with charities that provide support and help to children and young people in all kinds of need.
All year round we collect food and toiletries in church (in our famous Supermarket Trolley!) for our local Grantham Food Bank.
We hold special collections at Harvest (during our Harvest Festival), and at Christmas and Easter (when we donate Fairtrade Advent Calendars and Easter Eggs) for local families in need.
Harvest Collection
In the autumn, we participate in the shoebox appeal via Operation Christmas Child, filling shoeboxes with essentials, toys and treats for children in need across the world.
In our Christingle Service we raise funds to support The Children’s Society.
St Mary’s sponsor two children … in… via Compassion, providing funds for their education and welfare, as well as praying for them and their families.