As we seek to fulfil our objectives within Capital Vision to double to number of children and young people who are part of our church groups we are delighted to be partnering with Messy Church to establish 20 new groups over the next two years.
The Bishop of London says:
"Like the Apostle Paul, we believe there are many different ways to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ so I very much welcome our new partnership with Messy Church. We have already seen in several London parishes how effective Messy Church can be in creating communities where children and families from many backgrounds can feel at home and explore faith together. I am looking forward to hearing many more such stories over the coming years."
To achieve this the Diocese is working in partnership with the Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF), which has been resourcing and nurturing the development of Messy Church nationally as a means of outreach and mission among children and families in particular. There are already over 2,000 Messy Churches running in the UK.
Messy Church is deliberately named to be an attractive and nationally recognised draw for those who do not yet come to church. It is messy in as much as it includes craft activities for all ages, which then lead into a time of worship followed by a meal together. Messy Church is distinguished by five core values, namely that it is for all ages, Christ-centred, it offers hospitality, creativity and celebration. Messy Church has proved an accessible and successful form of missional church that has attracted many onto a journey of faith for the first time. The majority of Messy Churches meet monthly.
London Diocese already has some successful Messy Churches in place and, through its partnership with BRF, is able to provide resources, professional training and on-going support from Martyn Payne, who is part of BRF’s national Messy Church team and who is based in London.
Elizabeth McKenzie has been running a Messy Church in Poplar and she says:
"I love running Messy Churches, our Church had never experienced anything like this before. Every couple of months the Church transforms and is filled with a vibrant mix of people from the community having messy fun. It has given me a great opportunity to go into take mini Messy workshops into local schools."
Over in Southall the Revd Christopher Ramsay reflects on their churches experiences with Messy Church:
"Running messy church has been a stretching but God-filled experience. It has released volunteers from our church who were not engaged before, and it has got the vicar dancing action songs for the first time (a different sort of stretching!)! Most importantly it has reached members of the local community who have never set foot in our church before. We have even had to choose our dates to avoid clashes with other faiths’ festivals because the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh children from the parish want to come with their parents and especially enjoy the craft activities. At the same time we are telling the story of Jesus and his followers without compromise. That’s a winning mess for all."
Would you like to start a Messy Church?
If you are interested in starting a Messy Church and taking advantage of what is on offer through this partnership then please email Sam Donoghue who can put you in touch with Martyn Payne.
There is lots of support to help you available. This includes: a training evening for volunteers, a free starter pack of resources, a review meeting help develop the group once established and access to the Messy Church network with meet ups and peer support.
There are also start up grants of £250 available to help buy craft resources to get you started.
More information on Messy Church: www.messychurch.org.uk.