St Paul’s became a ‘Messy Cathedral’ for the day as part of an exciting new approach to the annual celebration of the Conversion of St Paul.
Further extending the appeal of the patronal celebration at St Paul’s, which every year attracts families and children of all ages, the Cathedral’s Schools & Families Department partnered with Messy Church – an organisation which uses hands-on activities to explore Bible stories and celebrate all that the Church works to achieve – to bring arts & crafts, banner making and drama to the Cathedral floor.
People were first invited to participate in the Messy Cathedral before joining together for the St Paul’s Eucharist Service, presided over by the Bishop of London, which included a procession of banners created by Diocese churches and church groups.
Messy Church’s involvement in the celebration also marked the start of its campaign to launch 20 new Messy Churches across London over the next two years as part of the Diocese of London’s Capital Vision 2020 objective to double the number of children and young people involved in the Church.
Commenting on the event, Children’s Ministry Adviser at the Diocese of London, Sam Donoghue, said:
"This year’s celebration of St Paul’s patron saint was bigger, and certainly a lot messier, than ever before.
"Messy Church is all about bringing communities together to explore faith through colour, creativity and celebration, and the Diocese of London is encouraging the creation of Messy Churches up and down the Diocese to engage more children and young people with the Church."
Those interested in starting a Messy Church are being encouraged to contact Sam Donoghue for further details.