(This letter first appeared in our Enews in October)

Dear St Denys,

'Jesus said "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"' Matthew 19:14

'It takes a village to raise a child' African proverb

We want to  invite you to be part of the St Denys 'village' that helps kids grow as friends and followers of Jesus. There are a few amazing and committed folk in St Denys who are faithfully welcoming families, getting alongside them and helping the Mustard Seed group to run. But we need more people to get involved so that we can fulfill Jesus's instructions.

You might think 'oh no, that's not something I could do!' and then decide you can't help. But before you decide that, we invite you to keep reading, and then think and pray for a week. And then decide. (and it's okay to say 'no' after that)

Sunday Morning Kids at St Denys currently has two different formats. Sometimes we have a structured kids' group (Mustard Seeds), and other times we use the resources provided in the Kids' Zones (at the Big Table, the Sofa area and in the Den).We know that sometimes there is a small number of kids and sometimes there are quite a few, and we realise we need to be flexible and open the variety. But we want them all, each week to feel welcome, valued and to have opportunities to explore, discover and express God's love as revealed in Jesus.

To help this happen we need friendly, flexible and committed people to do the following roles:

·        Be a Kids' Zone Host - be a welcoming presence at the service, get alongside kids and parents at the Big Table and in the Sofa Area & help them use the resources (puzzles, games, crafts) that are provided. One Sunday a month

·        Find resources for Kids' Zone - research good A4 sheets with puzzles, colouring sheets and craft ideas that link with the season's service theme and pass them over for printing. An hour or two a month at a time that suits you.

·        Be a Mustard Seeds Helper - join in with the Session Leader & kids in the Den to set up, join in and clear away a Mustard Seeds session. All the planning and resourcing will be done. One Sunday a month (approx.)

·        Be a Mustard Seeds Session Leader - be responsible for running a Mustard Seeds session in the Den with the session helper. All the planning and resources will be provided. One Sunday  a month (approx.)

Please stop, think and pray over the next week or two. And if you think you might be able to help in one of the ways above, then contact Sera or Hannah. They'll follow up with more information, and also let you know about the checks we'll need to do (all part of helping people thrive and keeping people safe)

We are inviting you to prayerfully think about whether you could be one of village that helps kids grow as friends and followers of Jesus at St Denys.

Thanks for reading,

Sera, Hannah, Daniel and Benji