Families
Welcome to our Families Page!
We aim to be a church where people of all ages and backgrounds can encounter God and grow in faith. We are well aware of the busyness and pressures of family life, and of the challenges that parents face in bringing up children in today's world. This page tells you about activities for families at our Church, and includes resources for helping share faith at home.
We aim to be a church where people of all ages and backgrounds can encounter God and grow in faith. We are well aware of the busyness and pressures of family life, and of the challenges that parents face in bringing up children in today's world. This page tells you about activities for families at our Church, and includes resources for helping share faith at home.
New - Spring Harvest at Home: Spring Harvest is a Christian conference-cum-holiday for people of all ages, and because of the lock-down it is running on YouTube. There are lots of interesting talks, worship and other sessions for children and families, and it's free of charge! Click or tap here.
Resources for "doing Church" at home during the Corona virus epidemic (and after!)
There are several good websites with ideas for things to do at home with children. Try some of these:
Roots on the Web - teaching material designed for a Sunday School group, can be used at home.
Kitchen Table Project - advice on sharing faith at home. Includes an article on talking to your children about the Corona Virus. This is part of Care for the Family, which has advice, runs courses and provides resources for families.
Another page of suggestions on praying as a family can be found at Crosswalk.com.
Got kids aged 8-11 who like computer games? Why not try Guardians of Ancora, a free game provided by Scripture Union.
Resources for "doing Church" at home during the Corona virus epidemic (and after!)
There are several good websites with ideas for things to do at home with children. Try some of these:
Roots on the Web - teaching material designed for a Sunday School group, can be used at home.
Kitchen Table Project - advice on sharing faith at home. Includes an article on talking to your children about the Corona Virus. This is part of Care for the Family, which has advice, runs courses and provides resources for families.
Another page of suggestions on praying as a family can be found at Crosswalk.com.
Got kids aged 8-11 who like computer games? Why not try Guardians of Ancora, a free game provided by Scripture Union.
Prayers to use with children
Here are some prayers that will help you, in child-friendly language. These pages are in pdf and Word format. The size and format is suitable for reading on tablets or smartphones. Have fun and grow in faith as a family!
Here are some prayers that will help you, in child-friendly language. These pages are in pdf and Word format. The size and format is suitable for reading on tablets or smartphones. Have fun and grow in faith as a family!
| prayers_for_children_and_families.pdf |
| prayers_for_children_and_families.doc |
Families and Faith
With all the activities that are on offer for children, and with the pressures of working life as well, it's so easy for faith and church to take a back seat. And yet the Christian faith offers precisely the kind of guidance that we all need to cope with life, and discern the important values and beliefs that make for good relationships, and a fulfilled and meaningful life.
Our Family Service, Kidz Church, Toddler Time and youth meetings are regular activities that are geared to families and children of different ages. In addition, the Start and Moving On courses, house groups and Sunday sermons (most of which can be read or listened to on the monthly services page) help adults to explore the Christian faith, and grow closer to God. We also encourage people to attend external events run by Care for the Family, Spring Harvest, Big Church Day Out and other organisations.
With all the activities that are on offer for children, and with the pressures of working life as well, it's so easy for faith and church to take a back seat. And yet the Christian faith offers precisely the kind of guidance that we all need to cope with life, and discern the important values and beliefs that make for good relationships, and a fulfilled and meaningful life.
Our Family Service, Kidz Church, Toddler Time and youth meetings are regular activities that are geared to families and children of different ages. In addition, the Start and Moving On courses, house groups and Sunday sermons (most of which can be read or listened to on the monthly services page) help adults to explore the Christian faith, and grow closer to God. We also encourage people to attend external events run by Care for the Family, Spring Harvest, Big Church Day Out and other organisations.
Angela Harper is our Family Worker
As our part-time Family Worker, Angela's main task is to offer support to parents, including those on the fringe of our church life, especially in helping them to develop faith in their children amidst the pressures of modern life. She visits parents and families, including those whose children are baptised at St Michael's, and is involved in running some church events. Her work complements that done by volunteers, the Rector and our youth worker, Mike Gower. We hope parents will take the opportunity to use Angela as a confidential resource.
For more about Angela see the entry on the Who's Who page.
To contact Angela see the details in the image below.
As our part-time Family Worker, Angela's main task is to offer support to parents, including those on the fringe of our church life, especially in helping them to develop faith in their children amidst the pressures of modern life. She visits parents and families, including those whose children are baptised at St Michael's, and is involved in running some church events. Her work complements that done by volunteers, the Rector and our youth worker, Mike Gower. We hope parents will take the opportunity to use Angela as a confidential resource.
For more about Angela see the entry on the Who's Who page.
To contact Angela see the details in the image below.
How safe are your children and grandchildren online?
Like it or not, we live in a digital age, and today’s children and teens have never known a world without smartphones, tablets, online gaming and social media. Children and young people are naturally inquisitive, learn quickly and are easily distracted by content that is designed to keep your attention. They are also inclined to be trusting, lack enough knowledge to distinguish truth from deception, and are willing to ignore potential risks.
Would you let your child cross a road on their own without first teaching them about road safety? Or let them travel to school on their own without giving them advice about dealing with strangers? As in other aspects of life, children and young people need our guidance and help to keep themselves safe. Many adults either feel inadequate to give this, or underestimate the dangers of giving devices to children, and are ignorant about the content of games.
But simple steps can minimise risks and enable children to use devices more safely – such as making sure you’ve set the privacy settings and parental controls on the child’s device or the app they are using, and on your home wifi/broadband (your ISP will be able to tell you how). You can find out about all of this at www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers. For general guidance for parents and carers, please visit the government-sponsored Parentzone.
Taking these preventative measures is very important, but even more important is talking with your child and establishing a relationship of trust with regard to devices, so that they tell you about any troubling content they come across, or about cyber-bullying or just feeling unhappy about themselves. There are healthy and unhealthy ways of using technology, and open and honest conversations can help to reduce conflict with children about their use of devices. And as adults we need to model a healthy relationship to technology – how many times per day do you check your phone?
Like it or not, we live in a digital age, and today’s children and teens have never known a world without smartphones, tablets, online gaming and social media. Children and young people are naturally inquisitive, learn quickly and are easily distracted by content that is designed to keep your attention. They are also inclined to be trusting, lack enough knowledge to distinguish truth from deception, and are willing to ignore potential risks.
Would you let your child cross a road on their own without first teaching them about road safety? Or let them travel to school on their own without giving them advice about dealing with strangers? As in other aspects of life, children and young people need our guidance and help to keep themselves safe. Many adults either feel inadequate to give this, or underestimate the dangers of giving devices to children, and are ignorant about the content of games.
But simple steps can minimise risks and enable children to use devices more safely – such as making sure you’ve set the privacy settings and parental controls on the child’s device or the app they are using, and on your home wifi/broadband (your ISP will be able to tell you how). You can find out about all of this at www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/parents-and-carers. For general guidance for parents and carers, please visit the government-sponsored Parentzone.
Taking these preventative measures is very important, but even more important is talking with your child and establishing a relationship of trust with regard to devices, so that they tell you about any troubling content they come across, or about cyber-bullying or just feeling unhappy about themselves. There are healthy and unhealthy ways of using technology, and open and honest conversations can help to reduce conflict with children about their use of devices. And as adults we need to model a healthy relationship to technology – how many times per day do you check your phone?