Sunday Club / Quiet Activities

(Primary school age children.)

On the second and third Sundays of each month (Family Communion services) children are invited to join our Sunday Club. We meet in Church and share the beginning of the service with the congregation, then at Knockholt we are lucky to be able to go across the road to use St. Katharine's School, and in Halstead we move to the North Room. We enjoy a variety of worship and craft activities together, led by trained leaders, and rejoin the service in time to share Communion with the whole Church family. On the first and fourth Sundays of each month we take part in the Family Service. We sit together as a group near the front, ready to leap into action as and when help might be needed!

Pathfinders

(Young people aged 10+.)

We meet on the second Sunday each month (Family Communion service at Halstead) to discuss various topics and events relevant to young people within a Christian context. We also have regular social activities and events, and in the past we have enjoyed ice-skating, film nights, Quasar, a safari supper, ten-pin bowling, tennis and barbecues. Pathfinder meetings and social events are open to all young people age 10+ from both Parishes, whether or not their families come to Church. We are a very friendly group and you will always receive a warm welcome, whether you come twice a month or twice a year.

Faithkeepers

(Teenagers aged 13+.)

We are hoping to re-establish our Faithkeepers group within the very near future! Very similar to our Pathfinders group, generally once people become of age, they move to Faithkeepers. Our plan will still be to meet regularly to discuss various topics and events relevant to young people within a Christian context. We also plan to have regular social activities and events, including ice-skating, film nights, Quasar, a safari supper, ten-pin bowling, indoor rock-climbing, tennis and barbecues. Faithkeeper meetings and social events are open to all teenagers aged 13+ from both Parishes, whether or not their families come to Church. We are a very friendly group and you will always receive a warm welcome, whether you come twice a month or twice a year.

Youth Alpha

(Young people aged 11 - 18.)

In the past, we ran an extremely successful Alpha Course for our younger members of the parishes. Youth Alpha is a practical introduction to the Christian faith, aimed especially at those who aren't regular churchgoers. We cover a wide range of topics, including 'Who is Jesus?', 'Why did Jesus die?', 'How can I be sure of my faith?', 'Why and how should we tell others?', 'Why and how should I read the Bible?', 'How can I resist evil?' and 'How can I make the most of the rest of my life?'. For further information on Youth Alpha Courses, please visit the specific page.

Tots Praise

(Pre-school children and babies age 0 - 4 yrs.)

We meet at 2.15pm on the second Wednesday of each month at either St. Margaret's, Halstead, or St. Katharine's, Knockholt. All pre-school children and babies and their carers are welcome to join us for a fun and informal time of stories, songs and activities, followed by playtime plus drinks and biscuits!

Crèche during services

(Pre-school children and babies age 0 - 4 yrs.)

We offer crèche facilities during most services, run by committed volunteers, all of whom have been CRB cleared. Both Churches have a warm, carpeted area and some lovely toys with a biblical theme, plus toilet facilities and refreshments should you or your child need it!

Youth Choirs

Within our two parishes we are very fortunate to have two professionally qualified and experienced musicians as organists, who are both very involved with our choirs.

St. Margaret's Halstead, has a Youth Choir (school year 2+) which meets twice a month on Saturday mornings (10am - 11am) to rehearse, and they sing during the Family Service on the first Sunday of each month. The RSCM (Royal School of Church Music) Voice for Life awards system is being followed, which gives the children the opportunity to work on various aspects of singing and musicianship in order to gain graded awards, without placing undue strain or a lot of extra work on the children. St Margaret's Youth Choir is led by Clare, an experienced professional music teacher, ably assisted by our wonderful organist, Mr Shilling.

St. Katharine's, Knockholt, has opportunities for children aged 8+ to be trained as choristers alongside our very committed adult choir. Our organist and choirmaster, Mrs Childs, is very keen to continue expanding the choir in this way!

Holiday Clubs - Easter, Summer, Christmas

(All ages.)

Our regular Holiday Clubs are an exciting time of worship, learning and outreach involving the whole Church family.

Our Easter Holiday Club is on Good Friday morning and usually involves craft, music and drama, elements of which are then incorporated into the Family Service which follows the Holiday Club. In previous years we have enjoyed making Easter gardens, Easter bonnets, stained glass windows, etc. etc., and our music and drama have included singing, African drumming, and dance. Although primarily for children, there is (hopefully!) something for all ages and we invite the whole Church to join us on Good Friday morning.

At Christmas we have a two-day Holiday Club for children (usually towards the end of the Christmas holiday before returning to school). There is a craft workshop all the children participate in, but the main focus for this Holiday Club is on singing and drama, building to a performance to the rest of the Church at the end of the second morning.

At the end of the summer holidays we run our major Holiday Club. This lasts for four mornings, usually during the week of the August Bank Holiday. All ages (from 0 - 80+) are involved as the children are led through a Biblically-themed programme of varied activities. There is a mixture of stories, drama, a video, games and competitions, singing and prayers all led from the front, together with craft work and outdoor activities within smaller age-specific groups, plus refreshments for all. Each group is given an area of the hall to decorate to reflect the theme of the Holiday Club and the imagination of the children (and their group leaders!) overwhelms us every time.

Previous years have seen us "Going Bananas!" as the hall at St. Katharine's School was transformed into a desert island, we have been builders ("Groundbreakers"), we've been on the beach ("Seaside Rock"), we've even been "Desert Detectives"! We climbed a mountain together in "eXpedition Force", met pirates in "Landlubbers", spoken to camels in "Pyramid Rock", and even took on the task of waste-watching in "Wastewatchers"!

Children and Youth Work Committee

Although many of our congregation members are involved with the children and young people, there is a core of five people who are responsible for overseeing all of the above activities. Each of us has specific responsibilities, but primarily we work as a team. Our main objective is to build relationships with the children and young people of both parishes and to show them that we believe in a loving and caring God by action as much as by words. We regularly visit both the local primary schools in one capacity or another (as parents, teachers, assembly leaders, etc.) and know most of the children by name.

We are all deeply committed to the Christian faith and to our youth ministry. As parents we are all conscious of the responsibility of caring for children and young people, their safety is paramount in all we do. We provide a secure environment in all our activities for the young people to explore the Christian faith without pressure or obligation.

To read some ideas of what to do with your child before, during and after services, click on the relative links in the navigation bar listed under 'Children & Youth' on the left.