Children are so busy these days even on Sundays and a few years ago our Sunday Club closed for lack of numbers and our Family Services were discontinued. This is a cause of great sadness to us and we are looking at ways and means of keeping in contact with our children and offering them events which will first of all bring them into church so that they feel at home here and secondly, gently introduce them to stories in the Bible and the love which Jesus has for them.
“Drop-ins”
Last year we initiated “Drop-ins” in the holidays and half-terms for children and their parents/carers and these will continue in 2024. These take place over-lunchtime, between 12noon and 2pm and we serve drinks, toast, toasties and a piece of cake. There are a series of crafts set out around the church which the children engage with – junk modelling and home-made play-doh seem to the top attractions! However, the children have also helped to make bug hotels and bird feeders. The mums and other carers seem quite happy to help their little-ones with the trickier activities or just to sit and chat with other adults, drink unlimited cups of coffee or tea and enjoy the food, whilst still keeping a weather eye open for their offspring! We do also have one or two willing teenagers, who help on these occasions.
Eco Church
We have also made contact with the local Brownie pack and hope to enlist their help on eco projects. Similarly, the Reception Class from Packington village school came along last year to help us to fill our planters with spring bulbs - which are growing and provide a welcoming sight to those approaching the church from the South side. We are looking to engage the children in other activities related to caring for creation and our environment. As a church we are also working towards obtaining an award for our care of the environment, under the A Rocha UK Scheme.
Links with the School
We have strong links with Packington Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, but links which we should like to develop further. Our “Open the Book” Team goes into Packington School and is very well-received. The Team Vicar visits the school to take an assembly twice a term and the School holds its Harvest and end of Term Services, which parents attend, in Church. The children are very much involved with the Christingle Service. Every child in school makes a Christingle and learns what the different elements signify and they are then invited to the actual service on the Sunday when they do a reading and prayers and sing a hymn or song before they received their Christingles. They look angelic as they then sing “Away in a Manger” by candle-light and the occasion marks the start of the real Christmas for many.
From time to time the School uses the Church for its own assemblies and sometimes the children will come up to the church for a guided tour and explanation of the various elements of the church building, perhaps for a mock wedding or christening and on occasion to view different stations erected in the church as part of its occasional displays of the stories of key Festivals in the church using the “Exploring ---Easter—Pentecost …etc” series.
Our Foundation Governors are key in building up our relationships with pupils, staff and teachers, including the Headteacher, Mrs Ruth Burton. They carry out all the normal duties of governors, of support and challenge and financial monitoring, but also bear a special responsibility for ensuring that the School retains its Christian distinctiveness and they assist the Head Teacher in preparing for the five yearly SIAMS Inspection. The governors write regular reports for the Parish Magazine on the school activities and there is a display board in church with photographs showing the children in action.