St Mary’s aims to be a church in which all members of our community can find a home and in which their relationship with God can grow. We recognise that Moseley is a diverse community and we welcome all people without distinction and try, as far as is possible, to meet their needs. We recognise that there is a particular challenge in responding to the needs of the wide range of ages that worship with us and we want to work with families with young children (under 12’s) to make the experience as rewarding as possible.
Apart from a welcome we aim to provide:
Firstly, join us! Your children will benefit more from a regular rather than sporadic engagement with the children’s groups, as this enables themes and ideas to be developed across consecutive weeks, so try to come as often as you can.
We know it’s not always easy getting a young family ready for church on Sunday morning, but we also believe that your children will settle better in church and realise that this is an important event in your week if you arrive in good time. Make sure they have one of the new attractive service books or the funky service cubes, tell them what is happening and why, and help them to follow the words of the hymns and the prayers. Encourage your children to stay in the crèche or their groups with the appointed leaders and helpers while you come back into church ( no matter how much fun they’re having don’t hog the kid’s space!). When they rejoin you during communion help them to be as quiet as possible at this time, and bring them forward for a blessing.
You may feel that you would be able to help with one of the children’s groups or the crèche, if so contact one of the co-ordinators. Everyone should feel able to speak to one the clergy if they can see some way in which our provision for you and your family can be improved.
We recognise that this is an important question for many families. Family Worship aims to be 40-45 minutes long. We are working to keep the Parish Communion to one hour and ten minutes, of which your children will be with you in church for only 25 minutes. Inevitably special occasions may necessitate a slight change to these timings.
On most Sundays the children meet in groups corresponding to their school year. They change group each September. Each group will be called after a different sea creature:
Crèche for 0—3 year olds: childcare with a gentle introduction to well known Bible stories. The group is usually led by Claire or Fran.
Pre-school & Reception: lots of creative play and storytelling related to Bible stories and the church’s festivals. The group is usually led by Jennifer or Una
Years 1—2: developing children’s understanding of bible stories and Christian themes. Fun and artwork too! The group is usually led by Jenny or Gillian.
Years 3—4: developing an understanding of who Jesus is and how we should live our lives, in a fun creative way. The group is usually led by Chris, Gavin and Cathy or Cheryl
Year 5 & above: developing an understanding of how our Christian living affects others though reading the bible, discussion and activities. The group is usually led by Lis or Chris.
Don’t worry if you are confused, lots of people will tell you where to go or just Follow the Fish! and their friends. We look forward to seeing you on any Sunday during the Parish Communion Service.