Messy Church: Shiver me timbers!
There was a fantastic turnout at this month’s Messy Church. Lots of people came along to join in the fun at our action-packed Pirates of the Caribbean adventure!
On Friday 17 April, St Michael’s was transformed into our very own Caribbean Island and children and adults arrived dressed as pirates to take part in our themed event.
It was all aboard with lots of noisy fun as children of all ages ran excitedly to the craft sessions where we transformed bits of card and tin foil into treasure chests, captains’ hooks and pirate hats. There was also a surprise in store where we created concoctions in our Treasure Island Cupcake and Cocktail Bar. The hall was filled with babies, toddlers, school children, parents and grandparents expressing their creativity by drawing, glueing, sticking and making lots and lots of mess!
Dressed very convincingly as a pirate captain, Vicar Gary put the children through their paces with a pirate training session and a swashbuckling sword fight! The children also made their own hats and eye patches and had fun pictures taken in the pirate ship photobooth.
We also created a treasure map and followed it to discover events in Jesus’ life and then added things that we knew about Him. We followed this by singing our theme song ‘Our God is a Great Big God’ which was an uplifting highlight of the afternoon where we joined in with the actions.
At the end of the session there was a delicious smell wafting out of the galley as everyone sat down together to enjoy a yummy pirate tea made by Chef Robin Wraith and his crew. ‘Captain’ Gary then handed out buried treasure in the form of chocolate gold coins from the treasure chest! All the mess was expertly cleared up by a fantastic group of volunteers who returned the hall to its former shipshape condition in no time at all.
The Pirates of the Caribbean film helped us to explore issues of sacrifice, faith and love and discover how Jesus is our greatest treasure. Messy Church aims to make the church more accessible and family-friendly with a well-planned blend of Bible stories, craft, music and games.
Don’t miss our next Messy Church on Friday 22 May 2015 at 3.30 pm where we will be looking at how Paddington found a new home and a new family.
Please note: All children must be accompanied and supervised at all times by a responsible adult during Messy Church.
This is a free event, however donations towards the crafts and the meal are always very welcome.
