Christmas/Epiphany family-friendly session

Today we held our second family-friendly session at St Stephen Walbrook for families with young children.

Our theme was Christmas and Epiphany. We began with a star-themed Treasure Hunt exploring 'The Divine Image' exhibition and ending at our Crib. Then we enjoyed star-led craft activities including DIY constellation viewers and planispheres. Some lunch followed and we ended by telling the nativity and epiphany stories using our crib figures, singing 'Away in a manger' and praying the following prayer:

Loving Jesus, we come to you today because you came to us. God become human as a baby boy to share your love with us and know what our lives are like. We thank you for loving us enough to be one of us and we want to be one with you as a result. Amen.

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Anaïs Mitchell - Song of the Magi.

St Stephen Walbrook - family-friendly visits

At St Stephen Walbrook today we held the first of an occasional series of family-friendly visits to the church designed to enable church members with young families to have an opportunity to come to the church together, which, as our ministry is primarily weekday, is generally impossible for them to do.

We began with a Treasure Hunt ... various clues led each family to different parts of the church ...

... before the treasure was found.

The treasure included the wonderful Step Outside Guide - London's Splendid Square Mile.

Then we made sheep at the craft table just using cups, cotton wool and pipe cleaners. This was followed with a game herding sheep balloons into the sheep pen.

We enjoyed a welcome break for snacks ...

... and then finished the session with the story of the Lost Sheep, the Butterfly song ...

... and prayers thanking God for his love.

A good time was had by all and our next such visit will be organised prior to Christmas.

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The Butterfly Song.