Messy Church

Messy Church is a way of being church for families and others. It is Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and worship.

At St Michael’s we hold 5 Messy Church services each year. These are held in the church building in the afternoon, and involve lots of craft activities, a Bible story and worship, and a chance for us to eat together.

Our most recent Messy Church was “Messy Seaside”, on Sunday 3 July 2022. Martine reminded us that Jesus lived by the Sea of Galilee, so there are lots of stories about Jesus and his friends being on boats, and Jesus making breakfast on the beach. We made boats (some floated better than others!), decorated fish biscuits and made collage fish. Then Martine told us a story that Jesus told about “wise and foolish builders”, and we finished off with some lovely ice cream and sprinkles

Here are our dates for the rest of 2022 and 2023 ....

2022
2 Oct. Messy Harvest - thanking God for our food and those who grow it
4 Dec. Messy Christmas - exploring the Christmas story
2023
19 Feb. Messy Eco Church - helping us think about how we care for God's wonderful creation
1 Apr. Messy Easter - thinking about what happened to Jesus at Easter
1 July. Messy Seaside - looking at stories by and about Jesus featuring water, boats and beaches.
29 Sept. Messy Harvest - thanking God for our food and those who grow it
3 Dec. Messy Christmas - exploring the Christmas story

It’s a wonderful opportunity to engage with local families, and there are lots of ways you can help!

Donations
We plan a number of activities, based on each theme and our church family help by donating some of the materials needed.

Volunteering
There are lots of opportunities for the congregation to help with Messy Church, whether or not you can be there on the day. We always need volunteers to supervise the activities on the day for an hour from 4pm (you will be given clear guidelines on what each activity requires) or help with serving food or tidying up afterwards

Invite people
We would love to welcome new people to St Michael’s, so please invite friends and family to join us.

What do I need to do?
Please let us know if you can help us preparing for, or helping at, any of our Messy Church services. If you are able to help, or have any questions, please contact Sarah Tonks.