I hit the road last weekend to get out and about to some of our wonderful Messy Momentum pilots in action!
First stop was Messy Church: Family Friday Fun, at St Giles church in Desborough. I had a really warm welcome as I met the team and we set-up. It was great to chat with children and adults whilst we made beaded fish together, before heading into their pilot ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ (creating a youth shaped space in the usual Messy Church session) youth lounge with Carol, Tony and the young people. Here, we tried keeping a ping-pong ball in the air using only a straw – something I have still yet to manage! – but the three young people put the rest of us to shame, managing it in no time! Carol then demonstrated how to do the same thing with a hairdryer and awed us all, making it pop up to hit the ceiling with a toilet roll tube!
Tony spoke to us about the time Jesus met the disciples on the beach after the resurrection, and it was a nice space to think about faith and trust a little deeper whilst reflecting on that story. The group have some plans to decorate the side room they’re making their youth lounge, with chalkboard paint and some quotes; I look forward to seeing how they spruce it up next time I’m with them!
The time went so quickly and I was so engaged in the activities and with people, that I completely forgot to take any photos! It was a great community and lived up to it’s name – good fun for all the family.
The next day, it was on to the next Messy Church! I headed to Messy Church Goes Wild Nanpantan, who are piloting ‘intentionally intergenerational’ (all ages involved in all aspects of Messy Church). This was in a scout hut with a lovely outdoor area, including a firepit. It was wonderful to see everyone taking part in the various activities based around a Pentecost theme: I managed making a handheld wind turbine, creating ‘fog’ with candles and ice and writing out bible verses in another language, to wonder at the ability of the disciples to speak to all nations in various tongues.
Sitting around the fire pit all together and seeing all ages interacting with the celebration – and some of the young people taking ownership of roles to encourage participation (and safety!) – was wonderful. Watching my wind turbine catch the breeze, and seeing the flames in the firepit, whilst hearing the story of the first church meeting was poignantly Messy – and we pray that these first sparks of Momentum fan into flame in true early church fashion.
We are currently looking into the possibility of creating a second cohort for Messy Momentum – if you’re interested, please contact Sophie, our project lead, who’d love to have a chat (sophie.harber@brf.org.uk).
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