What makes for high numbers?

I don’t get to visit enough Messy Churches, so it was great to have a coffee with Barry Brand, Jo and Angus (and Matthew the baby) to hear about what goes on at theirs. From the start they have had very high numbers to the point where Barry is anxious for health and safety. I asked them what they thought was the reason for this phenomenal turn-out and my reflection on their replies is that sometimes Messy Church is the harvest for a lot of hard work that has gone on beforehand. Things mentioned include:
A church that had a united vision to rebalance the ages in church and intentionally to work with families.
Good relationships with the local school and a continued presence there, both in leading assemblies and in the playground are important as are the good relationships that permit fliers to be put in bookbags not just at school but at preschool and nursery groups as well.
A families worker (Barry) who gives a team confidence to follow where he leads. It doesn’t hurt that Barry is a graphic designer too, so the publicity is fab.
A prayer team praying during the actual Messy Church in a side room and in Messy Church itself. 
They’re taking Messy Church to Uganda when they go this summer – it’ll be interesting to see how they manage to do this in a sustainable way. And a chance remark now means the team are looking into running a Messy Camp! All good fun.