I have adventured to new and luscious parts of the UK over the month of June and been awed by the beauty of the green fields, golden sunshine and blue skies.
Driving cross-country in the sunshine, I arrived in Billingshurst, West Sussex, in time to help set-up and pray with the team and, with delight, met some young people – as well as a green, money-eating, creature who came straight from school to be part of the team, demonstrating the intentionally intergeneration elements of the pilots from the start.
Focusing on Pentecost, we had a celebration that incorporated multiple languages, as well as the sounds of a rushing wind (created with percussion and fabric), as we retold the story together. This was followed by a wonderful variety of activities and I had time to take part in a few: placing stars on a world map to places I’d been and seeing how many locations and languages we had experienced all together; acting as a ‘ball-girl’, for a version of table football that used human breath/wind to move the ball; watching some littlies delight in creating wind and movement with water and foam; and experimenting with different versions of paper windmills and helicopters, to see what kept them airborne and spin more – and I, an arts graduate, even learnt some physics from a knowledgeable vicar; God does work in mysterious ways!
A stormy downpour (whilst we were all safely inside!) denied us gathering around a fire-pit for marshmallow toasting and seeing live ‘tongues of flame’, but I was regaled with jokes from three boys I sat with for dinner and did not miss out at all! It was a privilege to participate in the session and see the active involvement of all ages throughout the session. One volunteer said to me that it was wonderful to see the young people be so intentionally invited to partake and have ownership of their Messy Church, and I can heartily agree!
The sun was shining once again a week later when I travelled cross-country by train to Halesworth in Suffolk, one of our pick ‘n’ mix pilots. Sat looking out of the window at the beautiful landscape with my coffee cup in front of me, I was reminded of the words of the psalmist:
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul. […]
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23L 1-3, 5-6)
It was a comforting reminder of God’s goodness at the start of a long journey – and his goodness surely followed me, as I was greeted like royalty with a welcome party at the train station (a very unexpected experience!). However, the quiet waters ended there!
I was so warmly welcomed by the team – even the youngest members who had me playing games with them before the session began! and from then on the session went by in a flash! Our fitting topic for the week before Father’s Day was the Lord’s Prayer.
The pick ‘n’ mix youth lounge looked very inviting and the young people were set a task shortly after they arrived to design and create the base element of one the activity tables later in the session, using their youth bibles and then leading the younger children to complete a treasure chest with the Lord’s Prayer attached. I thoroughly enjoyed the songs and actions at the celebration, most especially learning the Lord’s Prayer with actions too. Throughout the session, people were invited to participate in different ways and at different levels, often with different ages and abilities being paired together, which built a palpable sense of community. There were real tears and squeals of excitement, comforting hugs and daring challenges, moments of chaos and rapt attention, tech difficulties and smooth kitchen provision – the Lord was our Shepherd, we lacked for nothing.
It truly feels like God has anointed this time and project with the people and resources – even graciously with the refreshed souls – required at this time; our Messy Momentum cup overflows.
Sophie Harber – youth project lead
If you are inspired by our wonderful pilots and want to be part of Messy Momentum to better engage your young people – it isn’t too late! We are looking to start a second cohort to run the pilots for 2027. Let us know your interest by filling in this form and I’ll be in touch!
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