Mary Judkins ‘retired’ to Cornwall 11 years ago having moved frequently all her life, first because of her father’s work as a Baptist minister and then her husband’s as a hospital consultant. They met at a Christian Union house party in Mary’s first year at Bristol University – ‘We knew straightaway!’ – where she was studying theology before going on to train as a teacher. She has been deeply involved in Christian mission and ministry since childhood and she and Keith are still in active ministry in a small independent church. On top of that, she leads a very special Messy Church which meets in her own home and garden and attracts some 40 people every time, including four generations of one family and those elusive teenagers.
When Mary arrived in Lelant, near St Ives, a new Messy Church was about to start and she was quick to get involved; and quick to move location when certain members of the Sunday congregation were less than welcoming. They moved to the local Church of England school until Covid hit and then as soon as people were allowed to meet again outside, they shifted to a nearby garden where they stayed in family groups and to keep people safe, everything they needed was in a bucket.
‘What we noticed,’ says Mary, ‘was that the parents, children and teenagers were learning from each other. We didn’t know that was going to happen, but the team would go round, listen and watch, and we realised that the adults were learning too. That’s where our intergenerational journey started.’
Mary had developed strong links in the local school and many people were drawn into Messy Church as a result. The vast majority of the people who come have no prior church links. ‘They say: “Messy Church is our church.” We’ve tried to get them to church events; it’s a no-no; it’s not their culture, so we’ve stopped asking. We are just happy that they see Messy Church as their church.
Unusually, for traditional churches and Messy Churches alike, Mary and her team have kept their teenagers, and also attracted new ones, mostly by word of mouth.
‘I think the key with teenagers is the relationships you build,’ she says. ‘From when they were small I knew what they like to eat, so when it’s breakfast, there’s always popcorn, there’s always watermelon, and I can tell you which ones go for which bits. We’ve got one 15-year-old who said to me, Mary, I’ve been coming since I was five, and another 15 year old who is six foot two, and I have to say to him, “sit down while I talk to you.”’
But the appeal is not just breakfast! We do challenge them. We don’t do nicey-nicey stories, because I realised that these youngsters needed a challenge. They’re living in a difficult age. There’s little respect, even in Cornwall. Windows are broken by bricks. We’ve got gangs in St. Ives wrecking gardens. So I think we actually need to challenge them all the time. And whatever the activities, they always have Jesus; it’s always Jesus-centred and, as one of them said to me, the link to the activity might be a bit loose, but it works! So we did Elijah, and the bears, and we had a video, and I gave a little graphic warning to say some of it was a bit gory, because the bears come out and mutilate these youngsters, but we taught respect: respect for God, respect for God’s word, respect for the world, respect for themselves.
‘And those lads, especially the lads, like the competition element if I can work that in. We did John the Baptist but we focused on the locusts rather than the dove. We made little locusts out of clothes pegs that you can make jump, and we had parents and teenagers on the floor outside, getting very excited seeing who could jump their locusts the furthest. We also ate edible locusts!’
A highlight of recent weeks was a Messy baptism in Mary and Keith’s hot tub. Nine-year-old Maddie had seen her grandmother baptised in the sea two years earlier and kept asking if she could be baptised too. ‘We thought we’ll put her off. She’s too young,’ says Mary. But Maddie was not to be put off!
On Easter Sunday, at Messy Church with her grandma, she said to Mary, ‘Am I ever going to be baptised?’ And Mary said she go and visit her mum. ‘So I went to visit mum Sarah and she was okay with it. And bless her, Maddie invited her teacher, and several friends from school.’
‘Our home was packed for breakfast that morning. It included our regular Messy Church folk, and our local church family, and Maddie’s family and friends. Fortunately, we had plenty of food for everyone. As a result of this wonderful celebration, Maddie’s grandfather read through the Gospel of Matthew which we gave to everyone who attended, and some of her friends want to come to Messy Church when we restart in September. Maddie was so excited to be baptised, and hasn’t stopped talking about it since – our own young evangelist!’
At 104, Zena is something of a legend in Mary’s Messy Church, as matriarch of four generations. Born and bred in Cornwall, she was in the Wrens during the war. She married John just before the Queen’s coronation and they were married for 69 years. Following Zena is her daughter Carlyn, a non-stipendiary priest in the Church of England, grand-daughters Miriam and Eleanor and great grandchildren, teenagers Joel, Navarre and Senara.
It was Miriam and Eleanor who decided to bring granny, Zena, to Messy Church. ‘She sits in the same seat in our downstairs room; if it’s sunny, they take her outside. The great-grandchildren, the three of them, are very caring of her and look after her. She went outside the other month, and little Maddie went and sat by her to talk to her. “I didn’t want her to be lonely,” she said.’
‘Zena calls it Sunday school; she can’t get her head round ‘Messy Church’, but that’s okay! She’s a real prayer warrior. Sometimes at the end of Messy Church, I’ll say to her, “Zena, do you mind praying for us?” Suddenly she sits up: ‘Almighty God..’’ and she’s off. It affects our non-church folk, because I don’t think they’ve ever seen anyone like it. She’s just amazing.’
So Mary’s intergenerational Messy Church continues to thrive and grow, based on the five values of Messy Church with Jesus at its centre. What next?
‘Well, we are adapting everything as our folk change. Do we need to change day and time? Who will take it on as we get older? It is exciting because God is with us, and has been from day one.’
‘Our favourite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’
Mary Judkins
Team Leader Messy Church Goes Wild in Lelant
Are you inspired by Mary's story?
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