Children & Young People



St Mark's youth groups

St Mark's youth groups



On Sunday, these groups meet during the 9.15 service:

And on Sunday evening, CROSSroads (age 14-18) meet after the evening service.


Uniformed Groups


Several groups meet during the week at St Marks:



  • Rainbows, age 5 – 7 meet on Monday, contact Julie Brown 734133
  • Brownies, age 7 – 10, meet on Tuesday, contact Michelle Hayes, 424130
  • Guides, age 10 – 15, meet on Friday, contact Mel Gillman, 428344
  • Group Scout Leader is Allan Kite, 888285
  • Beavers, age 6 – 8, meet on Thursday, contact Marie Collins, 773998
  • Cubs, age 8 – 10½ meet on Wednesday, contact Guy Ashworth 831661
  • Scouts, age 10½ – 14, meet on Wednesday, contact Tim Wadsworth 882228



Toddler Club


Toddlers is open to all children from birth until they can start school, together with their carers.  Friday mornings 9.15 to 10.45; contact Jodi Wardle on 01926 421004. For more information, please contact the office.



Phillipa Munday, Children's Co-ordinator Phillipa Munday co-ordinates the
children’s work (under 11s) at St Mark’s.


Crèche





St Mark's creche

St Mark's creche




 Who? children under 3
What? A safe and comfortable space with lots of toys where…
You can go with your baby to play and listen to the service through the sound system
You can leave your child to be cared for while you enjoy the service without distractions
You can come and go at any point in the service.


Scramblers

Who? 3 – 5 year olds
What? A gentle but exciting mix of games, Bible stories, action songs and crafts to help the children know that God loves them.


Climbers




St Mark's Climbers

St Mark's Climbers

Who? 5-7 year olds
What? Lots of fun activities including games and craft, exciting Bible stories, action songs and dancing, enabling the children to experience God’s love for them in different ways.


Explorers


Who? 7-10 year olds
What? A time for children to grow in their understanding of God’s love for them and for the world. Lots of fun activities and Bible teaching, with a chance to reflect, ask questions and pray for one another.



St Mark's Explorers

St Mark's Explorers


Click here to see the Children’s Spring Programme for 2010.


Our Vision


Vision – For the children


• To meet Jesus and know they are unconditionally loved by Him
• To learn Truth from the Bible and understand that it is the exciting and living Word of God
• To learn to talk and listen to God through creative and different ways of praying.
• To experience the dynamic work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
• To learn how to worship in a way that is fun, exciting and appropriate to their age, stage and personality.
• To come to a personal faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
• To know that the Church is the family of God where everyone has a special part to play.
• To be enthusiastic about sharing Jesus with their friends.


Vision – For the children’s work at St Mark’s


• To make our church a place which children feel belongs to them, and where they are always welcome and valued.
• To continue to build a strong team of children’s leaders who are called and committed to creative and lively children’s ministry.
• To work together with parents and carers to encourage strong Christian families where children learn to enjoy living for Jesus.
• To reach children who do not yet know Jesus.
• To be faithful to God and His word revealed in the Bible in all our teaching.


Claire Farley, Youth Pastor Youth Pastor Claire Farley joined the staff at St Mark’s
in January 2008



Pathfinders…


WHAT? (does the group aim to do)






  • Be a place to have fun
  • Inspire young people aged 10-14 to get to know Jesus & learn about following him
  • Build up self confidence, self awareness and social skills.
  • Encourage them to own and develop their faith in daily life.
HOW? (does the group aim to do this)






  • Through fun games and activities they build relationships and community as well as through Bible studies and discussions that help the young people think about what they believe.



Click here for more details about Pathfinders.



CROSSroads…


WHAT? (does the group aim to do)


  • to provide a stimulating environment where 14-18 year old young people can
  • decide for themselves how living out what Jesus taught will look like in their lives.
  • be a supportive community for each other.
  • connect with the whole church through the evening service.


HOW? (does the group aim to do that)


  • 1 hour session from 8-9pm after the evening service (6:30-8pm)
  • Various creative games and activities that involve fun, discussion and multimedia to help the group engage with God, the Bible and each other.
  • Plan for the Summer Term 2010
  • Click here for more details about CROSSroads.



The Remains are not meeting at the moment.


We are currently praying and thinking about how best to reach out to 14-18 year olds and are working with all young people in this age group associated with St Mark’s to try and create space for fun, quality community and support and a chance to impact the world around them.


We will be having active prayer meetings (with lots of creative ideas and ways to interact with God in prayer) asking God to help us as we think about the way forward for the future.