St Mark's Church, Leamington Spa, UK

Following the harvest services here at St Mark’s on Sunday 11th October, we spent a week welcoming the children, teachers and parents from Milverton School into church for ‘Experience Harvest’. This event involved all 320 children coming in their class groups to church for just over an hour at a time. In church, separated into smaller groups, the children visited a series of stations set up around the church exploring five different types of harvest.

At the harvest of the Ocean the children were exploring the gift of peace prayed for by fishermen whilst having a go at making origami boats and reading a message in a bottle.

At the harvest of the Grain the children explored how an ear of wheat eventually becomes bread for our breakfast – they each tasted bread and thought about being generous especially to those who do not have enough.

At the harvest of the Flock the children heard the story of the lost sheep and had a chance to weave on small looms as well as smell and feel the raw sheep wool which was still oily and quite different to the fluffy yarns on display!

The children considered humility and what it means to put others first.

At the harvest of the Garden the children explored the concept of patience and in particular how long a seed takes to grow into a plant with fruit or flowers.

When asked why it was a good idea to be patient, one little girl helpfully responded ‘because otherwise we get very stroppy about things.’  How true!

At the harvest of the earth, the children considered the idea of joy and looked at different items made of pottery, gemstones and in particular a giant terracotta pot – very plain at the start of the week, and beautifully colourful by the end!

Each child (and a few adults) had the chance to fingerprint a colour onto the pot, transforming it into something beautiful and colourful – a great picture of the joy that comes from working together in this local community.