Like most people, our Back to School with God service was very different this year. In order to suit our circumstances we decided not to have a full all age Back to school with God service and instead had an all age slot as part of our Sunday service on Zoom. This was followed by a Back to School with God focus at our Sunday club which was also on Zoom, but later in the day.
On a normal Sunday on Zoom, most of our children don't come on to the Church call as they have their Sunday Club Zoom later. However for the Back to School with God Sunday we invited all of the children to sit with their families and see the wider Church family. It was so encouraging to see the caring response of the congregation towards the children. During the service we used the Opening welcome and the interactive prayer provided in the Back to School with God service outline. In advance we had invited different children, parents and an older person with a heart for prayer to lead the prayer. It was really moving to pray together in this way, all in our own homes and yet together in prayer as part of God's family.
After the morning service on Zoom the children then logged on for their Sunday Club where our focus was the story of Daniel, using the teaching points from the Back to School with God outline. At the end of our time together each of the families made a poster based on the Back to School with God bookmark and the prayer points it had suggested. Our hope and prayer being that the visual reminder will help each family to spend time in prayer together each day just as Daniel did and so like him be able to say that Prayer Shapes and Prayer Saves.
Karen Stangoe
Children and Families Worker
Park Church
