Parish of Leatherhead - Young People

The Parish of Leatherhead welcomes families. We have activities for babies, toddlers, children, and young people.

CRECHE is for babies aged 0-3 years who come with an adult who is attending the church service.
The helpers entertain the children with a selection of toys.
The Creche is available every Sunday except when there is a Family Service in Church on the first Sunday of the month, when instead a DIY style creche is available.
Contact the Creche Leader, Helen, via the Parish Office.

THE PARISH CHURCH PARENT & TODDLER GROUP welcomes all 0-5 year olds with a parent or carer, every Wednesday 10.00-12.00 in the Parish Hall opposite the Parish Church. There are toys for all ages, refreshments and a friendly atmosphere.
Contact the Toddler Group Leaders, Janine and Jackie, via the Parish Office.

There are activity bags at the back of the church for children who need to stay with their parents for services.

SUNDAY CLUB is for children aged 3-16 years (in three groups) who enjoy making friends, crafts, music, drama, games and stories.
We offer children an opportunity to learn more about Jesus in a fun environment. Sunday Club meets every Sunday (!) except when there is a Family Service in Church on the first Sunday of the month.
Contact the Sunday Club Leader, Chris, via the Parish Office.

Christingle - At Christmas we hold an immensely popular Christingle Service for the Children's Society who will send an information pack if you contact them - click on pack.

To view a 'How to make a Christingle' page based on that publication, click make one

A Christingle Service format is available from this service web page from the marvellous Oremus liturgy website. See also the RSCM website

First Communion
Sunday December 9th 2001 was a very special day for five young members of the congregation, when they received communion for the first time. This is the second year children have been admitted to communion before confirmation, and was described by the Vicar as a great success.

They followed a preparation course under the guidance of Dorothy Paine. They learned about the basics of the Christian faith and about church tradition in a series of informal classes and discussions. At their admittance on Sunday 9th, the children led the intercessions, which they had prepared themselves.

Parish Child Protection Policy Statement by the PCC

Our Parish is committed to the nurture, protection and safe passage of all, especially the young and vulnerable. We recognise that our work with children and young people is the responsibility of the whole church community.

We are committed to following the Home Office Code of Practice Safe from Harm and the Diocesan guidelines.

We undertake to select all our workers with care, to support them and to train them. We are committed to supporting our families in their parenting role.

We review this policy annually.

A children's representative has been appointed by the PCC

from the May 2005 magazine
The Chairman of Mole Valley District Council, Councillor Bridget Lewis, opened BFree, the Youth Cafe, on Saturday 9th April. It will be open every Thursday and Friday from 3.30pm until 10pm and on Saturdays from 12 until 10pm, entry being free to all 14-18 year olds. Bfree is a place where you can be yourself, meet friends in a safe relaxed atmosphere and get information on everything from cinemas to the Health Service. The Internet, pool, Playstation, snacks, drinks, and advice will also be available.
The picture [to be added] shows from left to right: Ruth Hauxwell, Time for God volunteer; Councillor Bridget Lewis; Andy Gill, Cafe Manager; and Claire Gannon, Youth Worker, at the opening ceremony.

from the October 2004 magazine
Xpedition Force This year's Churches Together Holiday Club saw over 75 children climb a mountain at Christchurch in Leatherhead. Through drama, music and group teaching, an excellent team of helpers brought the message of God's love to life. In Matthew's gospel we studied Jesus' final days on earth, from His arrival in Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, through His crucifixion to His triumphant rising from the dead.

Many of the children who joined us last year to make Seaside Rock such a, success were there again, and word had spread, friends and family boosted our numbers so much so that we were oversubscribed and had to turn a few latecomers away. To meet this need, more children's work is planned for the Autumn, and next year's Holiday Club has already been provisionally booked for 8-12 August 2005.

We held a united family service on the Sunday following the Club, which many of the children attended. Several of the adults present commented that the children seemed very happy and "at home". We do pray that they will continue to know that they have a valuable place in our church life and in Jesus' heart. Many thanks to all those who supported this work.
Catherine Diffey

from the October 2004 magazine
All Change for Sunday Club I wonder how many of you can remember the days when Sunday Club (or was it Junior Church?) used to be in church for the first 15 minutes of the service and then went out to the Reeves Room for the rest of the morning? When it was suggested we turned the whole morning upside down to come into church towards the end we didn't think much to the idea; as we had our routine and were set in our ways.

Once again we find ourselves at a turning point. We are transforming from being simply Sunday Club to being part of the much wider bitesize all-age service, which, whilst maintaining Sunday Club for children, will also cater for adults and people on the fringe of church life, too.

So let's look forward to the future, embracing this new challenge. Perhaps we'll look back in a few years' time, barely able to remember how things used to be in 2004!
Chris and Janine Stagg

from the September 2004 magazine
Young People's Summer This summer has seen our teenagers serving others like never before - litter picking, gardening, painting and children's work. Ruth Hauxwell spent a week working with children at New Wine, and eight teenagers - David and Rosie Howarth, Helen and Catherine Huxtable, Geoffrey Nunn, Matthew Waters, Sarah Scheller and Lara Acott - helped with the Holiday Club 'Expedition Force' for 5 - 11 year olds.

Lara Acott, David Gillott, Ruth Hauxwell, Sarah Scheller, Poppy Stagg and friends from Fetcham and Ashtead, went to Soul in the City. This was a mission to London, covering nearly everywhere inside the M25 and involving over 12,000 young people from all over the world. We camped at Gilwell Park in Chingford, one of three tent cities in London where we were all inspired each morning by fantastic worship music, prayer and challenging talks by Louis Giglio, an American.

In the afternoons our group was split into two teams to go to Walthamstow and Chigwell with members of other groups. It was a great chance to meet new people and make good friends. The idea was to show God's love to the local community by serving them - doing people's gardens, clearing up litter from playgrounds and parks, running children's workshops in dance, football and DJ-ing and inviting people to the evening events. Cafes sprang up all over London in the evenings where we got to know the local people better and sometimes heard the gospel.

Here are some of the comments made after a tiring but rewarding week:
"It's been such an amazing experience this week - the project was great fun and it was great to see the difference it made to people's lives."
"This week I have made many new friends and have felt more confident stepping out of my comfort zone. It has been an experience I want to repeat, even though I haven't showered all week!"
"I just enjoyed meeting people who live in a very different world from what we're used to. It was also fun to do things for other people, like gardening."
"Wow! What a week this has been. Came here thinking me and community service would most definitely not go together but it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life."
"This week has been awesome. We've seen many things happen - God was really working in the people. The community has changed very slightly but that's a start..."
"It's incredible to see how God has been working. We've all really worked hard to help the community and we've made a difference. We've all made loads of new friends and learnt loads about our faith."
"What a privilege to bring seven awesome young leaders to Gilwell Park. How proud of them I was to see them gardening and helping out in the community. They also inspire me in my faith. Thanks very much you pesky kids!" (Jay - leader).

Coming Soon... On September 26th we will be hosting a youth service at The Methodist Church (newly refurbished!) at 6.30pm. So if you would like to hear more about Soul in the City and worship with us, please come along. It would be wonderful to see you.

Fab Friday Youth Club for 14-18s starts up again on Friday 10th September from 8-10 pm at the Methodist Hall upstairs. The Leatherhead Youth Café and Information Centre will be opening this autumn - watch this space!

I hope you enjoyed the summer; I'm now looking forward to an exciting few months. If you would like information about youth work in Leatherhead please contact me. Claire Gannon Youth Worker for Churches Together in Leatherhead. 01372 363150 All Saints Church Youth Office, Kingston Road, KT22 7BT. clairexATukgateway.net (replace AT with @ before sending)

from the July 2004 magazine
The Youth Cafe "Brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you: you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect." Romans 12 v 1-2.

As the youth worker for Churches Together in Leatherhead it is my aim and my prayer to see young people's lives changed. The book of Romans outlines our faith as Christians, our journey from sin to saved, and it sets out some challenging lifestyle goals. These two verses however contain for me the effect that knowing Jesus should have on our lives. When we meet with God, it is not a case of signing up to a whole lot of do's and don'ts but a chance to turn our lives around, to be different from everyone else, to be renewed and to start living life for God and with God.

Young people are very important in today's society. More and more we see everything around us marketed to a youth culture: mobile phones, DVDs, travel, music, films. Our consumer culture loves young people, but it doesn't deliver all it promises. In our local community teenagers seem to be always on the front pages of the papers, causing trouble, being a nuisance, posing a threat to our peaceful existence. Graffiti, drugs, teenage pregnancies, truancy, petty theft; what do these issues have to do with our "you can have anything anytime" culture?

Young people want above all to be loved and accepted for who they are. Only God can meet this need completely as he is the only one who sees us in our entirety. For many young people, they are seen as what they do; the exams they are taking, the university they are applying for or the trouble they get into. Instead of labelling young people, God looks at the heart and sees the whole person. Not only is he ready to forgive, but to enable them to change from within and live life to its fullest in him.

For the last four years I have been involved in the planning and preparation of a brand new facility for young people in Leatherhead; a cafe and information centre where 14-18 year olds can feel at home, relax with friends, and access any information they may need to help them live their lives, whether that be finding out where the nearest under 18s nightclub is or meeting with a drugs advisor or sexual health worker.

The vision of the centre is to enable young people to change. To offer an environment in which they are loved and accepted for who they are, and in which they are free to explore and develop their God given potential. I am very pleased to be able to say that the directors of Leatherhead Youth Project Ltd, the charity set up to oversee the cafe, have recently interviewed and appointed a manager who shares this vision and, we believe, is able to support young people in this way. We are also hoping to hear any day now that All Saints Church is officially the venue in which this vision will become a reality.

Thank you so much to everyone who has prayed and is still praying for the cafe project. We still need to pray that we would see young people's lives affected for the long term by their relationship with Jesus, and that they are shown God's love, not just in the cafe but by the Church as a whole. Claire Gannon
Youth Worker for Churches Together in Leatherhead 01372 363150 or clairexATukgateway.net

Parish Office, Parish Church Hall, Church Road
Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8AY 01372 362544 Wed-Fri 0900-1200