Children on Sundays :
For very young children: There is a lovely, soft, open crèche area at the back of the church, which is ideal for looking after very young children during a service, but where you can be completely involved in the worship too.
During the main 10 am service each week the children join the first part of the worship and then are invited to their own groups in the rooms at the back of church; usually in two age groups : under 8’s, and 8-12’s. The groups are led by experienced adults who hold current DBS certificates. The children learn together from the Bible readings for the day, through stories and activities appropriate to their age, and have their own prayer time. The children join the rest of the congregation so that we can share communion together.
Family Praise
Family Praise is on the Third Sunday of each month at 10am in Church. This is a service especially planned so that we can all worship together whatever our age. The service has bible stories, fun songs and activities, as well as quiet times to think and pray, and we celebrate everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries.
Messy Church
This is a group for children and young people of primary school age and their families. We meet at about 3.30pm after school on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month during term-time only. First we have lots of toast and then by crafting, playing games, singing, prayers, we think Bible stories and how they relate to our lives.
Messy Little Church
The first and third Fridays of each month 9.15 – 11.00 am in the Church. This is a very special time for children aged 0-5 to come with Mum or Dad, grandparent or friend. Doors open at 9am for craft and coffee at 9.15 am, followed by songs and a story at 10am. More coffee, snacks and play after.
Youth Ministry
Our youth group meets most weeks on a Sunday evening and welcomes all young people from Year 5 up. Sometimes our older and younger youth meet separately, other times we gather together. Youth cafe is open and we explore faith and life together in a variety of ways. We also find ways to reach out to our community.
Open the Book assemblies in schools
Teams from St Barnabas church visit the three primary schools within the parish every week : Calton Primary, Tuffley Primary, and Finlay Community school. If your child goes to one of these schools they will be familiar with the Open the Book teams, who, with the children’s help, tell and act out the well known Bible stories.
Messy Christmas/Easter
On special festivals we run very popular Messy Church events. These are times for families to come together and have lots of fun (and mess) making crafts that tell the Bible story, sing and worship together and share a meal. Look out for banners and posters for the next one!
St. Barnabas 