St Giles, Desborough is one of 40 churches in the country currently piloting Bubble Church – a service for families with young children. The service takes place on the 1st Sunday of every month at 10am and since its first session in January this year, numbers have been very encouraging seeing 40 – 50 adults and children each month with both regulars from the congregation and new faces every time.
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Hospitality is key to Bubble Church and families are welcomed with coffee and pastries followed by 30 minutes of song, story, puppets and prayer. The service is predominantly aimed at children under seven years old but older siblings are encouraged to attend as ‘young leaders’ and help behind the scenes with the AV, the puppets and refreshments.
‘I think it’s fantastic because I like seeing the puppets. At the end of Bubble Church I like to write messages and say thank you to God and put them in the post box. I like the songs’ Neriah, aged seven, said. Whilst Lyra, aged six loved the games and the fun aspects of the service, ‘I love the warm up game because I like it when you have to put the body part on your spot. I like it when the puppets come up for the story because sometimes they are funny’.
St Giles have been encouraged by the numbers attending Bubble Church and the amount of new faces they have welcomed. All families preparing for baptism are invited to join Bubble Church as part of their preparation and it is hoped that those attending St Giles for the first time through these new services will be encouraged to return and remain part of the church community.
St Giles is following the Bubble Church model and find the support and resources make the sessions really easy to run with minimal preparation required. As Gloria, Bubble Church Champion and Key Leader says, ‘Bubble Church has been a great way of introducing new families and encouraging regular families to connect with the love of Christ and learn more about the bible. It has also led to the development of a dedicated team of helpers, some as young as seven! The simple, accessible format of the services leaves everyone wanting more and sparks enthusiasm for church. Bubble Church has been a blessing to the St Giles Church community, and we look forward to everything that God has in store for us’.