From 27 November to 2 December a Christmas prayer space was held in St Mary’s Church, Burton Latimer. The inspiring space was created by Emma Barrow, the Children & Families Team Leader at St Mary’s, with over 800 children of all ages visiting from local schools over the week.
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The aim of the prayer space was to introduce the nativity story to children using a range of games, mindful activities, and crafts. The story was broken down into 8 parts with each part having a separate station where activities could take place. This enabled all the children to gain a practical understanding of the story of Christmas, engage with and be inspired by the prayer space, no matter their age.
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At the Star Station the children could create their own stained-glass star and use tweezers to search for mini stars in a tub of rice. In the moonscape area they were also encouraged to hold a moon rock (pebble) to feel the weight in their hand and think of anything that was making them feel heavy or weighing them down. They could then transfer their worries to the moon rock, put it back on the moon and leave it there.
The prayer space was a wonderful show of community. “We had an amazing team of over 40 volunteers from our congregation and community who prepared activities beforehand, decorated the church or came to church to man the stations” said Emma Barrow. “It was incredibly tiring but so very rewarding. The children, as always, surprised and inspired us with their responses and enthusiasm.”
Feedback from the schools who attended was incredibly positive with the children enjoying their visit and really getting involved in the activities. The prayer space was open on Saturday 2 December with everyone welcome to visit and try the activities.
Perhaps this has inspired you to create a prayer space in your local church or within a school setting? More information can be found at Prayer Spaces in Schools.
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