A Joyful Praise Party at Southwell Minster
Children and their leaders from 10 churches across the diocese came together at Southwell Minster last Saturday for an afternoon of praise, worship, creativity and fun.
Led by Ruth Lee (Lead for Growing Younger Disciples) and Revd Chris Lee from St John’s with St Mary’s, Mansfield, the Praise Party was inspired by Psalm 8:2:
“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foes and the avenger”
The afternoon began with a warm and interactive welcome from Ruth and Chris, followed by an encouraging reflection from Bishop Paul, who spoke about the importance of praise and worship and how God delights in the voices of children.
Throughout the day, the Minster was filled with singing, dancing, creativity and celebration. Children took part in a variety of engaging workshops, including choir, led by Paul Provost, Director of Music at Southwell Minster; dance; drumming, led by Hannah Crawford, Church in Schools Pioneer; and art. Each workshop offered a unique way for children to express their faith and explore worship creatively.
Following the workshops, everyone gathered together once again as each group shared what they had been working on. The afternoon concluded with a joyful celebration of praise as children and leaders worshipped together.
Ruth shared about the day:
“It was a great time with worship in a variety of different ways including choral, drums, sign language, art and dance. We were joined by Bishop Paul who welcomed us and gave an introduction to the afternoon. There was so much joy in the room and churches went away thinking about how to add in different ways of worshipping into their services.”
It was also encouraging to see churches share positive feedback online following the event:
The Cranmer Group shared, “Thank you so much for hosting this and helping us to explore the range of ways in which we can worship. Great to join up with other churches and we one big church family. We pray that new seeds have been planted and will grow in strength.”
St Mary Magdalene, Sutton-in-Ashfield, also reflected on the day:
“Thank you for a wonderful afternoon full of joy and praise! Our children had a fantastic time and came away equipped with lots of different ways to worship. A big thanks to all the team”
We are so thankful for our children and the amazing work God is doing in their hearts. It was wonderful to see so much joy, faith, and praise as we gathered together!