Children from Calcot are in for a treat this week as the school summer holidays get underway. An innovative holiday club held each weekday morning this week for children of all ages from primary to secondary school is being delivered by Kennet Valley Free Church.
The club is a holiday club with a difference; mention “Holiday Bible Club” to most people and immediately images of children sat in classroom-style formation with bibles open and pens fervently scrawling in text books spring to mind. The club at Kennet Valley Free Church is absolutely nothing of the kind and engages children in activities, songs and much more in a friendly and engaging manner. It’s a holiday club with a twist, blending Christian teaching with relatable activities and stories to underpin those values.
The club has been going for over 10 years at the Church, having grown from a gathering of around 30 children in the former church building to the current size, which attracts between 130 and 150 children to the new church site at Ford’s Farm. There are competitions to take part in and prizes to be won. No child is ever left out and all age ranges and abilities are cared for by the Church team of trained volunteers in a lively atmosphere. The week-long club culminates on Friday evening when all the families are invited to join in the celebrations with a special end-of-week fancy dress party.
This year’s theme is “Raiders of the Lost Treasure” which is a spin-off from the very popular ‘Raiders Of The Lost Ark’ movie, and is being led this year by the very able Mark Tamcken and Debbie Lackey. Dressed very convincingly in his ‘Indiana Jones’ garb, Mark said: “The Holiday Bible Club is part of a whole range of activities which Kennet Valley Free Church has to engage with, and serve, our community as a body of God’s people.”
He added: “Part of the tapestry of church life is what we do for our community; there are some things that we do which are not overtly Christian, however, the Holiday Bible Club has an emphasis on sharing the Christian message. At Kennet Valley Free Church, we’re about building relationships with our community. It’s a blessing to note that the majority of the children who come to our Holiday Bible Club are actually non church goers.”
Mark concluded: “We have found that some children actually start to attend our Friday Youth Club as a result of having had the experience of coming to our Holiday Bible Club. We believe that by running the Holiday Bible Club, it allows us to get to know parents and families from within our area, and it helps the Church to start building bridges with our communities.”
To find out more about Kennet Valley Free Church, their services and their range of community outreach programmes, visit their website at www.kvfc.org.uk or telephone the Church during office hours on (0118) 942 1591.
Last modified on Monday, 13 April 2015 07:58
