The Big Question

This month’s question is: ‘How has your way of delivering summer church activities changed through the Covid-19 years?’

“Our church has changed many things because of Covid but during the summer we shall, as usual, have fewer activities than during the winter months.

“Our church is ‘The friendly Church at the heart of the community’. Before the pandemic over 600 people came through our doors each week. It was very strange when we went in to check the building during lockdown to smell the stale air in an empty, still building! Thankfully now things are picking up and the building is buzzing again.

“Many of our activities stop over the summer to enable leaders to rest and people to enjoy holidays and the better weather – agood biblical model of work and rest. However, after the long months of lockdown many folk want to see their friends and be with people again. A change will be a few one-off activities for all ages.

We are fortunate to have secured funding from the Big Lottery Fund to employ a children’s worker and some events for children and families are planned.

“We are not just resuming practices which we just ‘did’ before ‘Covid’. For example we will no longer have printed orders of service as we have managed fine without them. As an Eco Congregation we are mindful of the amount of paper which this used over the year.

“But mainly this summer is an opportunity to catch our breath, and consider what is right for our community as we move forward. Covid has challenged us to think differently.”

“Livingston United Parish Church had organised many holiday club weeks over the years. They were well attended by local children and thanks to the willingness of volunteers it was also well resourced.

“However, like many other churches Covid stopped much of what was accepted as ‘normal’ activity. In 2020 a postal holiday club incorporating online elements replaced the traditional model.

“In 2021, when there was a little more flexibility about being back into a building we transitioned our summer programme to four activity themed days on four consecutive Fridays. We were encouraged when our local authority provided funding for this as they were keen to see children re-engage with community initiatives.

“This year we decided to retain the Friday model and are hosting activity sessions on weeks 1,3, 5 and 7 of the school holidays.

This allows the church to connect with children throughout the summer break and allows a wider team of volunteers to participate. We based our programme around a ‘weather’ theme with physical activity, crafts and storytelling the key components of each session. The session finishes with lunch which we are able to provide with the help of our hospitality project’s community café. Feeding children in practical as well as spiritual ways seems the right thing to do.

“Parents and carers can enjoy coffee and cake while their children are being looked after which allows the church to have a broader and deeper interaction with members of our community.”

“Having moved into the parishes of East Neuk Trinity and St Monans in October 2020, I felt the churches had an ideal opportunity to share the Christian message of hope in a very different way.

“With restrictions by the summer time still an unknown, the ‘way it’s aye been done’ just couldn’t be planned for in the January of 2021 – so we seized this opportunity and went big. 1.5 hectares big to be exact. Working with a local farmer, we sowed sunflowers and carved the word HOPE into a field creating a maze – the Field of Hope Sunflower Maze. Something new, visible and brought the communities we serve together along with visitors from across the country.

“Schools, community groups and individuals visited over three weekends and in the message of hope was shared in a very new way in this area of Fife.

“Where restrictions prevented lots of activities from happening, many opportunities were given to explore. From the Field of Hope, we launched The Really Wild Welly Church – an outdoor form of church which has since met monthly in a range of different locations. Now restrictions are lifted, we have not sprung back to doing everything there was prepandemic, rather we have taken time with other partner organisations to reflect on how we do summer church activities.

“One-off events like the Field of Hope, and events working with others, we feel makes best use of reduced resources and volunteer time as well as maximising the impact of being a relevant Christian presence in our local communities.”

“The last two years with Covid has been such a difficult time for everyone, so it’s great to be able to meet again each Sunday for morning worship, and our numbers are beginning to rise as people get a little more confident.

“However, we are aware that our weekly numbers will vary during the summer as people head off on holiday but we often get visitors during the holidays, whether they are visiting family or just on holiday.

“The historic Abbey is a big attraction for people and sometimes we have welcomed visitors who have been looking around the Abbey and have come to join us in church, which is always lovely.

“We are pleased to have a good following online each Sunday and it’s great that even while on holiday, people can tune in to their own church service, if they so wish.

“Our jigsaw and grid groups (young church), are back to meeting, face to face each Sunday and, as always it’s great to have them join us, although, they have now stopped for the summer.

“Although our normal morning service will go ahead during the summer, we have decided not to go ahead with our annual summer holiday club this year but to let things settle and see how things go now that restrictions have been eased quite a bit.

“We are also aware that people get a bit anxious about possibly catching Covid just as they are about to go on holiday, and so a lot of children and adults meeting together for the holiday club might be a bit of a risk but we look forward to resuming next year, all being well.

“That said, we do hope to run some other summer events for both the younger and older generations but they are still in the planning stages, so watch this space!”

“As a rural parish, we have been delighted to be included as part of the Dunbar area Churches Summer Holiday Club for many years.

“Pre-Covid, this involved 70 plus children and 20 plus adults and youth helpers gathering from across the community in the last week of the school holidays following the usual script of a large group gathering for singing and drama (often with puppets), games, snacks, crafts, creative prayer and memory verse, having small group discussions and the like.

“When Covid struck in 2020, we quickly realised we wouldn’t be able to have such an event and decided on doing home delivery of bags with a full range of craft, cooking and other supplies and instructions as well as media input, over a few weeks in summer holidays.

“It was well received, and we repeated a similar exercise during Advent and Lent and the numbers nearly doubled each time.

Once allowed to meet in groups outside again, we planned for that and had last year’s holiday club in the local woodland, with families bringing their children along to one of two sessions depending on age.

These smaller sessions allowed for greater interaction alongside a number of ‘days out’ spread across the holidays for those who may not have opportunity to go away.

“The core team which does the forward planning is made up of representatives from most of the local churches and the number of volunteers continues to amaze us.

“All was very well received in the community to the point we now get some of our funding from the local community council.”