A Welcome Guide for families with young children

A warm welcome to you and your children ...

It has often been said that the church is like one big family. That's why here at St Luke's you'll find a warm welcome for everyone.

We strive to offer a friendly, positive and practical approach to embracing children of all ages, and their parents or carers, to join with us in our worship. If you are at all unsure about any aspect of the service, then please ask on arrival. We have a Welcome Desk near the entrance to the church and welcomers (church members) who can help.

Advice for parents and carers

In an ever-changing society, old attitudes such as children being "seen and not heard" no longer apply. Children are welcome in all sorts of places in today's world - such as hotels, restaurants and pubs - and we at St Luke's want to ensure that all visitors to our church also feel welcome. That's why we've drawn up some helpful hints for people with young children.

We hope that by following this advice, both the children - and their parents or carers - feel at ease during services and able to enjoy the sharing experience of worship.

Baby's needs

We encourage people with young children to sit near the front of the church, in the side-facing seats on the left-hand side. Here the children can see what is going on. It is also near to the toilets.

We have a room (next to the toilets) where you can leave your pram. If your child needs feeding, a nappy change, or is crying, then please head for this Comfort Zone - a room set aside for such an occasion. You'll find it by heading towards the front of church, and going through the door there. The service is relayed to the room.

For the Under-5s

We have an activities bag for the under-5s, with soft toys and colouring sheets. Please collect a bag from the Welcome Desk and let your child play with these toys in the pew. We want your child to feel welcomed and enjoy coming to church.

It's often difficult for young children to sit still for long and they may want to wander off to explore. We accept this is part and parcel of growing up and mixing with others, but when it becomes a habit it can disturb the rest of the congregation. There are also lots of electric cables and musical instruments used in our family services, and we would not want toddlers to trip over and hurt themselves. Special care should be taken during services such as Christingle, when children are given a lighted candle to hold.

Older Groups

CLAMBERERS are pre-school children and infants in R and years 1 and 2 (ages up to 7). They meet together in the main Church Hall (pre-school with their parents). Other parents are asked to take their children over to the hall, settle them in, and then return to church for the adult talk.

EXPLORERS are junior school children in years 3, 4 & 5 (ages 7 to 10). They meet in the parish centre.

GOD SQUAD are year 6 juniors and secondary years 7 and 8 (ages 10 to 14). They meet in the Crosby room in church.

TAG (Teenagers and God) are in secondary years 9 and above (age 14 upwards). They meet in Crossroads café next to the church hall.

Share and enjoy your time in Church ...

All-age services are there for everyone, so please feel comfortable that this is the place to bring your children.

It's not unusual to hear a baby crying or an "Amen" said at the wrong time - it's all part and fun of the service. Other parents in the congregation will sympathize with the stresses and strains of bringing up children. We've been there, worn the T-shirt...

Worship should be a peaceful time for all of us, when we can join in prayer and song to worship God and celebrate Christ's life. By following some of these simple steps, we hope you and your family will get the most out of life at St Luke's.

Family Services

St Luke's has a number of services. Our 11:00 am Sunday Service is geared towards families in particular, and has special facilities and groups just for children. We actively encourage children to get involved in the family service, with the story from the Bible or leading the singing. But no two services are the same, and each Sunday the pattern of service rotates.

Here's a simple guide to show you the different 11:00 am Sunday Morning services for the month.

Do look at our Welcome Leaflet to learn more about St Luke's Church.

© St Luke's Church/Graham Hignett
This page was last modified on 26 November 2002