Family Friendly

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

pram 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

In addition to the Scramblers Group for the Under-5s, there are several other groups for older children, each pursuing fun and educational activities aimed at the appropriate level.

For school age children in reception, years 1 and 2, there is a Climbers Group.
Junior school children are welcome in the Explorers Group.
Pathfinders are for year 6, 7 and 8 youngsters.
And teenagers from year 9 and above can join the Senior Pathfinders.

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.

share and enjoy 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.

1st Sunday		A 25 minute service in church for everyone, followed by a fun learning and activity time in the Church Hall for all the Groups.
2nd Sunday		Parade service, when all the children and young people who are in Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Rainbows, Brownies and Air Cadets wear their uniforms and join the service. After a short while the Scramblers go to the Church Hall.
3rd Sunday		Similar to 1st Sunday of the month, but this is a Holy Communion service as part of the adult learning time.
4th Sunday		Everyone stays in church for the whole service, during which we have a live band for fast-moving and fun worship through music and singing.
5th Sunday		An all-age Holy Communion when everyone stays in church and children can be brought up to the front of the church for a blessing, as well as laying on of hands for Christian healing and wholeness.

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