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Aims of the Group
The group sessions will vary each week, and sometime going out for activites and socials:
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Spiritual Connection (Relationship with God) – It’s not just about being God smart, it’s about being God connected. We aim to help the children connect with God on a spiritual level. |
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Learning (Christian Learning) – To help the children learn about the Christian faith and see that the bible is still relevant and important in the modern world and to their lives.
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Growing (Doing things together) – We will grow and bond together as a group through fun, games, group activities and exciting outings. There will also be plenty of opportunities to draw closer together and grow as a ‘family’ during the meaningful discussions and when out making a difference in the local community. |
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Worship (Being Part of the Church) – As the children grow in their faith we will encourage them to become part of the wider church community and involve them in serving it. |
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Serving (Helping Others) – We will be helping the local community and environment. What is close to each child’s heart will help us to decide on the projects we will tackle as it’s important to find their passion points to create drive and meaning. Faith leads to action and action leads to faith. |
Safeguard & Support – A core aim of the group is to create a place of safety for these children and to provide support. This is going to be their space and we will abide by safeguarding rules and guidance to ensure it is a refuge and a healthy environment.
For more information about The Den please contact:
Verity Sutherland, Children & Families Worker (Older Children)
Email: Children@haslemereparish.org
Or register your child here: haslemereparish.churchsuite.com/forms/pycc1kaa
Upcoming Dates
The focus for this half term is Harvest and how God provides for us, and the importance of sharing what we have. We will be looking at food in nature, on the farm and in our supermarkets and how we can be part of God’s plan to provide for everyone. We will also be encouraging the children to choose a couple of local charities for The Den to fundraise for over this academic year (alongside Brain Cancer Research) and plan some fun ways to so! There will also be plenty of games, fun and special trips together!
14th September - Food Foraging Woodland Expedition – Harvest Theme
“Don’t worry” Jesus says, “God will provide”. At Harvest time we celebrate the goodness of the life-giving earth and thank God for all he has given us. To celebrate that there is enough and more than enough if we share what we have with those in need. This session will go for the slightly longer time of 17:30-19:00 (once-off), meeting at Frillinghurst Forest in Grayswood. Local Draca Explorers Scout leader, Jonnie Taylor, will lead the mini expedition and talk to us about food from the wild as well as from the farm. We will get to pick and taste some wild (and safe) food. @Frillinghurst Forest, Grayswood.
21st Sept – Making Rye Bread & Muesli at Inbhams Farm
We will be heading back to Inbhams Farm to make muesli and rye bread for the Harvest Festival and Food Bank. Once again we will remind the kids how God’s tells us not to worry what we will eat and that he will provide enough and more than enough. We may look around us and wonder how this can be with people starving and suffering in the world. God needs our help to make those promises come true. God makes the wheat, but humans beings need to mix the dough and bake it. God has given us this beautiful earth that does produce enough and more than enough, if we share it’s produce and what we have fairly with one another, and treat the earth kindly. God shows us in the bible a vision of the world restored, remade, and overflowing with good things, enough and more than enough. Maybe the next step is us – what can we do to help? Our part this half term will be helping the Food Bank. @Inbhams Farm
28th Sept – Official Welcome Back at The Den! Harvest Themed Party Games & Discussion
We will start by heading upstairs to have a quick chat with the kids about how things are going for them having recently started back at school (for some, in a new school). Even though we have a focus this term on how God Provides with regards to Harvest, He provides for us in all ways that can help us in times of change and when facing challenges, and we can also help others as well. After the initial discussion and catch up, we will then head downstairs for party games and fun! @St Christopher’s Church
5th Oct – Food Bank Harvest Collection outside Tesco (pencilled in as waiting confirmation)
The Food Bank are in desperate need of support and so we thought we could start with getting the kids outside Tesco encouraging shoppers to buy needed items off the food bank’s list to put in the Den’s collection basket on exiting. We will also set the kids a challenge. They will be divided into smaller teams and given some donation funds (they are welcome to bring any funds they wish to contribute as well) to see how many needed items they can buy with it from within the store, handling the whole process of choosing and buying the items for the food bank. Hopefully it will give the kids an idea of the cost of basic items and luxuries and will get them thinking about those people who don’t have access to these things and how important it is to help. @Tesco, Haslemere
12th Oct – Q&A & Glow in the Dark Games Outside
We are putting together a great panel of approachable and knowledgeable people from the church, and the Den kids will have the opportunity to anonymously ask any question they have on their heart or mind for them to answer (with the help of some funny buzzers - quiz show style!). We will then head outside for some glow in the dark games! @St Christopher’s Church
19th Oct – Meet the Pets as Therapy team & their therapy animals
The local ‘Pets As Therapy’ charity team will be visiting The Den with their furry friends for the kids to have a cuddle and hear about their amazing work. We were thinking this might be another charity that The Den kids will want to support in their upcoming fundraising efforts as we know what animal lovers they are, and this charity covers animals and the of healing/well-being of sick children and adults in great need. @St Christopher’s Church
22nd – 30th Oct HALF TERM
Saturday 29th Oct – Haslemere Parish Children’s Light Party!
Join us for the biggest, brightest party in town! Instead of trick-or-treating this year, rather join us for a party with all the fun of Halloween but without the darker elements. We are about THE LIGHT! Tickets will be on sale soon for this incredible event! @St Bartholomew’s Church.