Page 9 - Moravian Messenger January 2019

Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds' on Channel 4 at first seems the recipe for disaster mixing the very young with the very old but anyone watching it soon realises there are benefits for both the children and the older people. The changes in both groups were monitored and measured to show this, but to me the real benefit was the obvious delight of all those involved on being together and doing activities together.
In churches we have a ready-made multigenerational community but often we seek to keep them apart for comforts sake. However, this programme has got me thinking about how we could change this and work together to build multigenerational groups, where everyone benefits. There is already some work in this area, after all Messy Church requires children to be accompanied by adults and the activities are designed for
adults and children to do together, but I think more could be done.
St Monica Trust (where the programme was filmed) has produced a guide to help you that can be accessed free from www.stmonicatrust.org.uk This has many pointers for setting up a group, even though this is aimed at care homes.
Ideas that came to my mind while looking at this included:
• a multigenerational Godly Play group, perhaps meeting for a couple of hours a week for a term;
• inviting older adults into your toddler groups which could lead to setting up a group for toddlers and older adults;
• starting an after school club for young pupils where crafts can be passed from one generation to another knitting, baking, woodwork, car care, including tea together so there is an
opportunity to build relationships over food;
• a music or singing group;
• anexercisegroup,chairsfortheolder people and lots of running and bouncing for the children giving everyone the chance to increase fitness.
I am sure you could come up with many more. This shows God's love to all his people including those most vulnerable in our society. One of my great pleasures in church is watching a six year old skipping alongside a 94 year old's wheelchair as they both go for communion. It would be fantastic to see these friendships develop across our congregations and out into the community.
Sr Joy Raynor
Provincial Youth and Children's Officer
Training with Leaders and Potential Leaders
Old and young together!
Congregation News
Baildon
- Lutheran and Moravian Church, Albania
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is with great pleasure that we would like to inform you hereby about the seminar had with pastor Klas Lindberg in Tirana, organized in our church on 9th- 11th November.
Sunday morning we celebrated Holy Communion in a service that was really blessed, to be followed Friday and
Saturday by the seminar with leaders and potential leaders from the six different areas where we work: Bathore, Elbasan, Burrel, Pogradec, Tirana and Lezha. Teachings were led by Klas Lindberg; the seminar was focused: 'Living together as God builds his church. A house built of living stones'; a walk through the first letter of Peter and also a shared word from Sune Andersson. The main purpose was to know and understand how the Word of God builds fellowship and how we can be equipped
with practices to be used in our groups in the long run. The seminar was blessed; people felt engaged, motivated and encouraged to go back to their working areas and share what they
have learned with their children, youth and adults. We shared meals together in the church and had the opportunity to have informal talks during the breaks.
We as staff and leaders would like to express hereby special thanks to Klas Lindberg and Sune Andersson for the time spent with us and for their big heart for the work in Albania.
In the love and peace of Christ,
Staff and leaders
Lutheran and Moravian Church in Albania
Members at Baildon ringing their newly restored bell at 12-30pm on 11th November 2018 to mark the Armistice 11th November 1918. Libby Mitchell, Andrew Wrigglesworth, Paul Snowden, Vivienne Wrigglesworth.
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© Sr Sara Clarke
© Lutheran and Moravian Church in Albania