“One Dad has even popped in for coffee and offered to be a helper at further groups because he enjoyed it so much!”
Hi to all from Crawley! Having completed our first Kids Matter programme in partnership with the local primary school not far from the church, Denise and I are preparing for our second taster ahead of programme two and already have dates set in May for programme three.
It is always nerve-wracking to wonder ahead of time if parents are going to actually come (always our biggest fear to be honest!) and whether all will go smoothly but we are experiencing already that, even though it may feel like we are flying by the seat of our pants, our God can work his purposes out.
Highlights of our first group were: the wonderful privilege of sharing the highs and lows (and pain) of parenting and, more importantly, seeing parents gain so much confidence and encouragement from hearing each other’s stories. Don’t get me wrong, like you all, we have been plagued by the usual difficulties of erratic attendance due to weather, illness and general life crises but, on balance, we now know a group of folks we never knew before; two families have been back to the church building for various events and the group has met to just enjoy each other’s company and meet each other’s kids. One Dad has even popped in for coffee and offered to be a helper at further groups because he enjoyed it so much!
We remain nervous, excited, anxious and hopeful in equal measure – not sure that’s going to change really – so let’s keep praying for each other!