Sunday morning services can be strange and intimidating if you do not have a Christian background.
It evolved from Whānau Nights, which began as a social gathering for families with young children to come together for shared kai, games and chats. The aim was to build friendships and community and to provide an opportunity for families to have an easy, fun night out! We wanted to share God’s generous hospitality with those around us.
Whānau Church follows a similar format – a shared toastie dinner, games and conversations but with an intentional part of the evening set aside to explore Christian faith in a family friendly way. We use storytelling, discussions and hands-on activities.
Whānau Night and Whānau Church are all about connections. They are rooted in relationships with families at Kids ’n‘ Koffee, Kids & Cooking and those with other connections to All Saints.
Whānau Nights came about in response to conversations around families looking for ways to meet other families. Then, through the questions they’ve asked about faith and church and sensing a prompting by God, the time felt right to launch Whānau Church on Easter Saturday, earlier this year.
I love that these evenings are relaxed and welcoming to families on the fringe of church as well as families who are a core part of our parish. I love that it is fun, a bit loud and sometimes chaotic – which is okay! I love that it offers a model of church that is inclusive for families who do not connect with the Sunday morning style of worship, or are just a bit curious about what church and Christianity are all about.
Our most recent Whānau Church was all about Advent. We spent time thinking about what Advent is and heard the story of the wise men’s long journey to find Jesus. Each family made a nativity set to take home with instructions for an advent activity to do each day, using their set. It’s based on the “star from afar” idea where the star is hidden around the house each night. The next morning the children find the star and place the wise men under it. The set comes with a section of the Christmas story to read each day. On Christmas Eve, the star is placed above the nativity so that when the children wake up on Christmas morning, the wise men finally arrive to meet Jesus!
I was so encouraged to see families working together to make their sets. Each member of every family was engaged and focused on the activity. It was wonderful to have several new families along that night who had a great time and made connections with others.
Through the course of the year, we have seen families become committed to coming to Whānau Church. We’ve seen people grow in their feelings of belonging to the group and to the space. They take ownership by helping to clean up and by welcoming new families. There is a sense that people feel at home – this is their place too. All of this stands on the shoulders of what has gone before.
We started Whānau Church in response to what God is already doing in the lives of people within our community. We trust him to continue that work and to use us as his hands and feet.
We have a team of volunteers from All Saints who help with setting up, working in the kitchen, getting to know families, helping with games and activities and cleaning up at the end. Whānau Church is made possible by the hard work of this team!
We also have a team of people who pray for each event and for the families who come along. This is a vital part of the programme and we have seen many of their prayers answered.
Whānau Church happens once a month, from 4.30-7pm on Saturday evenings. The next Whānau Church is on 20 December – an evening to make christingles and learn about what they mean, then light them in the church and celebrate.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
Sunday morning services can be strange and intimidating if you do not have a Christian background.
It evolved from Whānau Nights, which began as a social gathering for families with young children to come together for shared kai, games and chats. The aim was to build friendships and community and to provide an opportunity for families to have an easy, fun night out! We wanted to share God’s generous hospitality with those around us.
Whānau Church follows a similar format – a shared toastie dinner, games and conversations but with an intentional part of the evening set aside to explore Christian faith in a family friendly way. We use storytelling, discussions and hands-on activities.
Whānau Night and Whānau Church are all about connections. They are rooted in relationships with families at Kids ’n‘ Koffee, Kids & Cooking and those with other connections to All Saints.
Whānau Nights came about in response to conversations around families looking for ways to meet other families. Then, through the questions they’ve asked about faith and church and sensing a prompting by God, the time felt right to launch Whānau Church on Easter Saturday, earlier this year.
I love that these evenings are relaxed and welcoming to families on the fringe of church as well as families who are a core part of our parish. I love that it is fun, a bit loud and sometimes chaotic – which is okay! I love that it offers a model of church that is inclusive for families who do not connect with the Sunday morning style of worship, or are just a bit curious about what church and Christianity are all about.
Our most recent Whānau Church was all about Advent. We spent time thinking about what Advent is and heard the story of the wise men’s long journey to find Jesus. Each family made a nativity set to take home with instructions for an advent activity to do each day, using their set. It’s based on the “star from afar” idea where the star is hidden around the house each night. The next morning the children find the star and place the wise men under it. The set comes with a section of the Christmas story to read each day. On Christmas Eve, the star is placed above the nativity so that when the children wake up on Christmas morning, the wise men finally arrive to meet Jesus!
I was so encouraged to see families working together to make their sets. Each member of every family was engaged and focused on the activity. It was wonderful to have several new families along that night who had a great time and made connections with others.
Through the course of the year, we have seen families become committed to coming to Whānau Church. We’ve seen people grow in their feelings of belonging to the group and to the space. They take ownership by helping to clean up and by welcoming new families. There is a sense that people feel at home – this is their place too. All of this stands on the shoulders of what has gone before.
We started Whānau Church in response to what God is already doing in the lives of people within our community. We trust him to continue that work and to use us as his hands and feet.
We have a team of volunteers from All Saints who help with setting up, working in the kitchen, getting to know families, helping with games and activities and cleaning up at the end. Whānau Church is made possible by the hard work of this team!
We also have a team of people who pray for each event and for the families who come along. This is a vital part of the programme and we have seen many of their prayers answered.
Whānau Church happens once a month, from 4.30-7pm on Saturday evenings. The next Whānau Church is on 20 December – an evening to make christingles and learn about what they mean, then light them in the church and celebrate.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
