Growing mission to families

A chapel outside the town of Nantwich has shown how mission can grow when a church chooses to welcome young families and listen to its community. At Broomhall and Sound Methodist Church in Cheshire, lay worker Kathryn Davies has worked to help shape the family ministry that began with a toddler group and has since expanded into after-school activities, holiday clubs, a twins' support group and even a pedal-tractor run dreamed up by two young boys.

When the chapel was updated around ten years ago it gained a new floor, a usable kitchen and a new community room. Kathryn saw this as the perfect opportunity to begin something for local families, “Norm at our chapel suggested we could do something and he said he would make the brews if I organised the group. He still supports all the children’s work today. He is in his 80's and knows what every mum and dad has to drink.”

The toddler group that was established was named Coffee and Cuddles and it quickly became a gathering point for families from across the community with crafts, snacks for the children and as much tea and coffee as the adults could drink.

There are few shops and houses nearby, but families are willing to travel to attend the group, “In places like this, where isolation can be real and some services limited, the church becomes a natural hub for people. Initially it was just myself and Norm that ran the group, but now we are a team of three. There is a real sense of family here.” says Kathryn. “We always start with our welcome song, a 'God loves me' prayer, then a Bible story or a story with a Christian message. We’re potentially telling these stories to families who are hearing them for the first time, not just to their children.”

As the first group of toddlers grew older, the church responded again. “Once that first cohort went to school, we started an after-school group,” said Kathryn. This became Brick Church, with the children building things with plastic bricks, then holiday clubs followed, drawing in families during school breaks. “The chapel’s willingness to try new things has been key to growing the work with families. We’re a give-it-a-go church.”

One of the most creative ideas came from the children themselves.

“My little boy Rhys and his friend were aged nine when they wondered why we couldn’t have a pedal toy tractor run given how much they all loved the real tractors,” she recalled. What began as playground chatter quickly became a community event with parents buying lights for the toy tractors.

Volunteers stepped forward and the chapel embraced the idea. That first year saw around a dozen children take part with families from nearby houses coming out to wave as the procession passed. The second year we had double the number of participants.”

Another significant development came when a local mum, Kate, who was already attending the toddler group, found herself pregnant with twins and unable to find support nearby. “She’d have to travel over an hour to get somewhere for a twin group,” Kathryn explained.

Recognising the need, the church encouraged her to start a new group drawing families from a wide geographical area. “Having twins can make a mother feel like a circus attraction when they go to other groups. Here, the atmosphere is different and everyone is in the same boat. This is a place, with homemade cake, warm conversation and practical help, where parents can breathe and share their experiences with others who understand and share the challenges.”

The chapel now holds a monthly all-age service, aimed at families who may not be used to a traditional Sunday morning service, and a monthly community coffee stop on a Saturday morning for all ages to come along to.

One new mum who recently moved to the area said that she felt more accepted at the toddler group than she had in the town she came from. “She went to toddler groups there, and they were all a bit like, ‘Oh, hello,’ and then everyone would walk off to their own little groups…but she hasn’t found that in ours. In a rural community, where people may be spread out and support networks thin, this relationship building makes a profound difference.”

The chapel’s members, many of them who are older, have embraced growing ministry to families. “We are still an older-folk-based chapel, but we’re keen.” The building is used almost every day of the week, with community groups, church events and children’s activities filling the calendar.

In a rural community where families may feel isolated, the church has become a place of belonging and support. For Kathryn, the heart of the work is simple. “I just see God as being at the very centre of it,” she said. “Even if we can sow that tiniest seed of faith in a family.”