Luke, the community pastoral worker in the Parish of St Helier shares the churches journey to welcome local families.
When we first arrived in the Parish of St. Helier, only one young person attended St Peter’s church regularly. Looking back, it is amazing to see how God has grown and shaped our ministry with children and young people over the past five years.
Within our first year, another family joined the church with two young boys. Through community conversations and relationship-building, more children began attending Sunday services. What started with one young person soon became four or five children gathering regularly.
As these families arrived, we realised that many of the children had little or no church background. We could no longer assume they knew the Bible stories many of us had grown up hearing. We needed to rethink how we introduced children to the Gospel and helped them discover they belonged within the life of the church.
We found children engaged best through hands-on activities, movement, creativity, and discussion. Our children’s ministry became less about teaching information and more about helping children encounter Scripture through stories, crafts, conversation, and practical experiences of faith.
The youth club began with five to ten young people and has grown to around thirty-five children and young people on the register. Many had little or no connection with church, but through consistency, trust, and relationships, the club has become an important bridge between the community and the church.
Some young people have taken part in Youth Alpha, exploring questions of faith and discovering more about Christianity. Others have joined special services, helped at our Carol Service, taken part in Easter celebrations, and become more familiar with church life. Some now attend church occasionally.
Around the same time as the launch of our youth club, we launched our “Come and See” service. Families began inviting friends, but many parents told us they worried because their children would be too noisy, disruptive, or have additional needs.
These conversations inspired a phrase that became central to our culture: “We’re a shush-free church.” We wanted families to know children were genuinely welcome. They could
move around, participate naturally, and be themselves. Activity tables helped children stay engaged while remaining part of the worshipping community.
As one family with a young baby began attending, we created a dedicated toddler area to help them feel supported. Soon more families with babies and young children joined us, reinforcing the importance of welcoming every stage of family life. To support some of these new families with young children to explore faith further, we started a midweek Alpha course specifically for mums to attend with their babies and toddlers, which later developed into a weekly play and discipleship gathering.
As attendance grew to around ten to fifteen children each Sunday, parents often commented that they had never felt so comfortable bringing their children to church. Growth also brought new challenges. While remaining welcoming, we needed to remind parents that they remained responsible for supervising their children. We therefore introduced a weekly safeguarding notice, reinforcing that keeping children safe is a shared responsibility.
As our children’s ministry developed, we reflected on what kind of church we wanted to become. We realised we did not simply want to be a multi-generational church where different age groups worshipped separately under one roof. We wanted to become an intergenerational church where children, young people, and adults worshipped, served, and learned together.
As part of this transition, we removed the activity tables. While they had helped children feel welcome initially, we recognised they could unintentionally create separation. Instead, we became more intentional about helping families worship together.
We also introduced a monthly café-style church where the whole congregation gathers around tables to worship, pray, and learn together. These are not children’s services but opportunities for every generation to participate equally and to encounter God together.
Today, children and young people read Scripture, lead prayers, participate in services, and take visible roles within church life. Families worship together, helping children see that church is not something adults do while they watch from the sidelines but something they belong to and help shape.
We continue to learn and adapt, but one lesson has become clear: when children know they are genuinely welcomed, valued, and included, they do not simply attend church—they help shape it.
