Children & Youth

The Benefice has a thriving youth group, and welcomes all children to join them. Times and dates for ACTS, All Age Services, and other Benefice events can be found here. Hilary Wordsworth-Sewell is the Youth Worker and Education Officer for the Benefice. To view the Diocese website please click here.

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What does Confirmation Mean to Me?

Revd David Messer asked some of our young people about what Confirmation means to them-for some it is before and for some it is after.

If you are interested in being Confirmed please do contact the Rector Revd David Messer tel 01359 250239 or by e-mail: david@dmesser.freeserve.co.uk

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Why is ACTS great?

We asked ACTSYR5+ why they love coming to ACTS and this is what they said:

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Stanton Way Forward

I have previously written in the Steamer about the multi agency meetings involving the Police, Parish Council, County and Borough Councillors, Youth Agencies, local schools and the church.

We have been looking at how we as a community can deal with the problems of Anti Social behaviour and criminal damage that have on occasion affected Stanton and other villages. A number of prevention ideas have been implemented. We have started to think beyond that and so the meetings continue with the different parties coming with ideas as to how we can involve our children and young people in the life of our villages.

I have had the opportunity to talk to our young people and children who have expressed their happiness at being able to live, play and go to school in Stanton.

They spoke to me of the things that they can do, how they can go and play at the recreation Ground, go exploring in the woods and being able to walk safely through our villages.

BUT they do have some concerns:

Graffiti, bad language, misuse and damage of property, vandalism, making areas unsafe to play in, dog fouling and seeing people drinking alcohol in public.

And their solutions are quite wide ranging:

More police officers, CCTV, involving parents in helping to stop some of the naughty behaviour, more people to be involved in helping to stop damage, provide a graffiti wall. Let them become involved.

We are talking to some young people about decorating the bus shelter with street art, already some youngsters have put some plans together to improve the skatepark. These plans were quite costly but it's a start and we can all be involved. Other ideas and plans are I the pipe line. Stanton and the villages we live in are nice places to live but we can all help make them better.

If you would like to know how you can be involved or more about we are doing please to Angie Burrow, your Parish Councillor or member of the Village Hall Committee or me.

Revd David Messer
01359 250239

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All Age Services Within The Benefice

I would just like to publicly express my thanks for those who lead our All Age services within the Benefice. I would like to include in my thanks Dave Shorten who stood down from leading the Hopton All Age at the beginning of the year after leading services for many years.

Currently those who lead All Age are Keith and Hazel Lewis at Barningham, Jan Jarman at Stanton and Hilary Wordworth-Sewell with our youth group ACTSYR5+ at Hopton. They all share responsibility for leading All Age services and will move around the Benefice to lead or assist at other churches.

Keith is also a Reader and a part time lecturer at West Suffolk College, Jan is an Elder and a former headteacher and Hilary has had training in youth work, reflective storytelling and developing worship with children and young people. Together we have developed our youth group, at the same time I continue under the guidance of Tim Porter to run our children's group ACTS. This year for example the youth group with Hilary and I put together a film for the clergy conference in this Diocese and these young people and their work has been recognised by our Bishops.

I would ask that you support these leaders in their ministry and help us to continue to build on the successes that we have achieved. It's not easy to lead a service and they put in a lot of hard work and preparation and without their help I could not do the work I need to do.

All Age Services Through The Benefice:

Revd David Messer

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Charter for Children and Young People in the Church

  1. Children and young people are equal with adults in the life of the church
  2. Wherever Christian worship takes place it is for children and young people as well as adults
  3. Learning is for the whole church, adults and children and young people
  4. Fellowship is about everyone being welcome to the Church
  5. Helping people is for children and young people to do, as well as adults
  6. The call to tell the story of Jesus Christ comes to all people
  7. The Holy Spirit comforts all people
  8. The church aims to help find, develop and improve the gifts that are within every child, young person and adult
  9. The church recognises that there are things that we must do separately because of age that we cannot do together
  10. Jesus Christ told all people to do things in his name, this includes children and young people

By Ben and Beth Grieveson