Sunday Barnacles

The following is taken from the report to the APCM 2007

Since our previous Report last April Barnacles has continued to meet at 10.00 a.m. in our room in the Cottage each Sunday, except when there has been an All Age Service. Jayne and Derek have met on Thursday evenings to pray and plan for the Sunday sessions.

Barnacles is intended for 11-13 year olds though some start at 10 and members usually stay till they are at least 14. Our numbers this year have been maintained at six young people with several leaving at 14 but also new members coming up.

Before Easter 2006 Barnacles held a Passover Meal in the manner any Jewish family would do so (thanks to our Jewish friends who loaned us a Seder dish and special books) and then we used this as basis for teaching about the Eucharist through video clips from the film Jesus of Nazareth. We repeated this in modified form as a workshop for the Communion before Confirmation group and Barnacles then led the All Age First Communion Service. We have also focused on Christian Aid Week and since September, in the Old Testament, have read the story of Ruth and learned about Samuel and King David as a lead in to discussing what kind of king Jesus showed himself to be. For Easter 2007 we are at present following steps along a map of the events of Holy Week.

For our practical activities we have celebrated Christmas with a project designing and painting stained glass windows, we have made Palm Crosses for the church and on Easter Day Barnacles made individual Easter Gardens for their homes. We have been 10 Pin bowling together and made a highly successful visit to the Stables Theatre at Wavenden to see their fine production of Arabian Nights.

In one sense Barnacles can claim to have had a very successful and enjoyable year. We have also taken pleasure in seeing Barnacles members from previous years (some home from College) coming to worship at St Barnabas and even some wanting to be married here in their home church. Yet we cannot help noticing that, whilst all comers are welcome, the young people who come to Sunday Barnacles all belong to our own church families. We are failing to attract young people from outside St Barnabas and lack a clear strategy for doing so. Barnacles’ numbers are considerably fewer than in previous times and likely to become even fewer if the present trend is allowed to continue. We are therefore intending to suggest to the PCC that an improved form of the Friday Barnacles Club (some 30 members) rather than Sunday Barnacles become the main focus of efforts to offer a bridge for all young people into the life of our church. We ask for your prayers to guide us in this.

Jayne Humphreys & Derek May