In addition to their own special Children’s Time slot during the first part of worship, the youngest members of our congregation have the additional option of then sharing their own time of stories, crafts and songs at the Kids’ Church in the neighbouring Kirchencafé. The themes they explore and the artwork they produce go together with the Bible readings and themes of the adult worship service, following parallel Seasons of the Spirit resources and teaching materials. Our Kids’ Church caters for children of all ages up to 14, including a Toddlers’ Group for the 0-3 year olds.
The team of the Kids’ Church also organises outings with the children. Past trips have been as varied as visits to the Alte Synagoge in Essen, where the children learned about the Jewish faith, and to Bochum’s Tierpark – where they had a few close encounters with some snakes! The Kids’ Church staff share the duties of teaching and caring for the children Sunday by Sunday parallel to the worship service. In order to equip them properly for their work, all our Kids’ Church and Toddlers’ Group team members take part in special Child Protection training seminars run by the Church of Scotland.