The Den Youth Group
The Den is a Church Youth Club aimed at 8 -12-year-olds, that runs every Wednesday during term time (apart from the third Wednesday of the month due to an older group ‘Summit’). It is all about having fun while making friends, playing games, faith exploration, spiritual connection, craft challenges, exciting outings, and adventures, and making a difference in the local community & environment through our youth led projects.
Aims of the Group
Spiritual Connection (Relationship with God) – It’s not just about being God smart, it’s about being God connected. We aim to help the children connect with God on a spiritual level.
Learning (Christian Learning) – We aim to help the children learn about the Christian faith and see that the bible is still relevant and important in the modern world and to their lives. We learn about the Christian faith in many ways, such as through discussion, craft and activities.
Growing (Doing things together) – We aim to grow and bond together as a group through fun, games, group activities and exciting outings. There will also be plenty of opportunities to draw closer together and grow as a ‘family’ during the meaningful discussions and when out making a difference in the local community.
Worship (Being Part of the Church) – As the children grow in their faith, we will encourage them to become part of the wider church community and involve them in serving it.
Serving (Helping Others) – We help in the local community and environment and also raise funds for charities. What is close to each child’s heart will help us to decide on the projects we will tackle as it’s important to find their passion points to create drive and meaning. Faith leads to action and action leads to faith.
Building Relationships in the Community – We seek to help build relationships between the Parish and the local community, such as with the Haslemere Cricket and Bowls Club, both of whom the Parish sponsor. We also team up with local businesses for the annual Christmas Windows Competition.
Safeguard & Support – A core aim of the group is to create a place of safety for these children and to provide support. This is going to be their space and we will abide by safeguarding rules and guidance to ensure it is a refuge and a healthy environment.
For more information about The Den please contact Verity Sutherland, Children & Families Worker (Older Children) Email: Children@haslemereparish.org
Upcoming Term
Being our final term and summer, we usually make the most of being outside and do a lot of fun activities such as kayaking, litter picking & ice-cream, pool party and water pistol games. We also aim to weave in some important bible stories and spiritual learning in a relaxed and enjoyable way. This term we will be looking at ‘Jonah & the Big Fish’ and ‘The Miraculous Catch of Fish’ from the bible and thinking about why trusting and obeying God is important and how God wants to be part of our everyday lives and how everyday faith can lead to extraordinary things.