We all know the expression ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ but in Combe St Nicholas in South Somerset, little Lego bricks have perhaps appropriately, been the building blocks of something very special! Four years ago, Revd Deborah Perreau and Family Chaplain, Denise Lugg identified that while the parish had lots of clubs and activities for adults, the only club for children was the football club. They also realised that their ‘All Age’ service hadn’t seen any families attending for a long time.
Deborah and Denise listened to the voice of God calling them to take action, and to their community. They asked, ‘What do they want and how can we serve them?’ and the Lego club was born. Four years later, they have a thriving programme of activities aimed at families which all come under the banner of ‘Young Life @ St Nicks’.
At the recent Rural Forum, they talked to Andy Levett from the Go Team about the inspiration they had to develop these activities for children and young people. We’re sharing a little bit about their journey in this article and you can also watch Deborah and Denise talking to Andy on our Youtube channel. We hope their story inspires you, and if you want to speak to them, they would be delighted to share more details with you. You can email the team or check out the Facebook pages linked at the end of this article.
In 2022, the Lego and Duplo had its first ever meeting. Denise explains that they really wanted to keep things simple, so the club started with just a few boxes of secondhand Lego and Duplo, two volunteers, some drinks and of course, some biscuits. It took ten minutes to set up and clear away and while they had no idea what to expect, they were delighted when ten families joined them – more than they had hoped for! From that first session, the monthly Lego Club has continued to be popular with local families, some of whom have attended every session over the years. It’s free, but any donations received go to the church.
Deborah and Denise are keen to stress that they started in a small and simple way for good reason, and also that they didn’t include faith in the sessions for a while; ‘It takes time to build a trusting relationship with families - Lego Club was running for over three years before we introduced activities with a clear Christian message. Keep activities and planning simple, keep the set-up / tidy-up simple and keep volunteers engaged by allowing autonomy of specific activities or tasks. Look after your volunteers and demonstrate how much you value their commitment!’
Building on the success of Lego Club, the team now offers a regular parent and baby support group, a youth club, school holiday clubs and an annual light party on 31 October. They also have a well-stocked play area in the church and hold a regular play and worship service called ‘Let’s Play’. Each session has a theme, and they are currently exploring a different Parable each month. Activities are similar to the holiday club - toys, games and crafts, along with sandwiches and cakes.
The team says that the benefits to the community are clear; ‘Families tell us they value our activities for being welcoming and safe, and that the connection with other families and chance to chat with fellow parents is so valuable. They also love the wholesome nature of our activities and the chance to be in the church in a calm and peaceful environment. And it’s not just the families who benefit - our volunteers tell us that they value taking part because there is a sense of fellowship in doing this work - it brings the community together and volunteers themselves feel blessed by supporting our families.’
And finally, Deborah and Denise would like to offer the following advice to other communities:
- ‘Pray and pray some more. Set up a prayer group, no matter how small the group is. Pray for your community, ask God to show you what to do;
- Talk with your community or your local school - ask what families feel they need or what they would enjoy;
- Start simple! Remember, our Lego Club started with two volunteers, a few boxes of bricks, drinks and biscuits. Simplicity is the key;
- Use your community Facebook page to promote your events and to ask what families would like to see in their community. Check out our Lego and Duplo club page and our Young Life @ St Nicks page;
- Stick with it! You might have only one family attending your event, but they know other families and will encourage others to come along. Keep at it, even when numbers are low, because it takes time to develop trust with families; and
- Email or come to visit us if you’d like to see any of our clubs / events in action - we’d love to see you and chat about what’s happening in Combe St Nicholas.’