What is Messy Church?
The hall is buzzing with conversation. Around a table adults and children burst into laughter as they wrestle with metallic tubing and googly eyes and their teenage helpers despair of ever creating the promised artefact. A toddler slaps green paint on a huge sheet of card under the watchful eye of a Granny (not sure if they’re related or not – it doesn’t really matter). A five-year-old watches wide eyed as an enthusiastic leader shows her how to bang in a nail. There’s a delicious smell wafting out of the kitchen. The ten-year-olds, intent on their glass-painting, agree it must be jacket potatoes. The vicar takes a photo of the surreal result of the junk modelling and two mums catch up on the gossip as they drink welcome cups of tea and slowly decorate gift bags while their children make something unidentifiable but very chocolatey upstairs. The cooks should be getting the plates stacked, but one of the mums needs to talk about her problems with her foster children. I would be panickin