Category: Kids

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Seeking expressions of interest in a playgroup at St Luke’s Highton

Are you a parent or carer of a pre-school aged child or children living in Highton or nearby suburbs?

St Luke’s is considering running a regular playgroup session for local families with very young children who are looking to make community connections and spend time with others who are also caring for young children.

The playgroups would also be an opportunity for newly arrived refugee and asylum seeker families to “meet the locals” and make friendships and connections in their new homeland.

Sessions would include unstructured play, circle time with singing and movement activities and morning tea, hosted by a qualified early childhood educator and supported by volunteers.

St Luke’s is committed to being a safe space for people to come together in community, and while we are a Christian community, we hope to include and embrace ALL people who seek community and friendship in the place where we live.

If this is something that would interest you or someone you know, please complete our expression of interest form, and stay tuned for more information.

Register your interest today

 

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Messy Church Nature Walk Tuesday 12th April

Photo by gryffyn m on Unsplash

You’re invited to an intergenerational Nature Walk with Messy Church friends!

As we soak in the beautiful natural surrounds of the Barwon River, we’ll explore what it means to walk with Jesus toward Jerusalem as Holy Week and Easter approach.  This walk is for people of all ages, children, parents and grandparents are welcome!

Meeting Point:

Buckley Falls Lower Carpark, accessed from Buckley Falls Road in Highton.

Wear: Comfortable shoes for walking and clothing that can be easily adjusted to suit the weather.  (Be ready for rain!)

Bring: Hat, waterbottle, insect repellant, sunscreen, snacks

After a short gathering time, we’ll head off to explore the wilder parts of the Barwon River, coming together for afternoon tea and an Outdoor Messy Celebration, finishing by 5pm

Let us know you’re coming by Monday the 7th of April—

Contact Robyn 0427571453 or email

info@stlukesuca.org.au

 

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Preparing for Advent Wednesdays Nov 10, 17, 24

Looking for Advent ideas? Keen to be a bit more creative this Advent season?

If so, this FREE 3-session Preparing for Advent series is for you!

Suitable for anyone – including, but not limited to, ministers, pastors and lay preachers – multiple sessions of one hour in duration will be offered each day (Nov 10, 17, 24). To register your interest and indicate your preferred timeslots, go to 2021 Preparing for Advent.

For more information e-mail chris.barnett@victas.uca.org.au.

Advent: Something is Coming!

NEW Resource Something is Coming! is a fresh way to engage households, small groups and whole communities throughout Advent.

This new, FREE resource encourages us to pray, reflect, grieve and rejoice as we draw nearer to Christmas. Available as a downloadable resource, Something is Coming! includes beautiful printable characters to use in making your own Nativity scene and ideas for fostering engagement amongst those
you gather with.

May Something is Coming! be a special part of your Advent 2021 experience!
Check out and download Advent: Something is Coming! for FREE here: Advent: Something is Coming!

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Messy Church in 2021

Messy Church is one place we can mark special transitions. Photo credit: Elizabeth Stoel

From Barbara and the Messy Church Team:

Welcome Back to Face-to Face Messy Church at St Luke’s Highton!

We really can’t wait to see you all again as it has been a while since we met in person and had fun at Messy Church!  We are starting cautiously due to the ever-changing COVID restrictions regarding numbers allowed inside.

So ….here are our plans so far…………

Messy Church in February

Friday 19th February  5-7pm   At Drewan Park

CANCELLED DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS

Our first meeting will be outside at Drewan Park, City View Drive, Wandana Heights – just up the hill from St Luke’s and where we had our picnic last Sunday. It’s a great park with a good view and plenty of facilities.

Theme: The Good Samaritan- we will be planning our usual bundle of fun Messy Church activities outside amongst nature. BYO food and chairs.

Here’s a kid-friendly version of the story:

And here’s a perspective on the Good Samaritan parable from one of the First Nations Christian Leaders – Brooke Prentice of Common Grace – and where she sees the situation of Aboriginal people in this story.  

Messy Church Dates for the remainder of 2021 – put these in your diary!

Friday 19th March– Back at St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm- Easter themes including a Labyrinth and New Life activities- sounds intriguing! Stay tuned!

Friday 16th April  -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 21st May  -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 18th June  -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 16th July  -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 20th August  -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 17th September – St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm

Friday 15th October -St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm

Friday 19th November– St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm

See you soon!

Love from your Messy Church Team: Judy, Shaghek, Paul, Barbara, Jean and Robyn xxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Messy Church Picnic – Sunday 31 Jan at 12:30pm

Messy Church logo

Community

Fun

Sharing

 

 

Our Messy Church family and friends picnic (postponed from December) is to be held this weekend.

Where:  Drewan Park near the Wandana Heights Lookout (which used to be known as the Ceres Lookout), just up the hill from St Luke’s church.  

When: 12:30pm on Sunday 31 January 2021

What to bring: Everything  for a picnic (food, drink, tables, chair, rugs, kid’s games…)

THE PARK HAS A PLAYGROUND, TOILETS, BBQS AND SHELTER

Who can come: Young and older – you just need to come with an open heart to have fun and be inspired.

NOTE: COVID SAFE REQUIREMENTS APPLY … PLEASE PLAN TO PHYSICALLY DISTANCE, AND WEAR MASKS WHEN THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE.  If you are feeling unwell, let us know and we’ll be thinking of you, but please don’t come – see your doctor or get tested if you have COVID symptoms.

Picnic

 

 

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New staffing arrangements at St Luke’s Preschool

Some of the learners enjoying time together at St Luke’s Preschool

Cathy Coles, the Early Learning Co-ordinator at Uniting, has written to advise that there are new staffing arrangements at St Luke’s Preschool:

“With the resignation of our permanent team leader and early childhood teacher, Tanya Henry, Uniting has undertaken a recruitment process and it is with great pleasure that we can announce the outcome.

We are delighted to announce that Emma Lane has been appointed and will be stepping into the St Luke’s Highton Team Leader role in an ongoing capacity.

In addition, we are further delighted to announce that Caroline Davies has been appointed to our permanent early childhood teacher role at St Luke’s Highton Preschool. 

 In the past months both Emma and Caroline during the challenges of COVID-19 have shown resilience and compassion while navigating the daily challenges this has presented.  They have collaborated with the team at St Luke’s Highton and demonstrated all of Uniting’s values. We are delighted that they are now both permanently part of our Uniting team.

Please join me in congratulating both Emma and Caroline to their roles at St Luke’s Highton Preschool.

It’s great to hear that this ministry of caring for and education young children and supporting their families continues at the St Luke’s Preschool and we give thanks for the skills and dedication that Emma and Caroline bring to their roles.  It has been a very challenging year and these two educators have met the challenges with grace, commitment and compassion.

We give thanks also for the many years of care, education and leadership provided by Tanya Henry and we wish her the very best in her future activities.

Be sure to give the St Luke’s preschool team a smile and wave if you see them in the yard when you’re visiting St Luke’s!

 

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Advent Study Resource – “Our Hope” and other things

The Equipping Leaders for Mission Unit has produced a resource for Uniting Church folk to use in devotions for the Advent season.  You can download it here or pick up a printed copy from the office.

2019 Advent booklet final

Other resources for you to use at home include:

“In light and darkness” – an Illustrated Advent for Families

Advent Conspiracy 4-7 years

Advent Conspiracy 8-11yrs

There are many more home based resources from the Advent Conspiracy folk which you can find here

We hope that this time leading up to Christmas is one where you can make time to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all!

 

 

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New children’s resources for Sunday Worship

Parents, Carers and Grandparents will be pleased to see these contemporary new resources for children to use during Sunday morning services!  Best suited to primary aged children, they include copies of children’s worship bulletins which match the lectionary cycle we are in, and colouring pages which connect to the readings of the day.

The folder is kept on top of the white bookshelf in the children’s area of the worship space.  If children would like their work displayed on the wall after they have finished, you can slip them under the church office door on Sunday and it will be put up during the week.

There are 5 copies of each week’s resources printed, please let us know if more are required on any particular Sunday.

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Reminder: Kids Church is on Sunday 31st of March

Photo: Pexen Design

A reminder from Judy and Judy that next week is Kid’s Church@Sunday morning worship.  There is no Kid’s Church in April due to school holidays, but there will be plenty of kid-friendly activities at our Palm Sunday, Tenebrae and Easter Sunday worship!