Sevenoaks Road 

Orpington 

Kent 

BR6 9JH 

Story Keepers 3 Half-Term Holiday Club 

Praise God for the seventy children and team of over fifty helpers who joined us for our Story Keepers 3 Holiday Club, held 25-27 October 2011 during the half-term break!  The children were very excited and had a wonderful time with many of them attending their first holiday club.  All of them were exceptionally well behaved and the whole church centre remained calm throughout thanks to the dedicated team working of all those leading and helping. 

In their small groups, with appropriately themed names: Charioteers, Centurions, Gladiators and Legionaries, opening crafts included making a Roman helmet and shield.  In our all-together times in church, we learnt some new worship songs and the children were riveted by the daily episodes of The Story Keepers on the big screen.

In the Market Place (Church Hall), the usual baking and sewing, pottery and Roman mosaic activities proved as popular as ever.  In the Hulbert Hall, the children loved the Spartacus Games, with its team challenges, obstacle races and parachute games.  All around the church centre, characters from the story line helped to set the scene as we imagined ourselves in Rome AD64 ‘fighting to keep the stories of Jesus alive’.

Each day the story keepers arrived bright and early for our 9.45am start.  After a short time in their groups, we gathered together in church to sing and follow the day’s adventure story of Ben the Baker, Helena, and their family of orphan children who had lost their parents in the great fire.

On Day 1, in Ready, Aim, Fire! Bible stories covered included Jesus blesses the children, Blind Bartimaeus and The man with a paralysed hand.  In the Market Place, the children baked bread, could sew a felt Jesus with little children, stitch a hand with sequins or embroider a cross shaped bookmark; make medallions, ICTHUS fish or Roman pots from clay; design a plaque with their name in Braille or make an actor’s mask

Together with the Spartacus Games, the stories were reinforced in group times in the teaching, activity sheets and further craft activities. 

On Day 2, in Trapped! The story keepers enjoyed decorating cakes, continuing with their sewing activities, painting their pottery, making stained glass windows and crosses, decorating candles and creating Roman mosaic crosses and ICTHUS fishes.  Bible stories covered included The Transfiguration and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.

In Victory! – To the Ends of the Earth on Day 3, after many adventures, the story keepers’ series was concluded with the final Bible stories of The meeting in the Upper Room, and the Ascension.  The stories have been told and are ready to be passed on “until one day there are as many Story keepers as there are stars in the sky”.

The week’s activities concluded with a Holiday Club Special on Sunday 30 October.  With the church arranged café-style, coffee and pastries served as people arrived, we were pleased to welcome those families who joined us for this time of informal worship and sharing as we celebrated highlights of the week giving people a flavour of our journey of discovery together.

We all had a fantastic time at the Story Keepers 3 Half Term Holiday Club as these photographs will show!

                             

Breadmaking is always a popular activity - and everyone enjoyed the sewing  

The Spartacus games got everyone joining in!

  The small group times provided opportunity for talking about the day’s Bible stories and discovering more from challenging activity sheets with puzzles and craft items to make.

Our last day concluded with a grand picnic-style lunch! 
And overall, everyone had a fantastic time!