Drop-In – A Weekly Group for Young People Across the Parish - By Andrew Barkley

If you ever come to the church hall on a Wednesday afternoon, you will be greeted by noise and a flurry of activity. This is our youth drop-in, where children and young people from across the parish come for a time of games, food, rest, and even a short time of worship or discussion.

Drop-in is split into two sessions, the first running from 15:15–16:30 for children in school years 5–7. This group is attended by around 8–10 children each week. The second session is for children in school years 8–11 and runs from 16:45–18:00. Around 10 young people come each week and go through a whole loaf’s worth of toast! At each session, the children come from different backgrounds, faiths, and beliefs, and all are welcome.

All sessions follow a similar format. For the first 30 minutes or so, it is free time, with a variety of activities and games available. While some choose to sit and chat or play a board game, others are more active and play table tennis and badminton. Since I started helping with drop-in, my badminton skills have had to improve dramatically, as games can get very competitive!

Following this, we gather for a group game or activity. Each week, a different leader organises and runs the activity, allowing for a huge variety of games to take place. Often, the leaders end up taking part as well, having to manage our competitive streaks!

Once everyone is tired from the game, we have our moment of worship and discussion, affectionately known as “Thinky-Talky-Teachy-Time.” For each term, an overarching theme is chosen, with each week focusing on a different topic within it. For the last half-term, we looked at the “Big Questions” that are currently at the forefront of people’s minds. Topics included why there is suffering in the world and whether the advancement of technology is good or bad for Christians. These times often involve a lot of discussion, differences of opinion, and listening to each other. We have made it clear to the young people that this is a place of safety and non-judgement, allowing them to discuss freely and learn. The sessions normally end with a short prayer and time for continued discussions with individuals, if wanted.

Sessions also involve snacks such as grapes, crisps, and toast. These always go down well and give the young people a chance to refuel after a long day at school.

As leaders, we ask you to please keep the children of drop-in in your prayers. There are some who are new on their faith journey and others who have not yet begun. We pray that the group allows them to learn more about God and explore their faith. More practically, if you are a badminton champion or chess expert and want to put the young people through their paces, then please speak to me or Ollie, and we would love for you to come along at some point!