Bit of history! Once upon a time, nearly 28 years ago a group of St Mungo’s mums spotted a need in the community. The vision for Minis was born. A safe, welcoming and inclusive baby and toddler group where all carers and wee ones could gather, whether you were part of St Mungo’s or not. It was decades before our current vision to Be Love, yet the driving passion behind the group was to be an expression of Jesus’ love in action in our community. Minis quickly gained a reputation for being a friendly toddler group where everyone would be drawn into conversations. There’s good connections with the local health visitors who often direct new mums to the group and we don’t really have to do much advertising as word just spreads. And Minis has always been a signpost or a stepping stone to other church events with opportunities to invite people to guest services, Alpha courses, the Family Fun Day or other one off events.
For many years church mums who had little people at the right age and stage led and made up the team, ably assisted by an amazing support team of tea ladies. But more recently there was a shift as Kate, Andrea and others without little ones facilitate it happening week by week and allow space for all the mums to interact.
As we came out of the lockdown restrictions many toddler groups have struggled to restart because they were led by mums who have since outgrown that stage with their kids, Minis had an established team ready to pick up the baton and run again!
What happens! Minis meets in the St Mungos church building which is such a great resource with its carpeting, curtains and comfy furniture so it immediately feels cosy and inviting (the soft furnishings help absorb the noise too!) Families are welcomed as they arrive and the children enjoy all the bright and attractive toys on offer. We have different areas with baby toys, train track, dressing up, kitchen etc. The book corner includes Bible stories to share. We have a craft table with a different themed craft each week. The children therefore learn life skills of sharing, listening and playing together while the mums can watch, play and chat. The kitchen is on hand to serve juice and snack for children and of course hot drinks and chocolate bars for the adults.
There are some very honest conversations and most of the time we just listen and reassure them that they are doing a good job! Sometimes advice is needed and we have a wealth of experience to share from parenting to housing, sourcing furniture, babysitting, child minders, nursery links, returning to work and so much more. People have had space to tell their stories. We’ve heard about the challenges of becoming a parent during the pandemic. What it was like to cope without the usual support you might have from wider family and friends. The highs and lows of everyday life. And people talk about the pleasure of watching their child play alongside others.
We clear the toys towards the end and join together to sing some songs and nursery rhymes – always including some God songs too. We talk about topical things St Mungo’s is putting on as such as parenting courses, Family Fun Day, Spirit café, Alpha, special Sunday services and are always delighted when families come along. At Christmas, Easter etc we tell the Bible stories in creative ways that engage small children but also impart truth. When possible we include a short ‘thought for the day’ to our circle and song time.
Through lockdown we kept in touch via our facebook group and in October 2021 finally reopened. It’s been good to make the most of the opportunity to review how to run the group in the best way possible. We’ve expanded from the lounge and cottage rooms into the space of the sanctuary – with bright barriers and this allows plenty of space to socially distance and for play. We’ve rebranded the group, not only with a new logo but also a different focus for each day. On a Tuesday morning led by Andrea we welcome mums and babies up to 18 months – creating a space for those who have had lockdown babies to gather together and to create connections with others at a similar stage. It’s such a joy to see new mums befriending each other and restoring all that’s been lost to them over the past 2 years. And a Wednesday morning led by Kate is much noisier and high energy as toddlers and older children come along with their grown ups.
We continue to Be Love in that practical, welcoming, listening way and we are exploring how we might more explicitly express Jesus’ love in words. Since we restarted in October we’ve had 40 different households each day coming along – that’s 80 households in total, even over just 6 months. Not everyone comes every week and sometimes circumstances change and carers go back to work but it’s wonderful to get to know people for as long or as short as they come to Minis.
Please continue to remember Minis in your prayers and give thanks for all those involved in making this group have an impact in the community over many years.
Kate Yates and Andrea Brewster