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St. Paul's Church and Local Schools
This page is simply here to help teachers discover that
St. Paul's, the Church of England Parish Church in Stockingford, can be a useful
resource in the education of the children in their charge.
We have a Mission Statement which is simply
to 'serve the people of this parish'. We are not interested in
'bible-bashing' or indoctrination, but we are interested in helping children
develop their own spirituality and discover that things about Church can be
stimulating, interesting and fun.
We offer this assistance to teachers in
Stockingford and Grove Farm, in the following ways :-
 | Taking assemblies |
| Coming into school to help with
particular topics in the classroom |
| Hosting visits at St. Paul's Church and
Parish Centre |
Assemblies
We are happy to come to schools and lead
assemblies at particular times of the year such as Christmas, Easter and
Harvest, or at any time, following set themes if required by the school.
There are many aspects of the Christian
faith which can make assembly interesting and educational, such as :-
| The feast of Candlemas and other special
days of celebration not so well known |
| Christian symbols including the cross,
palms, water, candles, bread and wine, fish, wind, fire and many more |
| Clothes and vestments used in Church and
their colours, and why they are worn at different times of the year and for
different reasons. These can be brought and shown at assemblies |
| Christian themes of love, peace,
compassion, caring, tolerance and justice which can make connections with
everyday life in a school community |
| The lives of famous people and saints,
Mother Theresa, Archbishop Tutu and many more. These, often with simple drama,
make for vividly remembered assemblies. |
Coming into
School
We are very happy to visit schools and help
whenever required in particular lessons or topics. In the past we have visited
schools to help classes with work on :-
| spiritual aspects of water e.g. Baptism |
| talks on preparation for Marriage |
| discussion with children on death |
| the meaning of spiritual life |
| what is the after-life ? |
| how do we pray ? |
| the passion, death and resurrection of
Jesus |
| the Christmas story |
Hosting
Visits
Children are very welcome to come to St. Paul's and visit the Church and Parish
Centre.
It
is a treasure trove for young people with so much to see and learn about.
With the Parish Centre available, it also
means that after spending time in the Church, there is also a place in which the
children can do any follow-up work.
Visits can be of a general nature or for a
particular purpose or project, such as :-
| historical visits to see old records |
| to look at the architecture |
| to take rubbings off the gravestones |
| to learn about marriage through a mock
wedding |
| to see colour in stained glass windows |
| to draw and paint Church styles |
| to look at Church services e.g.
Communion |
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