Faith in the community: Family fun days connect our communities together

MY heart was warmed last weekend, when once again members of our church worked together to host an event that lives up to our vision to be the heart of God in the heart of our community.

We call the event in question 'Family Fun', and we run it a few times a year. It’s a Saturday afternoon in the church building aimed at primary-school children and their families.

Family Fun involves an hour's free-flowing activities as families have a go at different crafts or play games. Sometimes the crafts are related to a particular theme.

This hour is then followed by half an hour altogether in the church where we join in a song, play a game and learn something about the Christian faith. We call this half hour of the afternoon 'Family Church'.

Because we have chairs rather than pews in the church, we're able to move the chairs to the sides to create a big space for children to sit in the middle. This time we had a bouncy castle in the church which was then deflated and moved out of the way for Family Church.

The theme this time was the Feeding of the 5,000, when Jesus miraculously multiplied bread and fish to feed a large crowd. We had a popcorn maker on stage making popcorn during the talk to demonstrate the multiplication of food in the story.

It’s all great fun but the most important thing for me is that Family Fun is a coming together of communities. We had families from the local schools, from two toddler groups that meet in the church midweek, and from members of our Sunday morning congregation.

Family Fun provides an important means of connection within the local community. Churches, which often have one of the largest gathering spaces in the neighbourhood, are ideal settings for bringing people together. You don't have to be a church-goer or religious.

Our vision is to be the heart of God at the heart of our community. As a church we want to show God's love to our community in the way we use our building. The building is not just for Sundays; it is a gift to the local community, a place where regardless of faith, people can know they are loved and valued. I think members of our church achieved that last weekend.

HOLY ROOD CHURCH, Stubbington Road, Fareham, PO14 2ASST EDMUND'S OLD CHURCH, Lychgate Grn, Fareham PO14 3HAwww.croftonparish.org.uk