Illuminate

Age range: 8-11

About Illuminate:
Parents bring their child in to the group and take a small card with their name on it, which is returned at the end when they collect their child. The leader for that day will introduce themselves and the topic for that session and if there are any new members then they will be introduced and the other children will say their names out loud. There are always two adults in the room, one leading and one assisting. We work through the lesson plan for the session which will be made up of some of the following: playlets, discussion/debates, reading passages from the bible, filling in Scripture Union's "X-Stream" worksheets and craft, creating own scenarios of a life experience and sharing with the group. Near the end of the session we provide refreshments and a snack, either fruit or sometimes a biscuit, and finish with prayer. The leader will lead the prayers and we ask each child to thank God for anything that had happened in the week. Some children feel uncomfortable with this so if they do we ask them just to say ‘Amen’ and we move on round the group.

In order for the group to be productive there has to be a certain amount of discipline therefore the children came up with 3 of their own rules. If these rules are broken more than 3 times in a session then the child is taken back to their parents, but this is very rare. As leaders and helpers we feel a great sense of accomplishment leading the group and enjoy bringing children closer to God. One of the most enjoyable things for us is the interaction with the children and seeing the world from a child perspective. It can be very enlightening and refreshing as they see the world with such an innocent mind.

For more details: see David Randall