Heath Evangelical Church

5-11 year olds. Friday, 6.00pm (Maes-y-Coed Community Centre)

Jubilee Gardens is a small, fairly new housing estate just off Maes-y-Coed Road in Heath. The Jubilee Gardens Clubs began when Alasdair and Carol Denton, who live in the adjoining street, Milestone Close, were burdened for the children and young people of the estate, many of whom they saw regularly wandering about in groups with their friends.

In December 2005, along with Beryl Dando and some of the church’s young people, they approached the manager of Maes-y-Coed Community Centre, which is also on the Jubilee Gardens estate, for permission to use the building to hold a short series of children’s Christmas clubs. Permission was granted, and for three weeks leading up to Christmas, a club was arranged for 5-11 year olds on Friday evenings.

On the first Friday, the leaders got there and waited. Eventually two girls arrived, and the session was spent learning a memory verse, singing a carol, listening to a short Bible story, and doing a craft. The following week, two or three more children attended, and again the third week.

Desiring to continue the work, the club was converted in the New Year to ‘Friday Club’, or “Christian Club” as some of the children call it. Around 8 children attended, but since none were particularly regular, there would often be only 2-4 children each week. At one point during 2006, for a few weeks, just one boy was attending. Thankful for this boy’s faithfulness, we continued to hold the club, praying that the Lord would send more children to join them.*

In the summer term of 2007, a handful of new children started attending Friday Club, and this time, they were regular. Numbers increased to around 6-8 children each week, and we were encouraged to keep praying. At the beginning of 2008, the Lord graciously answered prayer, and began to send new children almost every week for the next few months. As word spread across the estate, children brought their friends, and by the summer we had around 25 children on our books, with 16-18 on any given week.

The structure of Friday Club remains essentially the same as when it originally began. The children learn a memory verse, play a game, listen to a Bible story, and do a craft. They are always enthusiastic and enjoy coming. Each week before club, we walk around the estate picking up the children from their homes, and as numbers have increased, the group that makes its way across to the community centre every Friday has grown larger, providing an excellent advertisement to the rest of the community that Friday Club is taking place!

More children has meant more work, and though we are delighted every time a new child attends, the sessions can prove to be quite loud and hectic! Much energy, patience and love is required to give these children the best we can, and we would value your prayers in this respect. It is an amazing privilege to be able to share the good news of the Gospel with children who have never heard it before, and who do not receive this teaching at home or at school.

Please pray that the Lord would continue to bless the work and send more children to Friday Club. Pray that He would keep those who come at the moment eager to attend, and that they would truly know and understand the message of the Bible. They are not too young to believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved, so we pray that God would work in their hearts even now, or that the seed planted would grow in time to produce “fruit for eternal life” (John 4:36).

* Around Easter 2007, The Hub was started at the community centre for 10-17 year olds, again initiated by Alasdair and Carol and run by young people from the church. You can read more about The Hub here.

Cathryn Pugh