The afternoon started with Marcus, Daniel and Geoffrey teaching us how to make Palm Crosses using ‘palm’ leaves from Geoffrey’s garden; the results were very impressive. We then had a time of songs and prayers followed by the ‘Open the Book’ team re-enacting Jesus’s appearance on Easter morning to the women who had just found that his tomb was empty. So we had covered, and hopefully explained, the Easter story from Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection in less than an hour!

One of the activities which followed the story telling and worship was an opportunity to write a question about the Easter story to be answered later by a panel of ‘experts’ comprising Geoffrey, Marcus and Jan Winslade. The questions were thoughtful and challenging, but the panel coped well and we all learned more about what happened and why.

Other activities were planting herb seeds (Jesus enhances our lives as herbs enhance the flavour of our food), creating an ‘Easter morning sunrise’ using coffee filter papers and food colouring, and throwing ‘tombstones’ towards the centre of a target (how big was the tombstone and how hard it would have been to move it).

While the questions were being answered by the panel a light supper of filled rolls, followed by jelly and fruit salad was prepared and the tables laid for everyone to eat together. The families and helpers were clearly hungry after their busy afternoon and plates were soon emptied.

Small Fairtrade Easter eggs were given to the departing families, together with a reminder of the date of the next Messy church – Sunday 24th April.

We love attracting families to Messy Church to learn about Jesus in a relaxed and fun-filled way; so please suggest it to any family that you think will enjoy it. Messy Church is held about once a month at St Francis School, Longmead between 4 and 6pm, and all families are most welcome

Mary Wright