Year 6 and Pr 5 pupils have been welcomed back to Church Schools Celebration Days in Rochester Cathedral (Yr 6) and at Bromley Parish Church (Yr 5) in June - the first since before the pandemic.
In the Cathedral, almost 300 pupils with their teachers and helpers spent the day thinking about the promise of Jesus found in Matthew, ‘I am with you always.’ (Matthew 28:20).
As part of the events organised by the Diocesan Board of Education, pupils explored the Cathedral building, embarking on a journey from place to place, as well as spending time in prayer and reflection, focussing on the years in their primary schools.
Each day began and ended the day with worship, with Bishop Simon and Bishop Laurie leading a short service to help the children take strength and encouragement in the knowledge that Jesus walks with us at all times.
Reflecting on the week's activities, Deputy Director of Education, Virginia Corbyn said:
"Thank you to the many volunteers who make these events possible and successful, and for the support which they provide to the Cathedral and Education teams in making our plans come to fruition."
In Bromley, local parishes and schools worked together to bring 410 pupils from 9 schools in the borough to St Peter and St Paul's church for two days of fun and fellowship. The theme was, 'Loving and serving others', which was based on the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet.
Through the worship and workshops, the children explored what it meant to be a good leader and how Jesus’ life and example might continue to help us today. The workshops were extremely varied, including, dance, cookery, making sock puppets, drumming and singing.
At the end of the day, each pupil got to take away a wristband that told them how valuable they were to God, alongside a prayer card and small holding cross to remind them of the festival.
The Rev James Harrat, Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul, Bromley, said:
"It was a very busy couple of days, but well worth the effort. The whole event had a lovely feeling to it. It was a great privilege in the workshops to listen to the pupils and hear their thoughts about the qualities and traits they expected in our leaders, and the values they wanted to be seen more clearly in our world."
