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For many families, Lent has become another thing they have to squeeze into an already overflowing “to-do” list. There are so many resources, activities and ways we are recommended to fill the 40 days after we’ve flipped the pancakes that it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming!

Don’t get me wrong – many of those things are wonderful, and indeed we have many active Lent resources on this website too. But for families like mine, where even getting to eat a meal together can be a scheduling challenge, we need to strip things back to basics. That is why, for this year, we have put together Re:Lent, a way to recapture the simplicity of Lent.

Re:lent is a simple pack which can be given to families and helps them to focus on the three core elements of Lent:

Re:Lent: Giving up something we like to help us focus on God.

Si:Lent: Making time to listen to God and lay before Him our worries.

Ta:Lent: Using what we have for God’s glory not our own.

There’s one sheet to use. It begins with ideas to help each person in the house choose one thing to give up, which should flow into freeing up time to be silent, listen and pray, which in turn could flow into inspiration for ways in which they might give to others.

There is no pressure to perform, create or show what has been done, it is just between that person and God. Simples!

Click image to download pdf.

St Brigid’s Feast day is February 1st. One of the ways in which you can celebrate this day is by creating what have become known as a Brigid’s Cross.

Our pack above includes pre-measured strips of paper decorated with the Church of Ireland cross and a symbol of the Trinity and a heart intertwined, step by step instructions, as well as some information about the life of St Brigid. For additional help you can also watch an instructional video created by Rev. Abigail Sines where she makes crosses with all three mediums. https://vimeo.com/504840692?share=copy  

St Brigid’s cross is a distinctive variant of the Christian cross made with straw or rushes, (you can also use Pipe Cleaners or, as with our cross, with paper). While traditions associated with the cross have varied through time, there is still significant interest from school children especially in creating their own St Brigid’s crosses on either 31st January or 1st February. St Brigid is said to have woven this cross to assist a pagan chieftain’s deathbed conversion to Christianity. (adapted from St Brigid’s Cathedral website)

You can read more information about Brigid here: https://stbrigidscathedral.com/life-of-st-brigid/   and here: https://www.churchofireland.org/news/12236/st-brigid-a-powerful-focus

A service of the word was also created for St Brigid’s day and can be found here: Celtic-Commemorations-2017—St-Brigid

Click any image above to download your pack pdf

Step back into the wonderful days when we all played card games and relive the fun of Top Trumps with our very own version “Hope Tumps”

Featuring all the characters from the story of the first Christmas – including some you might not expect! You can download our game FREE and print it onto card (back to back printing will ensure they look best), cutting each card out to form a pack. Then give the packs away to your families to play at home over the Christmas holidays. 

This game is a great age leveller and so a wonderful way to encourage intergenerational connections in your church over advent. You could give out packs to your congregation and have a “Trump-Off” competition at the end of a service. ..be careful how you explain that title though, you could end up with a very different take on how to win!  

Welcome to Gingerbread and Generosity 2025 – Houses of Hope!

We are so thrilled to launch this initiative in partnership with Bishops Appeal and (South American Mission Society (SAMS).

It is our hope that, by using the packs below, you will be able to host a Houses of Hope event where families and individuals are invited to learn about the two projects in South America whilst having fun together decorating gingerbread houses.

Here are just a few ways you might use this pack:

• Host a gingerbread decorating event – perfect for Messy Church or a post-service gathering with snacks and festive cheer. You can make it a donation-based event or charge a small fee to support Bishops’ Appeal.
• Use one of the included services—either our Advent-themed service or the “Jesus is the Light of the World” Christingle option. During the service, you can take up a collection and hand out family packs for at-home fun.

No matter how you choose to use this pack, we hope families will upload a photo of their gingerbread creations and enter our Houses of Hope competition, with a chance to win one of two £50/€50 One4All vouchers!

To download the pack you wish to use simply click on the relevant image below:

Watch the video below to learn more about how your support impacts children and families in South America.

You can also copy the link to show this video at your Church event. 

You can access this PDf by simply Clicking the image below:

Click image to download the PDF – to access the links the newsletter needs to be read online.

Click on the Hedgehog to download the black PDF

Embrace the beauty of this season with all the colours and gifts it drops for us. This super-easy craft comes with a wonderful promise for all ages. Collect fallen autumn leaves or those that have transformed into stunning hues, and glue them together to create this charming Hedgehog of promise.

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