  Bridget
 Monica in Zambia
 Selfie biscuit
water filtration
Loo roll stamping
Po biscuits
water filters
sdpending a penny
Sheila explains loo roll story
Prayer bowl. god takes all our unclean sins and washes them away.
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| | | Messy Church - 30 June 2019 |
The theme for Sunday 30th Messy Church was 'Toilet Twinning'
‘For
surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your
welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.’
Jeremiah 29:11 (NRSV)
‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ John 10:10 (NIV)
‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Mark 12:31 (NIV)
 It’s
funny how something as earthy and humble as a toilet can be the basis
for thinking about God’s limitless love for his people!
God’s love, as reflected in the heartfelt verses
listed above,
longs for the best life possible for every human being. He made us as
beings whose spirituality is inextricably linked to our bodies: our
relationship with him and with each other, our worship, our well-being
– these all work in bodily ways as well as in the realms of the
soul or spirit.
One of the most touching passages from the
Christian mystic Julian of Norwich describes her awe at the way our
bowels work! She linked spirituality to bodily functions in an
unforgettable way: ‘A man walks erect and the digested food in
his body is closed up like a very splendid purse. And when it is time
for the call of nature, it opens and is closed again in a very seemly
fashion’ (from ‘A Book of Shewings’, translated by
Alexandra Barratt in Julian of Norwich: A book of essays, ed. McEntire
and Salisbury).
If we read a few verses earlier in Jeremiah, we
see that the well-known verse quoted here is in the context of
settling, building, farming, marrying and bringing up children, and
includes the well-being not only of the people of God in exile but also
of those in the land who don’t yet know God. Living well includes
these everyday earthly tasks. Living well includes loving our
neighbour. Our call is to transform our world to become more and more
like the kingdom of heaven. While we’re in human bodies, toilets
are going to be an inevitable part of that mission. Toilet Twinning
brings to our notice how good sanitation can be a step closer to
kingdom living around the globe and that this health and well-being is
a sign of God’s kingdom alive and well.
Our crafts included -
SELFIE BISCUITS - Using biscuits; icing; writing icing; strawberry/cola laces and ;  other
edible decorations, the younger person made a selfie biscuit of what
they look like now; the older person makes a portrait of what the
younger person might look like in ten years’ time. We then talked
about what we thought may change in the future. Is this a good thing, a bad thing or just different?
 HOPE & LOVE SUNCATCHER
- With black card we made one letter from the words
‘hope’ and ‘love’, sticking pieces of the
tissue paper over the back of the card to cover the letters. We talked
about how God loves all of us and wants us to have a future with hope.
We can be a part of showing God’s love to the world. Toilet
Twinning is an example of how we can do this, as it shows love across
the world by teaching communities about toilets and sanitation, making
a huge difference to many people’s lives. What can we do to make
a difference?
LOO ROLL STAMPING -
cardboard tubes; coloured poster paint; large sheets of paper in
different colours with the toilet rolls as they were or with the
end bent into different shapes, such as hearts or stars. Dipped in
paint then stamped a design on to the paper to make a sheet of
wrapping paper that you we could use for the next present we give.
We
talked about how giving a present to someone tells them we care about
them. We heard stories of children getting sick because their family
didn’t have a toilet and of teenage girls being attacked or
bitten by snakes as they crouched in the bush to go the toilet. Giving
could make a difference. How would you feel about making a difference
to the life of someone we don’t know?
DOWN THE PAN - POO BISCUITS.
We started mixing condensed milk and water in a bowl. To this we
added broken biscuits, and cocoa powder into the mix. When the
mix was complete it looked like? Yes you've guessed it, but this
version tasted quite good. finally the mix was placed on a plate.
We
talked about how 2.3 billion people don’t have somewhere safe and
hygienic to go to the toilet, and almost 1,000 children die every day
from preventable diseases linked to dirty water and unsafe toilets.
Does this surprise you? Toilet Twinning is working to change this
through teaching communities how to build proper toilets, how important
it is to wash your hands and much more.
 WATER FILTRATION
- Using halved water bottles, coffee filter; sand; pebbles, and stones;
we made up filters , one with only sand, another pebbles, another
stones, and finally one with all these ingredients . We then poured
dirty filthy water into each, then watched how clean the water was as
it poured through the 'filters' Some hardly cleaned it at all,
while sand seemed best, though took a long time for the water to flow
through.
We talked about the fact that bad sanitation around
the world causes disease and the cycle of poverty. Every small step of
help will make a difference.
SPEND A PENNY!
- Within a bucket full of water was a jar at the bottom. We tried
dropping pennies into the jar at the bottom, seeing how many we could
manage to get into the jar, in 20 seconds. We talked about
how the path to the goal of clean flushing water is difficult, but if
we each help it can be achieved.
 CELEBRATION TIME Sheila
Anderson and Margaret Webster led our celebration time in the church,
where
we heard about Sita on the Ivory Coast and how the Toilet Twinning
has worked to improve hygiene in a poor community. God wants us
all to be healthy and follow Him. With the help of some of the children
we sang a favourite song 'I can/ You can/ We can make a
difference' , complete with actions.
 We
finished with a prayer using a toilet roll, with Sheila holding
the loose end while Margaret went around the whole
congregation encircling them with the unrolled toilet paper.
People around the perimeter held up their part of the toilet
paper. Margaret led the prayer - Lord God, you wrap your
love round us, just as we are encircled by this loo roll. You long for
everyone in the world to be wrapped in your love and have life in all
its fullness. Help us to share your love generously around your world,
especially through the work of Toilet Twinning. May people everywhere
have clean, safe toilets to help keep them healthy. Amen
mealtime
We
returned to the church hall where the BBQ was ready with burgers,
sausages, and salad, and juice or water to wash it all down. Ice cream
followed to finish a great day, our last Messy Church before the summer
holiday.
Look out for Messy Church when it returns in September.
Enjoy your summer holidays
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