Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Summer fun at Jackson
The youngsters at Jackson Church in Airdrie had a wonderful time at this year’s summer holiday club.
More than 90 enthusiastic children engaged in a range of activities based on this year’s ‘Good Samaritan’ theme at the Petersburn church.
During a fun- filled week, pre-school youngsters up to and including primaryaged kids from Petersburn and the surrounding areas were split into groups which represented a character from the play.
They created colourful friezes and characters for their show in arts and crafts classes, played board games, competed against each other in team-based sports, with budding bakers cooking up a storm to produce coconut truffles and crispy cakes.
The church’s ‘Mad Hatter’ minister Kay Gilchrist began hosting the club over eight years ago after she came to the parish in 2008.
Kay told the Advertiser: “The children begin and end each day at the club with a service of worship. We don’t charge anything for them to come along, but parents usually give us a small donation which goes towards the costs.
“The church pays for everything, but we also receive grants from North Lanarkshire Council and Clydesdale Bank, which is a huge help.”
The club is open to children from nursery up to P7 and Kay said one of the reasons she started it was to show that learning about religion can be both enjoyable and educational.
She explained: “Here at the summer club the kids can see that church people are fun too and that we can also enjoy a good laugh.”
The fun- loving minister and her enthusiastic band of volunteers include members of the congregation, church elders and teenagers who were once former members of the summer club themselves.
Jennifer Galloway, who organises the sports activities each year said: “My son and daughter help out as volunteers and that is their good deed for the summer.”
John Turnbull, church elder added: “The older kids from Caldervale High and Airdrie Academy who are now too old to take part come back to the club as helpers, so we must be doing something right.”
The week culminated with a theatrical extravaganza of song and drama on the Friday afternoon, based on the story of the Good Samaritan, which the youngsters performed especially for their parents as well as a guest appearance from a magician.