Why share grass Root Stories?

We are excited about sharing the many innovative activities and opportunities that are happening within South Australian local churches. We would like to build a culture in SA that is positive, encouraging and focusses on the many wonderful achievements of local churches. We know that there are so many positive progams, services and activities with in churches, but sometimes these stories aren't told, this webpage is an opportunity for this to happen. Below are some of the things that have happend in SA, please let us share in the excting and inspirational ministries of your local church by emailing the  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and telling us about what your local church is doing.

Remember, no story is to small!

Babies and Toddlers Fun Morning Out

On July 21st, Parafield Gardens Uniting Church held a Babies and Toddlers Fun Morning Out as a free promotional event for their playgroup called, Small Beginnings, which meets on Monday mornings. We borrowed equipment from a local Kindergym, such as climbing frames, tunnels, slides, balancing beams and a small trampoline. There was a face painter and an animal display with a snake, rabbit, turtle, owl, ferret and other various animals being walked around the room for children to touch and hold. The local Waterwatch group did a display and four clowns from the congregation provided entertainment. The playgroup's crafts, paints, toys, books and games were also put out.

At 10am families arrived, signed in, put prams in the pram park and then spent an hour playing, climbing, holding, creating and having fun. On arrival, every family received a gift bag filled with goodies, many donated by local businesses, with a pen, notepad, 2 week free gym pass, muesli bar, fruit box, tea and coffee sachets, packet of crackers, crayons, colouring in booklet, tomato seeds, calendars, bookmarks, mints and a community directory. Also in the bags was promotional material for the Small Beginnings playgroup including a magnet and the calendar for the coming term as well as fliers about Parafield Gardens UC ministries and coming events.

Throughout the event, morning tea was available for the adults with hot drinks and homemade scones and also a platter of sushi that was donated by a local business. At 11am the children were called over to the mat where individual plates of fruit and pikelets were handed out for morning tea. Afterwards we had group singing time and finished with the door prizes donated from the local butcher and fish 'n' chip shop being awarded.

28 families with 42 children attended including many fathers. It was also wonderful to have so many volunteers from the congregation come along to help set up, oversee games and activities, prepare morning tea and help pack up. We hope to run the event again this year due to such a successful first Babies and Toddlers Fun Morning Out.

The following Monday the Small Beginnings team were given a big thank you card from all the parents and children showing their appreciation for the effort in planning and running an event that was really enjoyed by the children and their families.

Ascot Park Creates Christmas Together

by Sue Langhans

Every member of the congregation was given an A4 piece of paper and a pen and asked to draw the outline of their hands. On each one they were to put the full initials of their name. e.g. D.M.L. Each paper outline was then cut out by volunteers in the congregation. Then each paper cut out pinned to green material (cotton) of various shades and patterns. Small hands in light green (for the top of the tree), large hands in dark green(bottom of the tree). Then again cut out by volunteers.

A base material banner was stitched approx. 95 cm wide by 1.5 metres long (in Purple) Two were done, one a Christmas Tree and the other an Advent Wreath.  Each hand had the initials written with a  Glitter pen (for cloth material)

Hands Christmas TreeCHRISTMAS TREE - The hands were then pinned starting from

the bottom row and stitched with a  plain stitch on a sewing machine. Each layer was pinned and stitched so that the fingers were hanging down and the row below was just covered. Also so that the initials could be seen. Thumbs were put at the outer ends so the hands would fall correctly on the Banner. Layer after layer pinned and then stitched, reducing the number until the top is reached with just one or two little hands. The base of the tree of simple red box shape glued on. Plus a large Gold star.Hands Wreath

ADVENT WREATH- A few hands were pinned at the bottom of the circle and stitched then in layers up the sides to the top. Overlayed so that the initials could be seen and the thumbs out to the edges were glued afterwards to hold them up in their place around the circle. Candles were made from half a cardboard tube with gold ribbon then glued on. Flame made of red velvet. Red bow at top to match.

Woodville Celebrates Animals

by Kathy Blazewicz

I trust God when I am preparing such an event - I don't worry about statistics of how many people came or how many come back - what I have to do is my best and welcome people as they are.  I never know the lives I may have affected along my journey in preparing such an event and you never know what will happen next time you do something similar or at another stage way into the future.

My aims of the "Celebrating Animals" event were simple

   1. To engage the community - whether they take part in a writing or colouring in competition, whether they stare and wonder what we are doing at the church with animals out the front, whether they come and take part. 
   2. I wanted the community to own the church - to see it as their church even if they don't step foot into it.
   3. To value the church as a place to go when they are in need, to know they would be welcomed regardless of who or where they come from.  To break down barriers.

What did we do?  Looked at what barriers existed and how to break them down.  We didn't want to give anyone an excuse of why not to go.

Language is one barrier of the church - the public don't understand some of what we say or even do for that matter - so we simplified it - made the event (service) in everyday language so that everyone could understand and I had a brilliant team around me to help this happen.  Even our praise songs were simplified by using children's tunes and changing words and our only hymn was "All creatures great and small" something with a common feel.

Secondly, we had to get their attention, so we used a common source - "Animals" and also engaged the community by extending it not only to having Old MacDonalds Farm visit but also in collecting blankets and food for the Animal Welfare.

Thirdly, if we were to get into the local school, it had to be educational, so this is where the writing and drawing competition came in, with every child who enters winning a prize.  The competition was open to any child from anywhere.

Lastly, we had to advertise and as we didn't have a huge budget it had to be as close to free as possible.  It helped that Messenger Press loved the idea of collecting for Animal Welfare and put in several adverts in their free column, flyers were sent to local schools, kindergartens, child care centres and playgroups and several of the schools put notices in their newsletters (of course you don't always know if they all do it but you have to have trust).  There's a bus stop right out the front of our church and so our fences were a great way to advertise and so to be creative we cut out animal shapes from cardboard and painted them black and added white lettering - It got attention.  Flyers were also put up in local shops, sent to families who were on our baptism list, through our coffee house and church and our playgroup. In fact where-ever we could.

On the day

The day was like a picnic - there were animals to cuddle, stamps on hands, songs to sing, plays to see, stories to hear and then it didn't finish there, cups of tea and animal cookies to eat, craft activities to do and more.  The church was decorated with pictures, soft toy and timber animals.  It was a celebration that God cares and loves everyone and everything.

It was a lot of work to get it all together and did we achieve our aims - yes, we did receive entries to the competition, yes people were talking about Woodville Uniting Church in the street, yes people did stop and stare and yes people came but most of all it gave the church community an air of excitement and anticipation, it gave them hope.  As our service was in progress we also had people from the community outside and a couple of our members were able to talk with them and minister with friendship - it didn't matter that they didn't come in, perhaps they will next time.

There were so many positives that happened not only on the day but during the journey - we gave confidence to someone to try something new and not to worry if no-one came because if we don't try then we have already lost and we need to trust God and take the step of faith - we saw excitement of people who don't come to church tell others they had that flyer on the fridge and couldn't wait to come, or stop us in the shopping centre and ask us what was going on- Strangers offering help and lots more.

 

Tales of the Unexpected (Tea Tree Gully Advent/Christmas 2005)

At Tea Tree Gully Uniting Church during Advent 2005, anything could have turned up, including a giraffe. Each Sunday of Advent followed the theme: God reaches out to us through the unexpected.

Week 1: Expect the unexpected (Mary and Elizabeth)
Week 2: All who heard told everyone the good news
Week 3: God works through ordinary people; Sub theme: we're just kids - what do we have to offer?
Week 4: Stick your neck out

Each week a series of silhouettes on the walls of the church (and in the church foyer) told the Christmas story progressively, and hidden amongst the traditional characters were some 'extras', in anticipation of and subtly hinting at the story to be told in a Family Service on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve story brought it all together, and picked up the theme: "Those who came into contact with Jesus were/are transformed" - including the curious stranger, to whom the baby Jesus is taken outside. Click here to find out more and to see the script used on Christmas Eve....
 tales of the unexpected (302 kB) - outline of whole Advent program
Angel - shepherd silhouette (145.6 kB)
 Mary - Joseph silhouette (128.51 kB)
 TAILS OF THE UNEXPECTED Script(1022.5 kB)