Three resources for expectant and new parents

From material by SKIP (Strategies for Kids, Information for Parents)

Free downloadable resources for you personally or to give away in your community to expectant or new parents.

In New Zealand, there was a community campaign originally called SKIP (Strategies for Kids, Information for Parents) - and run by a small Government team. Their vision was for all children in New Zealand to be raised in a positive way by parents and caregivers who feel confident about managing children's behaviour as part of a loving, nurturing relationship.

They worked with national and local organisations to support New Zealand parents. They did this by; providing free parenting resources for communities, organisations and parents, partnering with national organisations, to strengthen what they do and find new ways to work with parents and funding local organisations to support local parents.

Each year they had over a million requests from communities and providers for their resources.

It has a grassroots feel - even though it started as a small team Government initiative. They admit themselves, "We rely so much on our champions around the country to support local action and share their expertise with us. Thank you for your patience with us as we sometimes scramble to keep up. And thank you to the kids, the parents, our community of partners and our friends for your generosity and passion for this work."

The campaign is structured around six core, research-based, distinct principles identified as being necessary for children to grow into happy, capable adults:

1. ‘Love and warmth’;
2. ‘Talking and listening’;
3. ‘Guidance and understanding’;
4. ‘Limits and boundaries’;
5. ‘Consistency and consequences’; and
6. ‘A structured and secure world’.

The 6-a-day for parents.

Could you be an advocate for spreading advice on parenting in the community? With kind permission from SKIP, I've developed 1 page leaflets containing simple advice for each age stage and also for parents themselves.

Could you distribute to other parents or soon-to-be parents you know? Hope these help you and parents locally.

Here are the ones for expectant and new parents:

Download Document 1 - Baby on the way

Download Document 2 - Every baby is different

Download Document 3 - Six things a baby needs from you

Three resources for parents of 1-5s can be found here.

From material by SKIP (Strategies for Kids, Inform, 02/04/2025

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Livewires (3-7 years)
Encounter (7-11 years)
Katalyst (11-15 years)
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Night Shelter
Foodbank

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Leader 1		Leader 2
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)