SU holidays at home

from Connecting You Summer 2020

SU Lockdown: Helping you reach out while you can’t go out

Constricting times call for creative measures. When our spring holidays had to be cancelled due to lockdown, SU Holidays and Missions Manager Jo Morley decided to adapt one of them, Bake O , into a ‘holiday at home’ for the children and leaders.

Jo, now working from home herself, says ‘Over the four days that Bake

JO MORLEY O¨ had been due to run, we instead ran a two-hour baking and online chat session for the young people and holiday leaders to access online at home.

‘We emailed a recipe booklet and shopping list of ingredients to parents. Then I created accompanying videos using my phone to fi lm myself cooking each recipe in my kitchen, which I edited on my computer. It was a bit of a learning curve, but actually turned out to be easier than I thought! ‘Each session included a biblical theme to ponder. One afternoon when we made cupcake sheep, we shared how Jesus said he was the good shepherd and came to give life in all its fullness. We asked the children to think about how that compares with the common perception that being a Christian is about following lots of rules.’

After their baking, the children joined one another in an online chat room at a set time using a computer or other device with a camera. They showed o¨ their culinary creations and discussed the Bible theme of the day. The holiday leaders shared a bit about why they follow Jesus and what he means to them. Jo says, ‘Now we’re looking at how to adapt some of the summer holidays that we’ve also now cancelled. We also plan to o¨ er our Bake O¨ resources more widely, so churches can use them to keep in touch with the children already involved in their church, and encourage them to invite their friends along too.’

We also plan to o er our Bake O resources more widely.

To fi nd out more about how Bake O¨ went, visit su.org.uk/bakeo

Prayers

WEEK BEGINNING JUNE 14

Please pray for children and young people during the SU holiday season

Sunday 14 Please pray for the young people who took part in the Bake O¨ ‘holiday’. Ask God to help them to reflect on what they have learned during their holiday at home and to help them grow in faith. Monday 15 Please pray for all the children and young people who have been on SU holidays and missions in the past few years. Ask God to help them recall what they learned about him, so that they can find peace and comfort during these di¥cult times. Tuesday 16 Give thanks to God for the digital technology that has enabled Jo Morley to create a holiday at home for the children whose Bake O¨ holiday had to be cancelled at Easter. Wednesday 17 Please pray that God will inspire us to find ways to ‘adapt’ other SU holidays into holidays at home. Thursday 18 Give thanks for all the volunteer leaders who have worked so hard preparing for SU holidays and missions this summer. Ask God to help them accept the cancellation of our summer events with patience and fortitude. Friday 19 As our summer holidays and misison have now also been cancelled, please pray that God will provide our volunteer leaders with other opportunities to reach out to children and young people with the hope that Jesus o¨ers this summer. Saturday 20 Give thanks above all that, in spite of the dramatic impact of coronavirus on our way of life, God is almighty, all-powerful, and his purposes will still be accomplished.