Autumn is upon us already, and as we look back over the summer months, a particularly happy occasion to remember was the Hope Church Family Fun Day, held at the end of September.
Making the most of a particularly sunny afternoon, we were able to welcome the local Tolworth residents to enjoy, with us, both outdoor and indoor fun, suitable for all ages.
The sunshine enabled us to make full use of Knollmead school and playground, complete with the essential bouncy castle!
A range of games and activities had been planned, all on the theme of seeking and finding, and linking to Jesus’ parable of ‘The Lost Sheep’.
To give you a flavour of the activities on offer, there was a ‘Beat the goalie’ competition in which competitors scored enough goals to free a trapped person in the football cage.
A game of hide and seek challenged the children to find various members of Hope Church, using the idea of ‘Pictionary’ sketches to provide clues to each ‘lost’ person.
A particular favourite was the task to guess the number of plastic balls in the back of a car, and to discover the ‘lost’ person beneath them.
The artistic skills of the children were also on display as they each drew their own faces on canvas, illustrating that Jesus is the good shepherd who seeks to find each one of us.
Unlimited supplies of tea, coffee and juice, plus a selection of doughnuts were a popular addition to the afternoon fun, and we must not neglect to mention the popular ‘Decorate a Cupcake’ and jewellery-making stalls which were both a great success.
The afternoon drew to a close with an indoor presentation continuing the theme of seeking and finding. A wonderful interactive dramatic presentation of the parable of the lost sheep made a memorable conclusion to the afternoon. The drama illustrated clearly that, as a shepherd rejoices over finding one lost sheep out of a hundred, God values every single individual and rejoices greatly when a lost or straying person returns to trust in Him,
The afternoon was a very happy occasion, in which we enjoyed a relaxed time together, chatting with friends from Hope Church Tolworth and getting to know new friends from the local neighbourhood, and we look forward to another family fun day next year!
1st October 2025