What better way to start the May Day Bank Holiday than a relaxing and fun-filled day out with our church family! For the second year running, we returned to Christchurch Banstead for a day packed with activities and games designed to suit every age and interest.

The morning began with the welcome aroma of fresh coffee and pastries, quickly followed by the day’s first challenge: the ever-popular "Guess the Baby" game. Members puzzled over cute and amusing childhood photos, trying to match the faces to the adults sitting right next to them!

Our younger members were well-catered for with indoor games featuring:

  • A classic Scalextric racing set

  • Indoor Velcro darts

  • Skittles

As everyone settled in, more fun was in store. Outside, games of Mölkky and Rounders drew a crowd, while indoors, a range of activities was on offer, to suit all tastes and inclinations:

  • Craft Workshops: Guests crafted greeting cards using the "tea-bag" origami technique, or illustrated their own bespoke bookmarks with Bible verses.

  • The Crochet Corner: Here was an opportunity for both beginners and experts to share skills and conversation.

  • Quiet Reflection: Adult and child-friendly colouring pages offered a peaceful opportunity for those wanting a quiet space.

  • Face Painting: A perennial favourite that transformed the children into butterflies, Minecraft legends, and Pokémon characters.

  • Board games: A choice of games to suit all abilities and tastes.

Lunch was a highlight of the day—a mouthwatering hog roast with generous portions that left no one hungry. In fact, the caterers ensured that nothing went to waste, by providing a delicious hog roast stew, to take home later.

Following lunch, the energy levels stayed high with a multi-generational ‘carousel’ of eight activities. Groups worked together to tackle 8 challenges which included

  • Observation and mental arithmetic challenges.

  • Coordinate-finding

  • "fishing" in tomato soup!

  • Jigsaw building

The successful completion of each task revealed 8 words, which, when correctly ordered, formed a sentence linked to our theme of the day: Jonah.

After a much-needed afternoon tea-break, with a delicious selection of home-baked cakes, the results of the “Guess the Baby” quiz were finally revealed (with more than a few surprises!).

The day concluded with a hands-on retelling of the Story of Jonah. Under Ben’s supervision, with cardboard boxes and plenty of imagination, children and adults worked together to build Nineveh, Jonah’s ship, the palm tree, and, of course, the Great Fish.

As the scene came to life, Bart shared a final reflection on how Jonah’s journey points us toward Jesus, citing Jonah 2:2,9: “In my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me… Salvation comes from the Lord.” It was a fitting, powerful end to a full and joyful day.

31st May 2026