A key focus of our Christian ministry and outreach at Portobello and Joppa Parish Church is to families and younger people. Since 2010, we have employed a family worker to provide practical and pastoral support as well as to oversee a number of activities, including the following:

Breakfast Club - a youth group for secondary age students which provides a safe and open environment in which to explore their spirituality and approach to faith in 21st Century Scotland. Helping them to make sense of the world and their beliefs, a space to ask questions, to share and support each other.

BC2.0 - a monthly group for young adults where they continue to explore their faith and spirituality in the world. They develop meaningful relationships with each other and older adults who facilitate the group.

Sunday Stars - a group for children in nursery and primary school which meets on a Sunday morning to share bible stories, prayers, games and crafts. Godly Play sessions are occasionally shared with this group. In this group, the volunteers and children are mutually supporting each other in faith as we explore key stories in the Bible and think about our place in Gods continuing story. Through lockdown, this has been a family group with parents taking part with their children.

Intergenerational social events/fundraisers for charity - an opportunity for people of all ages to have natural points of connection, often with a wider contribution towards the common good. These opportunities show the way faith and belief is lived out in practical and real ways.

Holiday Club - a fabulous and hugely appreciated ecumenical holiday club for up to 100 children/youth each summer.

Coffee Break - a community caf space for new parents, to share stories, struggles and joys in a safe and supportive environment. The family worker serves the hot drinks and food and is on hand to spend one to one time when needed.

Messy Church - an intergenerational informal worship space which introduces faith and bible stories to families from our local community. It is a space to wonder, imagine and engage with the bible in a new way while building relationship and connection with others in the community.

Godly Play sessions - a way of engaging people in the biblical narrative while leaving space for wonder, creativity and imagination as participants build their own spiritual search for meaning and discover Gods presence in their lives and their part in this bigger story. It is shared in primary schools to support RME classes, at Sunday Stars, at Breakfast Club, at Boys Brigades Anchor Boys and occasionally Godly Play stories and wondering are included at Messy Church.

PJPC seeks to be The community of Christ at the heart of the community so all the work supported by the Family Worker role is a way PJPC can be this community as it supports, nurtures and engages with Young People, the community and society. The role helps to create a more vibrant and inclusive faith community, open to all.

This work has made such a difference to people with some of this shown in the stories below:

The church through the session have invested in the Growing Young Programme that you will have heard about over the course of the last six months. The focus of this work is To be a family church with all feeling accepted, valued contributing participants in a vibrant church individually and collectively living out our faith. The congregation will be progressing this over the next 12-18 months and then on an ongoing basis.

Given that a significant focus of this work is on integrating all generations as a family within the congregation, the role of the family worker is therefore a vital cornerstone piece of this work and to support the family worker role is therefore important towards the outcome of this programme.

The funding for the family worker role is usually covered from investment income which at this time is low. Please consider if you are able to contribute to help our church to continue to fund this work to provide the pastoral support required by many families and young people in Portobello and Joppa during these challenging times. Whatever you can, give large or small, will be greatly appreciated and may be the final small bit needed.