As you are planning for summer activities at church, you might consider a program like Grand Friends.

A summer program that we like to do at Brenthaven CP Church in Nashville is called Grand Friends.  We are blessed with terrific children and with wonderful older adults.  But –  there’s a problem.  A lot of the terrific children and wonderful older adults don’t know each other….at least not very well. Solution: bring them together! We picked a few Wednesdays during the summer and did just that.

Our first gathering was a “get acquainted” meeting.  We got together around 10:00 am, brought a sack lunch, and played some fun games to get to know each other.  Other times during the summer we went on field trips to places of interest like an art gallery or nature exhibit. We even visited a clay studio where we each designed our own nativity set.  Staying at the church is great, too.  We have done a hobby share day and potluck meal; a church wide scavenger hunt; brought pictures or mementos’ to explain our favorite vacation or place to visit; and we tried a craft day and made cards for our homebound members. At these gatherings, friendships are formed and both the children and adults can now put names to faces that they might not have known.  Parents have expressed high praise for the program, saying their children not only had fun but gained a new “grandparent” type friend – an adult they know and can trust in what can be a sea of many faces at church.

Written by : Cheryl Morris, Coordinator of Children’s Ministries, Brenthaven CP Church, Brentwood, Tennessee