A NEW type of service aimed at families with babies and toddlers has been launched at a Gosport church.

‘Bubble Church’ is a 30-minute service, which includes action songs, a Bible story and the chance to watch puppets perform something that explains a little about the Christian faith. Coffee and croissants are served at the early-morning Sunday event.

It was launched at St Matthew’s Church in Bridgemary in February and will happen each month. The next one is at 9am on March 17.

The vicar, the Rev Samantha Martell, said: “Since I arrived here, I’ve been praying for more children and families in the two churches I have responsibility for. I stumbled across something called ‘Bubble Church’, and everything changed. It’s a puppet-packed, Jesus-centred, coffee-and-croissant-fuelled, 30-minute kids-and-families adventure.

“It was an exciting answer to prayer, even for me as a more traditional priest. It works in all kinds of churches, because the central values are those we as Christians hold dear: welcome, hospitality, fun, creativity, Jesus-centred and family-oriented.

“It is for families to do together, and everyone joins in! It is best suited to children under seven years old, but older siblings, and even grandparents have been caught doing the actions from the songs and saying the special ‘Amen’, which we say after every prayer.

“Bubble Church is a service where we worship, learn about Jesus and develop our Christian faith. It’s not a way into church – it is church!

“Our excitement for this has grown quickly and we have a team of enthusiastic volunteers willing to work with the puppets, be on our meet-and-greet table, offer prayer for anything big or small after the service, help with the technology and be on kitchen duty. We are encouraged that already some of our families would like to be a part of this.”

Bubble Church is being developed alongside other initiatives run by Bridgemary and Elson churches, including Muddy Church which meets on the allotment outside the church, and encourages children to plant vegetables and flowers as they learn more about faith.

For more details see: northgosportparish.co.uk/bubblechurch/