Thornbury Benefice is home to an innovative monthly session that brings together dads, grandads, carers and their kids for a morning of creativity, conversation, and connection.
Led by Thomas and Roxanne Powe, the ‘Dads and kids’ sessions have become a hit, with up to 20-30 dads coming along with their children to St Mary’s Church Hall on the second Saturday morning of each month. With bacon sandwiches, tea, coffee, and hands-on projects like making mini volcanoes or life-size nativity scenes, the sessions are a perfect way for dads to bond with their kids.
The sessions cater to children aged 3-13 and offer a wide range of activities that are as fun as they are engaging. This month’s session involved building bubble makers, while previous mornings have seen dads and kids making rockets from lemonade bottles and bike pumps, or crafting volcanoes that erupt using vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.
“The sessions are really fun, for example when we made volcanoes, we used papier-mache to make the volcano, and we added vinegar mixed with lemonade which caused explosions,” Thomas explains. The activities often have a central theme, whether it’s rockets, parachutes, or even Noah’s Ark.
But ‘Dads and Kids’ isn’t just about crafts and creativity. It’s also a place where deeper conversations about life and faith naturally arise.
Thomas explained: “One of the dads approached me a few sessions ago. We were making inflatable boats out of cardboard for a Noah’s Ark scene. He asked me, ‘What does Noah do?’ He had no idea who Noah was. Now he’s using the daily Prayer app.
“It’s a space where men can open up about their lives and God. It can get quite deep, and it creates conversations that wouldn’t happen usually in the day-to-day. Some of our dads are now coming to church because of these conversations.
“We have also started a Bible lending library, handing out Bibles for the dads and kids to take home.”
For many of the dads who attend, the sessions are really helpful. Some are single fathers who have their children on the weekends and are looking for something meaningful to do. Others are new to the area and seeking fellowship. Thomas said:
“It’s a safe space for dads. They find it a source of fellowship, as well as keeping their children entertained on a weekend.”
The informal nature of the sessions is part of what makes them so effective. Whether it’s building birdhouses or making pizzas, the hands-on tasks help to start conversations that might not happen in a more formal church setting. “If we are doing practical activities, some of the dads find they can talk more comfortably about spirituality, for example, because they are busy doing things at the same time,” Thomas notes. “It’s different to an event like a Bible study session, where everyone is sat in a circle talking.”
The sessions have had a lasting impact on many of the dads who attend. “Three of the dads want to be confirmed,” Thomas shared. “These are men with no prior connection to the church. Dads have come along to the Easter services. Others have even shown up for special church events, like the consecration of a graveyard or weekend retreats.”
Word about the sessions spread through local advertising and word of mouth, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. “The men have said that it’s great that there are these sessions. They really enjoy them. There are lots of events for mums with their children but not as many for dads,” said Thomas.
Thomas, currently in his third year of priesthood training, is committed to continuing these sessions as he moves forward in his ministry. “Me and my wife feel that this is really important work. It’s amazing what God is doing with it, how he’s bringing people into it. To be alongside some of these people through their journey with Christ, it’s awesome. God works in these sessions.”
The next ‘dads and kids’ session takes place on Saturday 12 October at St Mary’s Church Hall, Thornbury.
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