Church Times Archive
17th July 2009
Sand, sea, and scripture
Beach missions have endured since Victorian times as a popular way to evangelise families. Last year, Eleanor Handley joined the Scripture Union team in Suffolk
Games in the sand
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SCRIPTURE UNION has been running beach missions since 1868, after its founder, Josiah Spears, put on a service for children, and organised activities for them, while on holiday in Llandudno, North Wales. Southwold, in Suffolk, was among the organisation’s early mission locations. And it has made the first two weeks of August a highlight of my summers, ever since I was five years old. A few years ago, like others before me, I moved from being a customer to joining the leadership team — with the result that I probably get messier now than ever before.The aim of every beach mission run by Scripture Union, and by organisations such as the United Beach Missions, is to teach people about Jesus, and about what it means to be a Christian. |
Faith and fun: Joining in the actions
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A lesser-known aim on the Southwold mission has been to teach
the leadership team what it means to be sleep-deprived. Since
the sale of the boarding school which used to accommodate the
team, the 40 to 60 leaders have become accustomed to camping on
Southwold Common. From these tents and marquees, activities and
events for children, teenagers, and parents are all arranged.
As ever, the mission is rewarding and inspiring as we work (and
play) together as a team, and see God at work in what we are
doing. There are always challenges, however, and last summer
especially so, as a succession of storms systematically flatten
our sleeping tents and break two out of the three marquees.
One of our less enjoyable mornings is spent holding down
marquees in gale-force winds and rain, while others try to
dismantle them without incurring injury or further damage.
Parents wander up with their children to ask when we are going
to open. Even so, we remain cheerful, singing rain- and
storm-themed beach songs.
As a result of the bad weather, we are blessed with the
hospitality of Southwold residents, who offer spaces for those
who had to abandon tents. The team has links with all the
Southwold churches, and the support they offer is invaluable: in
particular, the use of their wonderfully dry and sturdy church
halls.
A TYPICAL DAY in “Camp Glory” begins with the dilemma whether
to: (a) get up extra early to drive to the local campsite
showers; (b) brave the solar showers (which may have been fine
had there been any sun); or (c) decide to put off the question
until tomorrow. The latter usually seems the most appealing; at
least one leader went all week without showering.
We are encouraged to have a morning quiet-time, either in the camp or on the beach, at “sunrise”. Sunrise (starting at 8 a.m., fortunately) is one of my favourite parts of the day in Southwold. The beach is almost deserted, and the sun, when it shines, makes a dazzling path on the sea. |
The team and kids on the beach; Eleanor is sitting among her
charges
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A brief under-rehearsed (or skilfully improvised) sketch
precedes a short time for group Bible studies, followed by
breakfast prepared in a beach hut. This is followed by a
team-gathering in the marquee for prayer triplets, often simply
for more energy after disturbed windy nights.
The morning activities begin at 10 a.m., and the children, aged
from five to late teens, arrive promptly. Some are resident in
Southwold, or nearby Reydon; others have booked into holiday
accommodation specifically for the duration of the mission.
My group of nine- and ten-year-olds start with a game: they
particularly like Top Trumps and Bingo, especially when they
involve Smarties. As a whole age-group we come together for
songs (often with energetic actions and inescapably catchy
tunes), games, and prayer.
The morning game involves a leader and child from each of three
teams completing an invariably messy challenge. I get off
lightly, merely having to crush grapes with my feet and have jam
flicked at me. The children have no mercy, and the team has to
submit bravely to facefuls of flour, baked beans, or shaving
foam, counting themselves lucky when the game merely involves
water.
The teaching material is split between the story of Joseph and
his dreams, and Paul. In our group we read through the day’s
passage and discuss it, before doing the colouring or
wordsearches in the children’s activity booklets.
The children come from many different backgrounds: some know the
Bible stories inside out, but there are others for whom it is
all new. There is some confusion about Joseph: “Oh, I know about
him. . . No, wait, that was Jesus. Or do I mean Nebuchadnezzar?”
Once we had sorted out the actual Bible story from the Lloyd
Webber’s version, we start making some real progress.
Learning about Paul leads on to the gospel message, and it is exciting to watch the children begin to grasp how Jesus’s sacrifice and God’s love affects them. Some of the children even ask for Bibles to take home, and seem keen to find out more; this is a huge encouragement to the team. |
Gospel mission: Scripture Union beach mission leaders at
Southwold take part in messy games
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It is a brilliant experience to teach and get to know the
children, as they are so wonderfully friendly and enthusiastic.
Many come back year after year.
AFTER a summing-up of the morning’s teaching, we walk down to
the beach and meet the other age-groups for the beach service.
We sing more beach songs, and there is a talk and a prayer
linked to the day’s teaching. There are also more messy games;
few of the team escape custard pies or syrupy faces.
Holidaymakers look on from their deckchairs. One morning, we are
aware that Gordon Brown is present on the prom. He did not stay
for the custard, though.
Afternoon activities are relaxed. We have Aussie, Pirates, Wild
West, and Hollywood themed afternoons, and children and team
alike raid dressing-up boxes and charity shops to prepare for
these fun, and exhausting, events.
At 5 p.m., we visit the marquee kitchen to collect tea and cake
to take to our debriefing meeting. Still full of cake, we have
dinner at 6 p.m., and I am always amazed at the delicious hot
food the cooks produce under canvas.
Some evenings, there are events for parents and older children,
such as a hugely successful quiz evening, and pampering for
mums. The teenagers usually have a barbecue on the beach, and
last year enjoyed a Masterchef challenge with culinary delights
created on a small budget and using only a microwave.
Some of the female team-leaders play an annual netball match
against a local team — a highly competitive match, which we win
for the first time in ages. This may have been due to my absence
from the team, as I am deemed more useful at the “Lads’ and
dads’ Scalextric night”, putting cars back on the tracks and
calming road rage (mostly from the dads).
Free time is spent in the “Comfy Area” (a corner of the marquee
with bean bags, moth-eaten sleeping bags, and fold-out chairs),
playing highly competitive games of “Taboo”, or “Who’s in the
Bag”, or doing crosswords. When the weather permits, we play
some epic games of volleyball, as the sun sets behind the water
towers and the mosquitoes do their worst.
At 9 p.m., it is time for the daily fellowship meeting, during
which we huddle under sleeping bags and listen to a talk, pray,
and praise God together, singing songs that can be heard far
across the common. The day ends with “supper drinks” — hot
chocolate and tea — and cakes, and a last trip to the Portaloo
before bed. Sometimes there is time for cards and chat, before
Jenny (the generator) is turned off at 11 p.m., and darkness
signals the time for much-needed sleep.
THE beach-mission team is a hugely diverse group of people, from
16-year-olds waiting for exam results to those in their 60s
enjoying cream teas and tennis with the parents’ age-group. The
crew of “Team Kids”, consisting of babies and children of team
members, adds to the family atmosphere — and noise levels — in
the campsite.
There is also a diversity in opinion, which is inevitable among
a large group of people with strong beliefs. Many of the leaders
are from an Evangelical background, and the style of worship is
very different from the Anglican tradition I am used to at home.
Worship songs and times of open prayer were unfamiliar and
daunting at first, but I have found these experiences integral
to my spiritual growth, and, when I am worshipping at evening
fellowship meetings, I often feel closer to God than at any
other time.
The supportive environment of the team encourages me to
challenge my ideas and discuss difficult questions with those
around me. Last year, issues such as homosexuality and women
clergy were debated in an open and friendly manner as we laid
tables for dinner and washed pots and pans.
One of the many reasons I go back each year is the memory of my
childhood in Southwold. I remember the excitement of seeing the
team arrive, and the joy of seeing my favourite leaders come
back each year. After morning activities, I would run home to
show off proudly the things I had made: green rock-buns and iced
biscuits piled high with sweets and sprinkles; bead bracelets;
or an oversized decorated T-shirt.
I have memories of water-fights in the rain, and trips to the
penny sweet shop on the way to the beach service, games on the
sand dunes, and obstacle courses on the common. The Christian
message was always played out in the fun we had and in the
friendships that sprang up between us.
There is something magical about being a part of the beach
mission team; a sense of unity and friendship in the presence of
God, and I always hate to leave. Even the challenges we faced,
from tiredness to stormy weather, led us to rely on God’s
strength in a way I often forget to do in my daily life at home.
Scripture Union is running beach missions in 17
different locations in 2009. United Beach Missions is running
beach missions in the UK and abroad.
www.ubm.org.uk
www.scriptureunion.org.uk/SummerMissions/1507.id ALL IMAGES: SCRIPTURE UNION |