Youth and Children
Children and young people welcome!
Our churches warmly welcome young people of all ages. Clergy, volunteers and youth & children’s workers across the diocese are working hard to include young people in church and encourage their faith. We listen to young people, valuing their insights and questions about God, life and church.
This page highlights some of ministry with and to children and young people across the Diocese of Edinburgh. Our Mission and Ministry team is the central point of contact for all churches in their work with children and young people and can be contacted at: dmmcadmin@dioceseofedinburgh.org.
At this time of continued, and escalating, conflict we offer these thoughts and resources to support children, young people and families: How do we talk with children about war?
Children’s Books
Within the life of the church, Bible stories play a significant role in helping children discover faith and curiosity. Stories of faith can help shape their understanding of the world, nurturing love and compassion.
Please find below a small collection of children’s Bibles and books to discover with the children around you.
The Spark Story Bible
“The Spark Story Bible includes 100 easy-to-read stories with more than 60 stories from the New Testament. The Spark Story Bible provides a true Gospel-centric resource for kids and families to enjoy. This engaging resource touches on Old Testament stories but focuses on the life and times of Jesus, Paul, and the early church”
Children of God Storybook Bible
“Desmond Tutu retells 56 of his most beloved stories highlighting God’s forgiveness and reconciliation for all. With a rich display of culture from contributing international illustrators this Children’s Bible represents a global faith”
The Book of Belonging
“A beautifully illustrated Bible storybook for kind and mindful kids, highlighting the rich diversity of God’s people and emphasizing identity, contemplation, and wonder”
The Easter Story
“The story of the last days of Jesus’s life, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, as seen through the eyes of a small donkey. This beautiful retelling from Brian Wildsmith now has a stunning new cover design to appeal to a whole new generation of young Wildsmith fans”
A Treasury of Saints
“This book is a wonderful introduction to the lives of some of the best known saints and holy people of the Christian faith. The text is engaging and accessible to all; each entry comprises of a biography, a story, a prayer, the date of the saint’s day and its customs. the start of every section is decorated with woodcut style illustrations”
The Little Iceberg
“The Little Iceberg tells a metaphoric story of hope and loss, revealing the healing power of friendship and belonging. We’ve brought together a great team in author Nicky Murray and illustrator Sylvia Lynch.
The storybook comes with a Companion Guide that makes sure you don’t miss the clues as to how you can help children struggling with sadness or trauma”
Play Church
Play Church is a child-sized altarscape which invites children to play, dress up and explore worship. Edinburgh Diocese’s portable Play Church is the only one of its kind in the UK.
Since its launch in 2016, Play Church has been on a pilgrimage, staying with each host church in the Diocese for a season of the Church year. Play Church is currently with St Mark’s, Portobello.
You can learn more about our unique Play Church project here.
Toddler Groups
A number of churches across the Diocese run weekly, or even twice-weekly, groups for babies, toddler, and their carers. These are key areas of ministry and mission in local communities, becoming hubs of welcome, hospitality, and connection. Explore our groups on our Toddler page. If you are wanting to start your own, check out our resources page and contact the DMMC Team.
Youth (12-18 year olds)
Our young people of Secondary School age meet regularly from across the Diocese to build and sustain friendships, explore faith, and share in food together. These events are open to anyone aged 12-18 and more details can be found via our Youth page and Youth and Children’s Email Update.
Grants for Youth and Children’s Work
Small grants are available from the Diocese. Applications are invited throughout the year, with our Grants Committee meeting during the first weeks of March, June, September, and December. For more information and to get an application form, please click here.
Keeping up-to-date
We have regular Updates and a biannual Newsletter.
Get snippets of news, events and information from our Facebook page.
Our Instagram account keeps our young people, and others, informed.