Story Time in the Park

by Tara Pedersen

All Saints’ church hosts “Story Time in the Park” on Thursdays at a local park. Each Story Time includes a thoughtful and seasonal story, snack, and related craft-perfect for all young children! What started as a way to gather safely when social distancing and masks were still necessary has become a beloved event by members of All Saints’ and the community.

In addition to meeting bunnies and playing with parachutes, over several weeks, the children watched the transformation process of caterpillars to butterflies. Once they became butterflies, the children took turns feeding them sugar water on the weekly Park Day and then released them at the park on the Creation Butterfly Celebration. Complete with butterfly snacks, prepped by office volunteers.

Many families hear about the event through social media, but others see the event while playing at the park and come to participate. The result has been a broader outreach to the community and families visiting All Saints’ and attending Vacation Bible School. We now meet weekly and average 15-20 children per week. In the summer, we average 25-30.

In addition to families coming to worship at All Saints’ through this connection, it’s also been a natural connection with families from Dale City, a mission area of the church. Many families are registering for the summer Vacation Bible School through Story Time.

Enjoy photos below!

Tara Pedersen is the Children’s Ministry Director at All Saints’ Church in Woodbridge, VA.