New Baby and Toddler Group Opens Thanks to Generous Donations

Halfway through our month of prayer for baby and toddler groups we celebrate a new community for young families in Cardiff made possible by donations from congregations in the ministry area. (Download the Month of Prayer guide).

In the Taff Wenalt Ministry Area, the Rev’d Anna Harwood runs a toddler group on Thursdays and at the beginning of 2024 established a new baby and toddler group on Tuesday mornings. The toys and supplies for the new Tuesday group were all donated.

Rev’d Anna has been working with children and infants all her ministry. She said, “Toddler groups are absolutely ministry in the full sense of the word because you pray with people, you talk to people, you’re hosting and you’re welcoming all. It’s all the same values that we place on what it means to be church.

“It is often a real time of change for people, so support and a good place to come and meet other people with children that age really matters. When you have a baby, people often become quite spiritually open and are not against faith or the values of Chrisitan faith being a part of their child’s development.

“Baby and toddler groups are full of fun and it’s good for the children to socialise to prepare them for nursery. It’s such a community; we all get to know each other, and it builds a network of people. It takes time but it does build up. Once you get to know people you have really significant conversations, a lot of which a pastoral rather than faith but when you know someone, and you build a relationship then Jesus walks over the bridge. I never apologise for saying to people ‘I’ll pray for you’ and never in my decades of ministry had anyone receive that badly even if they are not sure exactly what it means.”

Rev’d Anna talked about the pathways set up for toddler group families into church on a Sunday. She said it can be too big of a jump for some people but having a children’s corner set-up is very helpful. Rev’d Anna also runs and recommends Messy Church – an all-age resource for children having fun and learning Bible stories. She added, “A healthy church is an all-age church, from babies in arms to the oldest person. It’s a sign of growth if you have children in your church. It’s all about how you speak to people and how you welcome people.

Remembering the names of children as well as adults, not tutting when a baby cries and making mothers feel safe to breastfeed. Children are not a work in progress, they are part of the church. They are not the future church; they are the church.”

Although groups are hosted in different church buildings in the area, they are all established named after the ministry area rather than the church. Rev’d Anna said pooling resources as a ministry area for one really good toddler group encourages faith in all churches and helps with a ministry area shared identity. She said, “I would say to anyone thinking about setting one up that they are well worth it. They are not just ‘baby groups’, they are much more than that. You don’t need much to set up a toddler group as long as resources are safe and clean.”