Families, Children & Youth
mainly music
mainly music is a structured 30 minute music session followed by morning tea at St Peter’s Hall, 335 Lane Street, Broken Hill. It runs during school terms on a Friday morning (9:30am for a 10am start). The program is for 0-5 year-olds and their parent/carers and each week’s sessions is full of songs and rhymes, actions and movement, designed to engage you and your child. Not only will your little one be delighted by the one-to-one attention you give, but you’ll love the way they respond and develop.
During the session, children are learning and developing; participating in the music, expressing their imagination, finding enjoyment in the educational moments, laughing at the puppets and participating in group activities. Your little one will enjoy this sensory event. Key will be your experience of attachment, the lasting emotional bond a child forms with a specific person that provides safety, comfort, soothing and pleasure.
The qualities of our emotional ‘intelligence’ are permanently acquired by only 2-3 years of age, yet impacts on every aspect of our lives as long as we live. Enjoy these opportunities to spend time together.
The program is hosted by the Anglican Parish of Broken Hill and the Far West but is supported with a team of volunteers from other churches including Impact Church, Saltbush Church and Silver City CRC.
The cost to attend per term is $30 for a child and parent/carer or $50 for a family. There are limited numbers so please contact leader Katherine Waite to register. You can contact her via the Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/BrokenHillmainlymusic
The Rock
The Rock launched in May 2023 and is exploring a new way of gathering as a Christian community.
We are intergenerational and our gatherings and meetings are all-age appropriate. Children’s experience of God and church are integral to the vision of this new initiative. We will have a Bible story, craft or activity and a song or two that relates to the message of the day.
In 2024 we’ll be working our way through Bob Hartman’s Act-Along Bible. There are 14 stories in the Old Testament and then 15 in the New Testament. Active participation is the heart of the Act-Along Bible where a narrator reads and acts out the story as a Bible character while those participating take a role too, joining in with movement and sound, and actions.
We aim to meet fortnightly or twice a month, breaking for school holidays and significant church calendar events. We meet 9:30am at St Peter’s Hall at 335 Lane Street.
For more information contact Katherine Waite via the website contact form.
SRE (Special Religious Education)
The Anglican Church of Broken Hill and the Far West, along with other denominations, currently runs SRE classes in three of our local primary schools. We bring God’s Word to the students whose parents elect for them to attend. At present we have six teachers covering classes from Kindergarten to Year 6.
The NSW Department of Education recognises spiritual wellbeing plays an important role in successful learning. SRE nurtures your child’s sense of meaning and purpose and promotes positive connections with faith and community.
‘What is God like?’, ‘Who wrote the Bible?’ Your child’s searching questions require informed and sensitive answers. Christian SRE teachers are trained to encourage every child’s natural curiosity and respond appropriately from a biblical perspective. We work from a Department of Education-approved curriculum.
SRE can be invaluable in helping shape your child’s values. Christian SRE offers a biblical worldview that teaches traditional ethics and values, and fosters genuine tolerance towards those with a different faith heritage.
Christian SRE will help your child appreciate the impact of Christianity upon Western culture. Our legal system, literature, art, music, and even our language have all been influenced by Christianity. The idea of someone being a ‘Good Samaritan’ only has meaning in the context of understanding its biblical heritage.
Life can sometimes be very challenging for students and families. Christian SRE provides an avenue for families to connect with the local faith community and networks of support.
If you are interested in becoming an SRE teacher or a classroom assistant, you can contact the local SRE co-ordinators through Reverend Helen Ferguson on 0429 874 402.
All SRE teachers and assistants must have a current Working With Children’s Check and are required to undertake a series of online training sessions, including ‘Child Protection & Safe Ministries’. Applicants must also seek authorisation from their church’s governing body. It may sound a little involved, but we give plenty of support to help you meet these requirements.
Regular Annual Events
Easter
This is one of the most important, if not the most important event on the church calendar. Traditionally, we run a special Easter Session of kids church where we are all together, reviewing the importance of the Easter story.
Gingerbread House Decorating Event
Join us for a fun night of making a gingerbread house. Our event for this year is on 7pm Friday 1 December 2023 at St Peter’s Hall, 335 Lane Street. All funds raised go to support the Anglican Church of Broken Hill and the Far West. Order your kit before 15 November via this link.
Christmas Pageant Float
Each year the church enters a float in Broken Hill's Annual Christmas Pageant and After Party. Each year the Anglican Parish of Broken Hill and the Far West enters the Broken Hill City Council Pageant Float.