Messy Church Does Science - Discover how science and faith mix

BRF Messy Church’s new project ‘Messy Church Does Science’ brings together faith and science under the safety-spectacled eye of ‘Dr Dave’ to show how ‘science is welcome in church’ ‘and those who are fascinated by science are welcome too’.

With a grant awarded by Scientists in Congregations, Messy Church has been able to develop resources, including a book to explore the ‘big thinking’ and ‘big questions’ link between science and faith and has included help from working scientists and theologians.

Messy Churches are hot on discovery, experimentation and exploration; could we encourage even more Messy Church groups to feel confident about using science in the activity time, so that families would understand that the Church celebrates science and rejoices in it?

Lucy Moore, founder of Messy Church

…science is fun, a gift from God that brings joy to life, helping us to appreciate his life and love all the more. All of us want to share that sense with others, helping them to enjoy the wonder that science reveals all about the world and ourselves, and through it something of the God of life who lies behind it.

Dr Dave Gregory, Vice-President of the Baptist Union 2017-18

There are over 3,735 registered Messy Churches throughout the UK in over 20 countries worldwide and an estimated 500,000 people attending each month. Over half of those that attend a Messy Church have had little or no previous connection with church. The project’s aim is to demonstrate that science and faith are complementary, and help children and adults appreciate the wonder of creation. We want to give Messy Church leaders the confidence to do riskier hands-on activities and be happy sharing basic scientific principles along with the biblical theme.

Our dream is that in ten years’ time nobody will be saying ‘science and faith don’t mix’ but instead it will be common to hear, ‘I had my first experience of science being fun at my local church.’

Lucy Moore

Notes:

Information about the project, along with videos and photos can be found at messychurch.org.uk/science

The Messy Church Does Science book can be ordered from https://www.brfonline.org.uk/9780857465795/ and features 100 fun and eye-opening experiments graded for mess, danger and difficulty.

Messy Church is part of The Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF), and is a core part of BRF’s overall vision to transform lives and communities through the Christian faith. Messy Church reaches people of all ages, who have often never set foot in a church before, by being ‘church’ differently. Christ-centred at its heart, it embraces the values of hospitality, creativity, celebration (i.e. worship) and all age.

Revd Dr David Gregory is Senior Minister of Croxley Green Baptist Church and as ‘Dr Dave’ leads a Messy Church Science Lab as a part of a monthly Messy Church. He has a background in physics, astronomy, meteorology and climate.

Further information:

For interviews with Lucy Moore or Dr Dave and photos requests, please contact:

Florence Jones, Communications Officer florence.jones@brf.org.uk

01865 319717 | 07791723251

messychurch.org.uk | brf.org.uk