Read the lockdown stories of representatives across BRF's ministries as they share their experiences of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s been a tough year for everyone, and many people experienced heart-breaking loss and great stress. BRF writers and volunteers were not spared these challenges, but amidst it all, they found glimpses of light, comfort and hope.

Messy Church has helped me find my voice!

During lockdown I came up with an idea to set up some sort of youth group run by young Messy Church leaders for Messy Church young leaders. I wanted to do this because I realised I didn’t know any other young people who helped lead Messy Church and I figured there must be some more out there somewhere!

I talked to Lucy Moore who thought it was a great idea and off we went!

To start off with I led the group by myself and after a couple of meetings I invited some more people to help lead. We now meet on alternate months to plan on one and deliver on the other!

In some of our previous sessions I have enjoyed making bread, making seed bombs and playing whiteboard Pictionary. Because of this role I’ve also become a ‘young leader’s specialist for the Messy Church volunteers Teal Team and I will be helping lead a workshop at the online Messtival in May.

At the end of March my family and I will be doing our second Facebook live for Messy Church. One of the good things that has come out of lockdown for me has been having the opportunity to step up and lead some more. Social media and Messy Church has helped me find my voice! I feel that it is important to get my voice out there and hopefully it will give more young people the opportunity to be heard, be able to meet together and make Messy Churches even more intergenerational!

Jonathan Bland is 14 and has been going to Messy Church for as long as he can remember and has been part of the team for almost as long. He enjoys running science activities and challenges. During lockdown he helped create Messy Church videos and founded the Messy Young Leaders group which has members across the globe! In this role he hopes to inspire Messy Churches to focus more on their teenagers and to inspire young people to take a more active role in their Messy Church. In his spare time he play a melodeon and is a big fan of the Minecraft series Hermitcraft.

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