CAPTION: Baby Oliver is baptised by Rev'd Prebendary Stephen Cook using a specially constructed Lego font (Photo credit: Martin Wolfenden)
Devon Church Holds UK’s First Block by Block Baptism
Baby Oliver and family at his ‘block church’ baptism service (Photo credit: Martin Wolfenden)
A church in Devon held the UK’s first Block Church baptism recently.
All Saints’ Church in Okehampton has been running Block Church for over a year, celebrating its first birthday in September.
Block Church invites people of all ages to come and experience a very different and accessible expression of church, and most of the attendees are not regular churchgoers.
The vicar, Rev’d Stephen Cook, enlists some help to pour the water into the font (Photo credit: Martin Wolfenden)
One of the organisers, Michelle Farrelly and her husband Angus decided it was only natural to have their 2-month-old son Oliver baptised at Block Church, as he had been attending since before he was born with his older brother Thomas.
Rev’d Prebendary Stephen Cook, Team Rector of the Northmoor Mission Community said:
“The timing and accessibility of Block Church has proved a winning combination.
“Most of our regular Block Church people are not churchgoers, and we are engaging with a broad range of parents, carers and children.
“Everybody loves building blocks!”
A group constructs the lego ‘font’ (Photo credit: Martin Wolfenden)
During each session the group explores a Bible story which they use as inspiration in building their building block creations. There is also time for discussion and prayer.
All Saints’ is one of only 3 or 4 other churches in the UK currently running this expression of church. They also take it ‘on the road’ to local events.
Block Church takes place on the last Saturday of every month from 4-5.30 pm in All Saints’ Church Hall and is free to attend.
Note: The headline and titles in this article have been changed at the request of the building block manufacturer.
