Children & Young People

During Sunday morning worship time, there are opportunities for children and young people to meet and learn together in age-appropriate and engaging ways:

• The Crèche is for pre-school children giving them a play experience and supporting their early faith journey and has a helpers’ rota which includes some parents.
• Sunday Club is staffed by a team of experienced and enthusiastic leaders and is aimed at giving pre-primary and primary children a fast-moving learning environment with plenty of time for fun games, stories, craft and chat.
• Pathfinders is for all secondary age young people and is a safe place to explore issues of life and faith in engaging ways. The leaders are all young, or at least young at heart!

Each of the services also includes an all-age talk, aimed particularly at children and young people.

Cathcart Trinity partners with local churches, Cathcart United Free and Cathcart Baptist, in the Cathcart Youth Ministry Partnership (CYMP) which was set up as a separate charity in 2007. CYMP employs Cara – Senior Development Worker - and Andrew – part-time youth worker who work together to run a comprehensive youth outreach and growth programme in the area, through a selection of weekly and monthly groups, as well as a well-established holiday club in the last week of July. They also take part in the 3 churches’ own youth and children’s activities. CYMP activities and programmes are promoted in all the churches and in the wider community, through social media http://www.radiatecathcart.org.uk/events.html or https://m.facebook.com/cathcartyouthministrypartnership/ , and through links with the local schools.

Cathcart Trinity also runs an after-school youth club for P3 to P7 aged children every Tuesday afternoon during the school term, from Mid-August to May. This is a very popular club, predominantly attended by Merrylee pupils, although all are welcome. Each session costs £1 and there is a tuck shop!

Prayer

Prayer plays an important role in the life of the church. Why do we do it? We pray because we believe God can impact not only our church here in Cathcart but our community and the wider world. All our activities are upheld by prayer.

On the last Saturday morning of each month we join with the United Free Church for our monthly prayer breakfast; a different subject is chosen for each meeting. The second Wednesday of each month we gather for our monthly prayer meeting to give thanks to God when we intercede for our activities, outreach, children’s and young people’s ministry, community and our world. In the monthly Newsletter a Prayer letter is included which is available to all members and visitors. This encourages those who would like to pray for activities in the church, reminding them of the needs that require prayer. There are small groups which meet every fortnight in people’s homes for study and prayer. As special events such as Alpha nights and holiday club week are in progress, they are supported by prayer in the church by a number of people.

Our aim as a church is to build the Kingdom of God through prayer.

Alpha Course

The Alpha course is a series of weekly sessions exploring the Christian faith, typically run over eleven weeks. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. Alpha courses run all around the world, in cafés, churches, universities, homes, bars and everyone is welcome. No two Alpha courses look the same, but generally they have three key things in common: food, a talk and good conversation.

Firstly, ……..FOOD

Food has a way of bringing people together whether it's a group of friends gathered around a kitchen table, or a quick catch up over coffee and cake. It's no different at Alpha. Our sessions start with a simple meal because it's a great way to get to know each other.

Then, …….a DVD

Each talk is around thirty minutes long and designed to engage and inspire conversation. They explore the big issues many people have about faith and unpack the basics of Christianity, addressing questions such as Who is Jesus?, How can we have faith?, Why and how do I pray, and How does God guide us?

Followed by……DISCUSSION

Probably the most important part of any Alpha course is the chance to share thoughts and ideas on the topic, and simply discuss it in a small group. There's no obligation to say anything and there's nothing you can't say (seriously). It's an opportunity to hear from others and contribute your own perspective in an honest, friendly and open environment.

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to explore the Christian faith, ask questions and share their point of view; so we run Alpha courses each year, usually starting in September.

If you would like to come along or just find out more:

Check out alpha.org, or contact us via alpha@cathcarttrinity.org

Sofagroups

The church is committed to helping people explore the Christian faith in many different settings. Our “Sofa Groups” are a very popular way of doing that. These groups typically meet twice a month in homes. Each group has its own leader and a programme, which may follow the Sunday evening preaching or may be a theme or a book of the Bible. The topic changes every 3 months or so.

People come for all kinds of reasons, but the main ones which are expressed are:

• Learning, through discussion and study in an informal atmosphere
• Support in difficult times, through caring and prayer
• Opportunities to ask questions
• Sharing experiences of living as Christians

Everyone is welcome to join, simply email us on sofagroups@cathcarttrinity.org.uk.

We have also been experimenting with an on-line group using Facebook. This has been slow to take off so far, but it only needs 1 or 2 enthusiasts to really get going!

Jesus the evidence

Cathcart Trinity is the home of "Jesus: The Evidence"

"Jesus: The Evidence" (JtE) is a one evening presentation, free 64 page booklet and website (www.jesustheevidence.com) which reviews the rational and historical evidence for Jesus being the Son of God.

The language and approach has been designed specifically to engage with atheists or agnostics. The historical and rational approach taken by JtE addresses many of the questions many non-Christians have regarding the reality of Jesus.

Christians also find JtE of use too. Providing a rational and historical basis for Jesus has helped strengthen faith and sharing faith with others.

A typical JtE presentation reviews the historical and rational basis for Jesus being the Son of God - drawing upon current historical, textual and archaeological research and using clear, rational argument. Questions are invited at the end of the presentation. A free 64 page booklet is also provided. This covers the material in much more detail and allows attendees to digest the topics and message in the weeks following the presentation.

Since its launch in 2008, we have presented JtE evenings at over 40 venues around Scotland. In 2017, we plan to expand this to the whole of the UK.

Go to www.jesustheevidence.com for more information on the JtE materials and a downloadable version of the booklet. If you're interested in hosting a JtE evening, please contact us at support@jesustheevidence.com. Please note, we do not charge for the presentations or the booklets.