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From The Church Times - December 2008 Creative Communion has a very clear aim - to enable the Eucharist to be as inclusive as possible for all ages, not by dumbing down, but by offering ideas and resources that help churches grow in their understanding of Holy Communion and its elements. There are three very clear main sections to the book, two of which are practical: one is a set of six all-age workshops exploring the Eucharist; the other is a six-session course for children and young people admitted to communion but not confirmed. The book begins with a reflection on the shape of the Eucharist. It uses the pattern of a four-course meal to explain how the liturgy is a lived story'. This is not a heavy theological tome: the level of explanation is designed to be elementary, and the first section also covers music, drama, and movement, involving children and evangelism. Although the Eucharist is described as a four-course meal, the second two sections are based around a six-fold pattern: gathering, penitence, Gospel, offering, Eucharist, and dismissal. The workshops are free-standing, and can be used in a variety of ways, with groups within a church or with the whole congregation. A suggested timetable is provided for two-and-a-half- hour sessions, and it is good to see that there are suggestions connecting what happens in the workshops with a Eucharistic service. The workshop format is laid out clearly with elements including Bible study, practical activity reflection, and prayer. My one concern is that, if the congregations I know are typical, the children will undertake the activities with enthusiasm, but some heavy persuasion might be needed when it comes to the adults, many of whom are not naturally at ease with the type of activity suggested. With strong leadership this could, I'm sure, be overcome, but in some churches much groundwork may need to be carried out. The 90-minute sessions for the course for young communicants are based on a meal or snack. There is less material here, but these could be enjoyable and fun sessions, if led well. The authors have done their job ably. The workshops and course do not need to be led by an expert theologian in order for people to gain from them. There are sensible and helpful reminders that admitting children to communion is about much more than just receiving bread and wine, that liturgy is much more than words, and that this feast of love is much more profound than being just entertainment. No one can argue with the book's chief aim: to help each person present at a Eucharist to have an opportunity to worship and enjoy the presence of the living Christ. I hope those who use this-book will enable their congregations to experience that, and in so doing to come to a deeper understanding of this central act of Christian worship and fellowship. The Revd Sarah Hillman is Priest-in-Charge of Barkway, Reed and Buckland with Barley. From The Methodist Recorder - 10 April 2008 Written in response to the need for people to be enabled to understand and share in the Eucharist, Anglicans Margaret Withers and Tim Sledge have written Creative Communion - Engaging the whole church in the journey of faith. Part One, Living the story, contains chapters discussing the shape of the Eucharist and the place of children and young people in the service; Part Two has six workshops designed to enable all ages to come together and examine the whole Church approach to Communion, with ice-breakers, teaching and activities; Part Three consists of a further six sessions for young communicants where the suggested activities include food to share and celebrate. The authors stress that none of the material - useful as it is, with suggestions for drama, props, music and songs - is prescriptive: it is there to be adapted to particular situations and groups. There are three appendices: Eucharist prayer, templates (downloadable from the Barnabas web site) and suggestions for further reading. Lots to consider, use and adapt. Reviewed by Margaret Daniels Written in response to the need for people to be enabled to understand and share in the Eucharist, Anglicans Margaret Withers and Tim Sledge have written Creative Communion - Engaging the whole church in the journey of faith. Part One, Living the story, contains chapters discussing the shape of the Eucharist and the place of children and young people in the service; Part Two has six workshops designed to enable all ages to come together and examine the whole Church approach to Communion, with ice-breakers, teaching and activities; Part Three consists of a further six sessions for young communicants where the suggested activities include food to share and celebrate. The authors stress that none of the material - useful as it is, with suggestions for drama, props, music and songs - is prescriptive: it is there to be adapted to particular situations and groups. There are three appendices: Eucharist prayer, templates (downloadable from the Barnabas web site) and suggestions for further reading. Lots to consider, use and adapt. -- Margaret Daniels Methodist Recorder

Margaret Withers took up her role as the Archbishop's Officer for Evangelism among Children in June 2001. Formerly, Children's Work Adviser for the Diocese of Rochester, she taught in several Inner London schools and for the Open University before becoming a Diocesan Children's Adviser in 1989. During her years as a Diocesan Adviser, she became heavily involved in providing training and support for voluntary children's leaders in parishes. In 1996, while Children's Officer for the diocese of Chelmsford, she established children's work as an integral part of Reader training as well as providing a similar input to several theological courses. The increasing demand for simple basic training for inexperienced leaders led to her writing a four-evening course for a group of parishes in 1998. This formed the basis of her book, Fired up! Not Burnt Out which was published under BRF's Barnabas imprint in 2001. She is also author of The Gifts of Baptism, Welcome to the Lord's Table and Where are the children? also published under the Barnabas imprint. Tim Sledge has a kaleidoscopic Christian story thoroughly embracing evangelical, charismatic and catholic traditions, so he is also able to fit in and communicate with people across the Anglican spectrum. Having grown up in a vicarage, he studied music at York and then worked for several years promoting music and arts festivals, including the York Early Music Festival, the York Mystery Plays, and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. During this time he was not actively part of a church community. One day he went to chapel for the first time of his own free choice and realised that there was something attractive about it that he had never before experienced. Gradually, his faith became renewed and he became involved at St Michael le Belfry Church in York. Slowly, a sense that he was being called to ministry grew. One day he was offered two attractive jobs in arts marketing. At the same time he was reading the story of David in the Old Testament. 'I just felt God calling me. The call grew and the desire for work in the arts declined.' He went to see the Diocesan Director of Ordinands and was selected for ordination within six months. Tim trained at Trinity College Bristol and became curate at St Thomas, Huddersfield, which he describes as 'a renewed Anglo-catholic church'. From there he moved to Luddenfoot as vicar where he worked closely with Stephen Cottrel. Tim has seen the fruit of his ministry at Luddenfoot with the publication of Youth Emmaus, which he worked on it with Stephen Cottrell, adapting the adult Emmaus course for his own youth group. Tim now works as Mission Enabler in Peterborough Diocese. He quotes Bishop Leslie Newbigin with approval: 'The only true expression of the Gospel is the group of people who believe it and live by it.'