Jigsaw: the missing piece?

Julia Childerhouse, from Arnold, Nottingham, tells you how their group, Jigsaw, has helped the church to engage further with parents in their community...

“Like so many churches, at the King’s Church, Arnold, we run a successful toddler group where mums, dads, grandparents and childminders can come together once a week and have a great time in a safe, friendly environment.

“Despite this, after the first few years of running the group, there were not many parents who had attended an Alpha course, or other Christian events in the church. We decided that something was needed to bridge the gap between toddlers and church – and after a lot of planning and praying, our new weekly group Jigsaw was born. We chose the name Jigsaw to work with the strapline ‘putting the pieces together’, whilst remembering the acronym ‘Jesus Is Great and So Are We’.

“So what does the group involve?”

“We provide a crèche so that mums have time and space to relax, think clearly and talk meaningfully. We look at a different topic each week, relating to parenting, our lives outside of our children, or even something more practical such as card making. The key is honesty and openness.

“There are no experts at Jigsaw, and few easy answers, but there is much positive sharing and support. As a practical demonstration of love to our mums who spend so much time giving out, we offer real coffee, home-made cakes and comfy sofas as a simple way to say that they are precious to us.

“We also talked about how our faith makes a difference to our own lives, and gradually there were more opportunities for us to deepen our relationships. After a few months we asked if they would like to occasionally look more at God and the Bible and they said “Yes.” Since Jigsaw began three years ago, God has begun to work in the lives of these women in incredible ways, with several finding faith and attending a weekly Bible study.

“When people ask us how we did it, the only truthful answer is that we didn’t – God did. It has been an awesome privilege to have been able to come along on this journey and see what happens when God’s vision is put into practice. Please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  if you are interested in finding out more about how Jigsaw works, or would like the team to run a Jigsaw training day for you.”

Last Updated 06 December 2010