Storytelling has been a part of sharing Christianity for as long as Christianity has been there to share. Jesus told stories to his disciples, stories of the kings and prophets were passed down in families, and the Bible is often called the story of God's love.

Just as good stories are key, so is good storytelling.

That's where Messy Church comes in.

Having given a platform for Church leaders across the country to share stories of the Bible with families across the UK, they now want to empower people into better, more vivid and captivating ways of storytelling.

Messy Parables gives you not only hints and helps into captivating storytelling, but provides you with new retellings of the parables to help share Jesus' message in way that will stay in the listener's mind.

Each of Jesus' parables is broken down into different ways of communication that will reach all kinds of listeners:

• Each parable begins with the Biblical text, the very root of the lesson you are teaching that day
• Get Ready - a first look at what the story means, the details surrounding it, and all the other aspects of the story to help flesh it out
• Get Set - Here are the materials you may need to help visualise the parable
• Go! - Here is the meat of it - the dialogues, questions, sketches, scenes and invitations for response. Here is where the parable is related to life today, and its meaning are explored
• Prayer idea - each parable ends with a time of prayer, and different prayer, and ways to pray, are presented for everyone to pray along with

Storytelling is a tradition as old as humanity, and it's your turn to carry the torch.

It's time for vivid stories, exciting tales, and life-filled lessons.

It's time for Messy Parables.

Each issue contains twelve session outlines for Messy Churches, running through the year from September to August. Everything you need to run your Messy Church, including activity photos, mealtime cards, social action ideas and templates, all downloadable from the Messy Church website. With an introduction by Aike Kennett-Brown.

Topics and contributors

September: Hope – Trish Hahn

October: Compassion – Anna Lloyd and Ximena Wilson

November: Peace – Mary Judkins

December: Joy – Johannah Myers and Jillian Mayer

January: Perseverance – Greg Ross

February: Love – Helen Laird

March: Integrity – Anne Offler and Sharon Pritchard

April: Courage – Becky May

May: Community – Martyn Payne & MCIC25 planning team

June: Purpose – Helen Laird

July: Justice – Dawn Savidge

August: Patience – Anne Offler and Sharon Pritchard

Leave no-one out this Christmas - and make your Christmas activities less demanding on your own time, energy and resources. Let 'Messy Christmas' give you everything that's exciting, involves everyone and delivers a creative and joyful Christmas in your church. Based in activities and lessons rich with glitter, glue, paint and potato stamps, this all in one guide to your interactive family fun Christmas brings the community into your church - and takes your church into the community.

'Messy Church' gives you 3 complete 'Messy Sessions' to build your outreach all the way through the Christmas period. Whether you run community outreach all year-round, or want to grab the best opportunity of the year, this is a treasure trove jam-packed with themed crafts for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.

Let Messy Christmas give you everything you need, including:

• Creative Christmas prayers,
• Global action suggestions,
• Seasonal games and competitions,
• Christmas food crafts,
• A wealth of seasonal craft activities.

Each of the 3 sessions can be spread out over the festive season so you only have to prepare and lead one each month from November to January. This means families are encouraged to back for your next fun-filled session and follow the thrilling instalments of the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany story.

Every session includes simple acts of worshipful that echo the mood and meaning of the winter months. Let these tried, tested and trustworthy art and craft experts inspire and energise you to lead families in your communities towards the real significance and joyous wonder of the Christmas story.

New edition of a classic Easter resource

Three complete sessions for Lent, Holy Week and Easter, together with a wealth of activities to extend the range of excitingly messy activities for your Messy Church – creative prayers, games, food crafts, and ideas for organising an Easter trail. Craft templates and a session planning grid are included.

Messy Church is a way of being church, for families and others. It is Christ-centred, for all ages, and based on creativity, hospitality and celebration. It is primarily designed for people who don’t already belong to another form of church – no matter how ‘messy’ they feel their lives are. Research has shown that 40% of Messy Church families have had little or no prior contact with church and 61% of Messy Church families wouldn’t otherwise be at church. BRF supports a global network of around 4,000 Messy Churches in six continents.

Bible reading resource for Messy Church teams

Wanting to go deeper in your journey as a Messy Church leader or helper, or are you just curious about what makes Messy Church a way of being church together? This accessible booklet contains 31 short Bible passages, with a reflection on each passage by Messy Church founder Lucy Moore, exploring the core values of Messy Church and reinforcing the creativity, hospitality, joy, inclusivity and character of Jesus.