'Arty Annie’s' is a Creative Worship group based at St Anne’s School, Royton, which was set up as part of the Man Dio Growing Faith Programme.
Children from Years 4, 5 and 6 gather together to pray, read from the Bible and explore Bible themes using a range of different art techniques. So far, the group has created portraits of each other, expressing how they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” Psalm 139:14, and have written down acts of kindness for the whole school to explore during Lent.
Most recently, the group took part in the ‘No Place Like Home’ Art & Poetry Competition, commissioned to schools at the CE National Schools Conference in February 2024 by Dr Krish Kandiah OBE. Krish is a writer and theologian who is hugely invested in raising awareness of the refugee crisis. The competition's theme was empathy, and Arty Annie’s was tasked with creating artwork to communicate how or why we empathise with refugees and their many challenges.
Each child was able to demonstrate their unique artistic style and their empathy for refugees. The children produced welcome mats representing home and safety, pictures showing clear pathways of trust, and cupped hands holding a family of refugees and protecting them as they travel.
Arty Annie’s also learned about Biblical refugees and how Jesus himself, along with Mary and Joseph, was a refugee. They thought about what ‘home’ means to them and considered the circumstances that push people away from their homes and pull them into new places.
The group are looking forward to the next term of sessions as they explore the theme God’s miracles. The pupils love coming to the session every Friday and are enthusiastic about promoting it across the school, with even more children having enquired about joining. Laura Tebay, Man Dio Growing Faith Deanery Enabler, says, “It’s such an honour to sit with them every Friday, be creative and help them to understand God’s love for them.”