Celebrating Black History Month at our Holy Moly Family Service

At Holy Moly last week, we came together to celebrate Black History Month, reflecting on the importance of recognising and celebrating the diversity of God’s creation and the message that every person is precious in God’s eyes.. We heard Bible readings from Genesis 1:26–30, James 3:9–10 and John 13:34–35. These passages reminded us that we are all made in God’s image and that we are called to love and respect one another. We learned about the inspiring life of St Josephine Bakhita. Kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery, St Josephine eventually gained her freedom and went on to serve others in Italy for 50 years, until her death in 1947. She was canonised in 2000, becoming the first female African saint to be canonised in the modern era. For their craft activity, the children made beautiful medals inspired by St Josephine’s necklace, using them as a way to express their own faith and identity. We were also treated to a beautiful rendition of Jesus, Stand by Me by our choir. Finally, the children came together to create a collective prayer for our world, contributing when they caught the inflatable globe and Sharing their hopes and prayers for others.