AVENUEBAPTISTCHURCH

Captain Scuttle and his piratical crew welcomed over 50 young pirates onto 'the Black Eyed Pea' that set sail during half term from Avenue Baptist Church in Beckenham. All the children had a brilliant time. They watched a pirate-made DVD of three amazing moments in the life of an earlier sea traveller, Paul: a near disastrous ship wreck, an earthquake that helped him get out of prison, and his life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. Each day the adventure was interrupted by a fearsome octopus that was fortunately repelled by a ready supply of cannonballs thrown by the pirates.

In quieter moments the crews created an array of craft linked with pirates and the sea; in noisier moments they walked the plank and hunted for treasure and sang a rousing sea shanty all about Paul, his adventures and how God changed him from a bad to a good person. The three day event ended with an evening presentation to which all the parents and grown ups were invited. Such was the enthusiasm of the crew we continued the theme for our Sunday morning service - when was the last time you walked into a church to be confronted by a massive pirate ship?