Sheringham Beach Life is four days of free activities for children and young people, aged 0 -16 years, at the end of the summer holidays, on the sea front, in local churches and other community facilities. This four day event sees around 200 children and young people participating in a full programme of fun and sharing the gospel. Sheringham Beach Life was launched in 2012 after the closure of the Scripture Union Beach Mission that had run for over 100 years in the town. The churches in Sheringham came together to further this work and we are now approaching our 12th Beach Life event this summer.

We have a brilliant team of over 70 volunteers from our local churches who give up their time to ensure the children and young people have a great time and find out more about what it means to live ‘Life to the full in Jesus’. About 15 of those who volunteer are young leaders age 16 to 18 years old who have attended ‘Beach Life’ in previous years and want to now be part of the team. We also have people from our churches who help to feed the team during the week, a group who look after the technical aspects of the events and most importantly a prayer team who spend time during the week praying for us all.

Each Beach Life day starts with a team breakfast followed by a time for preparation for the day. A duty minister will offer a reflection and time of prayer before the practicalities of the day are addressed. Then together we make our way to the Leas where we have put up a marquee for the event. Once the children and young people are registered we have the ‘Beach Special’ which is an all age family service and includes challenges, drama, an introduction to the daily Bible story, praise including a special medley of songs, prayer and the daily ‘gunge tank’.

After the ‘Beach Special’ we split into age groups and make our way to different churches. This part of the programme is called ‘Going Deeper’. The Bible story is presented in an age relevant way and provides opportunities for questions and discussion amongst the activities. The afternoon and evening programme include family and youth activities and take place on the beach, on the Leas and in the town. We also hire the Reef so that the children and young people can enjoy a free swim.

Beach Life takes place during the last week of the school summer holidays when parents’ ideas and school holiday budgets may be running thin. The event is open to everyone from 0 to 16 years of age and we welcome children and young people who live locally but also those who are on holiday. We adapt our activities to ensure that the event is inclusive for all. During the year a small group from each church meet to plan and raise money for the event. We are extremely fortunate to be able to access various grants and receive donations to support our work.

It is wonderful that each year we see children and young people making a response, some for the first time, and for others it is a fresh sense of their commitment to follow Jesus, as they develop and mature. We know that many seeds are sown and that each year as children and young people return their understanding of the gospel and their faith becomes stronger. The event helps to build the churches locally as we encourage these children and young people and their families to connect with a church in Sheringham. But it also has an impact on the church wider afield: one family were on holiday in Sheringham and spontaneously joined in with ‘Beach Life’, and from that experience they found themselves a church locally to them when they returned home and are now very much involved in that congregation.

We also have a family who comes over each year from Germany to participate in ‘Beach Life’. There are so many fantastic outcomes during the week with the visual presence of the churches in Sheringham working together in the local community. The opportunities we have to minister to children and young people and their families, raising the awareness of who Jesus is, has answered many prayers. The camaraderie in the team and the chance to work together to ensure that the children and young people engage with Jesus and realise how He can transform their lives is an amazing opportunity.

For a real flavour of what ‘Beach Life’ is about watch this years promo video on our website: www.sheringhambeachlife.co.uk.

This year our theme is Super Heroes. Each morning we will be exploring a story from the Bible. Tuesday the children and young people will learn about the Large Catch of Fish; Wednesday, the Calming of the Storm; Thursday the Feeding of the 5,000 and on Friday the story of Doubting Thomas. In the afternoon and evening there will be a Treasure Hunt in the town, Beach Sculptures on the beach, Inflatables and the Boating Lake junk challenge. We are organising an Alternative Olympic Games at the High School, a free swim at the Reef and the very popular ‘Sheropoly’. We will finish on the Friday with a family picnic and the very competitive Tide Fight. Please do look out for us around the town or come and join us on the Leas.

Perhaps you would like to be part of our prayer team? It is so good to know that we have people in our churches praying for us. Below are some ideas for you to consider in your prayers:

For God to establish a strong, united team to lead ‘Beach Life’ and build on last year. For wisdom and guidance as we plan the organisation of the event. For a good number of children and young people to attend. For safety and protection over all involved. For children and young people to be drawn to Jesus and see that He offers life to the full. For children and young people and their families to be encouraged to join a local church. For sunshine! For Jesus to be glorified as his people come together to make him known.

Thank you.