Bishop Martin visited St Oswald's CE Primary School in Kidderminster yesterday to officially open their new prayer garden. The garden was created thanks to the efforts and generosity of the school community and was opened with a special ceremony.
Bishop Martin said: “It's been lovely to bless this new prayer garden. It's a beautiful space designed by one of the children, paid for by one of the local councillors and built by local craftsman. I can already feel that it's a place of love, joy, and peace.”
Headteacher, Carol Reece said: "We would like to thank both Councillor Tony Muir who made a donation to fund the garden and one of our dedicated parents, Mr Minnard of TSM Landscapes and construction who has brought our concept to life, creating a serene space for reflection and prayer with God. The prayer garden stands as a testament to the strong bonds within our school community and our commitment to nurturing the spiritual well-being of our pupils and staff."
Children and staff gathered around as Bishop Martin officially opened the prayer garden with a blessing and ribbon cutting. The children were delighted with the new garden, and we spoke to a few pupils from year 5 after the ceremony to see what they thought of it:
“I think it's very cool because we have a place where we can worship and take our time to think about God and Jesus.”
“I like the prayer garden because it's somewhere we have an opportunity to pray to God and Jesus whenever you want.”
“It's good because you get to sit and pray and you get to have that opportunity to thank God for everything he's done for you.”
“I think it's cool because we get to come in here and just feel like we can have our own time with God.”