About UsAll About Us!
The aim of the Puppetkru is to share the word of God in a non-threatening, fun way. We are based in Horley Parish Church and we take part in family services and other special/outreach events.
Some of our team have offered their testimonies:....
"My name is Stuart and in 2001 I became interested in puppetry, but I didn’t have any idea how to go about it. Fe May (the then Vicar’s wife) told me that a church in Horsham was giving training sessions in puppetry, so I took the opportunity and went along. I was so inspired by this event that I thought it would be a good idea to start a puppet team in Horley. It was a struggle at first because I didn’t realise how hard it would be and what would be involved. We started with one home-made puppet, then a couple of church members bought two puppets for us. The puppets’ names were Lorna and Stuart. Our first stage was made of plastic drainpipes with some borrowed cloth thrown over. Another church member bought some proper staging for us and the church bought us material and more puppets: George, Henry the Bear and Becky. We also received donations to purchase a stage and cloth, CD’s and scripts. As the years have gone by things have been moving along in leaps and bounds. Although there are times when it’s been difficult to carry on and it feels like enough is enough, God suddenly moves and we get dug in again. I hope to continue taking the puppets to events such as schools, children’s groups, outreach events and other churches to spread the word of God in this entertaining and unusual way.” Stuart Thorpe, Team Leader (and TechMan!) , July 2009
"My name is Carol Black and many Christmas's ago our vicar's son-in-law produced a puppet for a talk on the Christmas Day morning service. Everyone - all ages - engaged straight away with the puppet. They were totally captivated. My thoughts were: what a brilliant tool to use to spread God's word. I spoke to our vicar's wife, Fe May, about it and although she encouraged me, I wasn't brave enough to make the first step I needed to find out more (my human insecurity). A while later there was a notice in our pews news from a gentleman who attended another church in our parish. He was asking if anyone was interested in Puppets as a form of ministry. It's truly amazing how God puts people together. This gentleman was Stuart Thorpe. I tracked him down and we haven't looked back. We set up the ministry together, initially a few other people joined us, then over the years people have left and new people joined. We now have a steady regular "Kru" of mainly young people (11-15 year olds) supervised by 4 adults. We also have a small team of "SupportKru". I am delighted that my own two daughters, Rachel and Claire, have joined the ministry and my husband, Alistair, helps us out in the "SupportKru".Carol Black, Team Leader, August 2009
"My name is Rachel and I joined the PuppetKru at the beginning of 2005. I am not at all a confident person and was very reluctant to speak to strangers about God. I found that doing puppets was a way of spreading the word of God without being out front and everyone seeing "what I was about". I was more at ease behind the screen where only my fellow puppeteers could see me. I really enjoy being part of the PuppetKru and have built in confidence. I have lots of great mates and love travelling to places to spread the word of God" Rachel, July 2009
"My name is Jess and I joined the PuppetKru three years ago in the middle of 2006. I joined because it is a good way to show children how to worship the Lord in a funner way! I also joined because of friends being in puppets and they seemed to enjoy it a lot! The puppets were made of different colours and had different clothing and that made it cool! I love being part of puppets as we show our talents at church and at away events. Memories are endless!" Jess, July 2009
"My name is Jackie and initially I got involved because my daughter, Samantha, joined the group. She was so enthusiastic about the PuppetKru that I started helping out with small things, such as making outfits for the puppets and the occasional prop. Once the other team members cottoned onto the fact that I liked making these, the requests came flooding in! Seriously though, I just love being part of the team. It has helped me in my own relationship with God - the fellowship and support I have received since joining this team has been immense for which I will always be grateful. It is also very satisfying seeing children of all ages (and I mean ALL ages) enjoy the shows and learn God's word at the same time. Over time I have become involved in the Planning meetings and, more recently, assisting with the Marketing side of our little team. I just want to add that my wonderful brother-in-law very kindly donated his services and produced this fantastic website. With God's help I see amazing things happening with this group and I pray for more team members so that we can become more involved in reaching out into the local community" Jackie, September 2009
