11th February 2026 at 7:00pm GMT
Kickstarter Broadcast
Puppets & Church, Where to Start
Pins & Needles -
Saltburn, N. Yorkshire
I have always been a fan of puppets and puppetry as I grew up but then puppetry came to a bit of a stop as secondary school beckoned followed by jobs, cars and girls. Six years ago our youngest daughter joined her brother and her two full sisters (all three girls are adopted). It wasn't long before we realised her needs were very complex, one of her issues being unable to speak. Many hours spent in front of her saying “mum, mum, mum, dad, dad, dad” all to no avail. Then whilst walking around a local garden centre, I came across a stand with some puppets on including some ‘sockettes’ which I purchased one in hope of getting some speech from her. After several sessions of going “mum, mum...” the puppet shook its head in disgust which our daughter copied, hooray! This was absolutely fantastic. I then went on to buy an orange monkey, which she adored, but she was always picking his fur off. My wife said the monkey had to go but I could look for something different, so I hit the Google button and came across a site called One Way UK.
I looked through the puppets and was drawn to a grandmap puppet, probably due to the fact that I work in elderly care specialising in dementia. We sent down a treat with my daughter and also with the residents in the care home where I work. A leaflet then dropped through the door for a puppet weekend in Rugby, I booked a ticket and set off. I had a boat load of puppets as I heard my market continuing to be too loud. After an amazing weekend, I returned home with a boat load of puppets.
I then returned to the conference four years ago and decided that the following year I would have a go in a competition, but nerves and confidence got in the way, however that was the year Keith was the only entry in the solos and gave a brilliant performance, so filled with regret for not entering but also feeling inspired, I set off home with another boot full of puppets. There must be something I can do with all these puppets and so I began going round the local Rainbows, Brownies and Guides groups, having great fun with puppets. I have given talks to adults and have been into schools. I have also been using puppets in our church's toddler group. I still take them into work and I always take one or two puppets into hospital whenever we are in for a while and also to the children's hospice we stay at for some well-earned respite.
I have had all the puppets out at the last two Christingle services, the first where I made a large choir and last year I set up a human/puppet nativity scene. At the moment I am in the middle of organising a puppetry fundraising event for the hospice. Due to the nature of our daughter's needs my availability is not great and so I tend to work solo although I have plenty of willing volunteers to lend a hand.
Finally, to answer the question... Why? Well over the last few years I have witnessed the elderly smile when they don’t have much to smile about, I have witnessed the loud mouthed boisterous children sit quiet and calmly and children who are timid, shy and quiet have a voice once a puppet is on their hand. That is my happy place to give my puppets to everyone else to play with and to use.
"...children who are timid, shy and quiet have a voice once a puppet is on their hand."
Praizin’ Hands Puppet Group – Hythe, Southampton
We had always used small glove puppets in our youth work and were always looking out for new ideas to share the Gospel in creative ways. When Beverly was a teenager, she attended a Girl’s Brigade District Parade service and a puppet team were leading the service. She remembers looking around the Church and watching every single person in the congregation, from the youngest to the oldest, transfixed on the puppets and totally engaged with the Biblical message. She felt God speak to her in the service telling her that He wanted her to start a puppet group to reach more people with the Gospel.
It wasn’t until several years later, now married with two young sons in tow, that we both felt that God was speaking again saying that He wanted us to start a puppet group and that the time was right. So, in 2003 we began searching online to find a supplier of professional puppets and found One Way UK, based in Reading at that time. We were concerned about how we would be able to finance a puppet group with very little money, but we knew that if this is what God wanted, we needed to do it and not put it off any longer. In that same week, we received an unexpected grant, so we knew that this was right. We purchased two puppets and made a simple stage out of plastic drainage pipes covered in fabric. God is so good! He always provides.
We started up a youth puppet team made up of the older girls from the Girls Brigade company based at a church in Hythe, Southampton. The youth team take part in church services and community events. The growth of Praizin’ Hands took the next step in 2008 when we were prompted to set up a schools project team to put on monthly presentations on a wide range of social issue topics such as bullying, internet safety, looking after our world and drugs to support the PSHE curriculum. This team has expanded over the years and we are currently able to offer schools in Hampshire a choice of 27 different topics to choose from. This team is made up of a small group of adults who work in schools all year round.
When we started Praizin’ Hands Puppet Group, we knew very little about puppetry and what was involved but knew that we needed to develop our skills and build on a firm foundation for the puppet group. We initially attended a Training Day to learn the basics, then a regional training event before attending the annual One Way UK Puppet Festival. All the training we have received from One Way UK has been the very best and we are so grateful to them for their ministry, resources and training as without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. The use of puppets has enabled us to reach groups of people in our local community who may not have heard the Christian message. Using parody songs is a great way to engage people as they recognise the music and want to stay and watch. We have a faithful God and we are excited about God’s plans for the puppet group in the future.
“Every single person in the congregation, from the youngest to the oldest, transfixed on the puppets.”
Out of the Box – Inverness, Scotland
Hi, I’m Chris Watt and I work for a Christian charity called Out of the Box (Scotland) Ltd, which was set-up in 2004 to provide Christian outreach using puppetry, song and other forms of performing arts.
I first got into puppetry when I attended a children’s ministry conference in Eastbourne about 25 years ago. One Way UK were leading some puppet workshops at this event which I went along to and was instantly hooked. The idea of using puppets in ministry was so exciting. I purchased my first puppet, spent a year or so practising in front of a mirror and plucked up the courage to ask my minister if I could start a puppet team. Reach Puppet Ministry was born. We were involved in holiday clubs, children’s clubs, tours round other churches and we even attended a Guild night putting on a puppet show. This was where it all started and I have been using puppets in ministry ever since. I moved to Inverness in 2003 and started a new puppet team, Out of the Box.
Out of the Box has served many schools, churches and other organisations across Scotland. Whether it is through religious observance assemblies, puppet workshops, church based holiday clubs or a one-off event, we seek to develop children’s physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well-being. We have found that giving children a “hands on” experience is the best way to engage interest. Giving the space and opportunity to explore creative arts for themselves in an unthreatening, lively way enables every child to contribute – we recognise that every child is unique and special. Using puppets as a ministry tool to share the gospel is awesome. They are fun, creative, nonthreatening and help to communicate the message in a unique way. It’s amazing how engaged children are when there is a puppet talking to them. Pretty much everything we do with Out of the Box involves at least one puppet.
With schools we share Bible stories at assembly, lead puppet workshops and sometimes take RE classes. With churches we help run holiday clubs, lead a children’s address on a Sunday morning, host a family outreach event or have a slot during a messy church, all with a puppet or two in hand.
We also run a creative arts week in October called AMP (Acting Music Puppets) and for the last four years, we have toured a Christmas musical which blends puppets with live action, which really brings the Christmas story to life.
We love what we do and feel we have only really just begun. We are excited about where God is leading us.
“It’s amazing how engaged children are when there is a puppet talking to them.”
Steps of Faith – Neath, Wales
Hello! My name is Kathy and I’m the leader of the Steps of Faith team. Our journey into puppetry and creative ministry was a complete surprise to everyone, including me! Eight years ago, a lovely lady in our church gave me a leaflet for a One Way UK Training Day. At that moment in my life, I believed myself to be completely the wrong kind of person to be doing anything that involved performing or learning a new skill. I have always been quite shy and the thought of it made me quite anxious. However, the thought of being rude or offending this kind lady was more worrying, so I agreed to go along.
As the day started and they began to explain what puppet ministry was about, God began to sow a seed, and something began to change in my heart. We developed a name and God led others to join us. Our staging and puppets were kindly donated and the only thing standing in our way was us. As our name suggests, everyday was and is a Step of Faith. We began to choreograph some basic songs and perform them in a couple of local churches and chapels. We took them into a local school and were so blessed by the reaction from both staff and children.
I’m sure that some of our early performances were fairly dire, but people were patient with us, and we began to get more professional. We attended the One Way UK Puppet and Creative Ministry festival and began to develop other skills in storytelling and balloon modelling. We saw what other teams were doing which sparked new ideas that we could use in our own community. Our confidence began to grow, and members of our team began to develop a live voice for their puppets. Even I, the shy one, began to be the person at the front leading and introducing the programme.
We take school assemblies, Messy Church, holiday clubs, youth clubs, church services and outreach events. We have performed at an Elvis Festival and have been part of making a film for the tourist board. We also take our puppets into the Teen Challenge Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre, where we have lots of fun but are able to break down barriers with the puppets and bring a message of hope and love. We built a giant ark for world children’s day and performed a puppet themed song in Llandaff Cathedral. God has done amazing things!
All of our ministry is done using Christian music, sketches or stories and we have found that people are much more open to receive the Gospel when you are bringing something of value to them. Personally, being involved in puppet ministry has changed my life. It has deepened my faith and built my confidence and I know that this is true for every member of Steps of Faith. We enjoy doing puppets but more importantly we love having the opportunity to share the love of God, with a hurting world that desperately needs it.
“Being involved in puppet ministry has changed my life…”
Church @ The Cross – Birkenhead, Merseyside
David’s Story...
David is a young man with a great love for our Lord and a pure and simple faith. He also has a learning disability and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
On a visit to Spring Harvest five years ago he bought a puppet from the One Way UK stall. He wanted to form a puppetry team and asked to perform in the youth club, we agreed, then some of his friends joined in and the puppet ministry was formed.
They asked to do a parody song in church during the morning worship and the preacher that morning was not sure, almost saying no. What a mistake that would have been, for by saying yes it started a whole new chapter in the worship life of our church.
There are now fifteen young people in the puppetry team, they rehearse every Tuesday evening and praise God with puppetry nearly every Sunday, it has become an integral part of our worship.
More than this, it is fantastic outreach they have performed at many community events and festivals including 3Gen the Methodist Youth Conference, school and church fun days throughout Merseyside, and charity events including a MENCAP awareness day in Birkenhead park. They also regularly visit Mums and Tots groups.
Tim Edwards
(right, some of the puppetry mission team, David is far left)
“It started a whole new chapter in the worship life of our church.”
Kickstart Broacast
11th February 2026 at 7:00pm GMT