As we celebrate the Year of Young People, this month’s question is: ‘What are your memories of church as a child?

QUESTION

Melodie Crumlin, CEO PEEK (Possibilities for Each and Every Kid), and member of Glasgow: Gallowgate.

“Growing up in a huge estate in Glasgow during the 1980s wasn’t easy but there was lots going on and for me most of that took place in Castlemilk Parish Church.

“Each Sunday I went along to Sunday school, each Friday night I went to the youth club and on a Thursday I attended Girls’ Brigade.

“My fondest memories about church were the friendships I formed and the day trips when the community came together to spend sunny days in the church grounds or on the beach in Ayr.

“Young and old shared food, stories, activities, song and conversation. The ladies, including my mum, supported the minister in his work and made the church run like clockwork.

“For some of my friends church was a chore as they were made to go. For some it was a safe haven where they were fed, and had folk who cared for them. For me it was my choice, it was a place in which I felt a sense of belonging and curiosity as I learned about and it was through the church and my time in the Glasgow Youth Choir that my passion for singing came.