What do you get when you combine puppets, glow sticks, and the gospel? The Thrive Puppet Team! Fiona Sutton, our Children’s Ministry Adviser and Puppet Team leader, tells us more.
Born in the wake of lockdown, the Thrive Puppet Team has grown into a vibrant, joyful expression of faith, creativity, and community. With generous support from Tesco, we launched the project by equipping each young team member with their very own puppet. These young people—drawn from churches across the region—have since poured energy and heart into bringing songs and stories to life in fresh, exciting ways.
The heart behind the team has always been two-fold: to bless churches with powerful, creative performances—and to build up our young people in confidence, friendship, and faith. Puppetry offers a safe and playful space for everyone, especially those who might shy away from being centre stage. Hidden behind the curtain, they find freedom. Over time, we’ve seen timid teens transform, stepping into leadership, laughter, and genuine connection.
One of our puppeteers, 13-year-old Benjamin Edmonds from St Margaret’s Church, summed it up perfectly:
“After every performance I feel so happy that we’ve brought the love of God into people’s lives.”
Their enthusiasm and talent are a joy to nurture. Whether they’re learning to choreograph a song, working with ‘toobies’ and ‘floobies’ for our black light (UV) routines, or dreaming up wacky visual effects, they’re always bursting with creativity—and a deep desire to communicate God’s message in meaningful ways.
One unforgettable moment came at St Margaret’s Church, Whitnash, during their Light Party. As our team launched into a UV performance of My Lighthouse, the entire congregation—glow sticks in hand—lit up the dark sanctuary in time to the music. It wasn’t just beautiful, it was holy. The joy was tangible, and God’s presence filled the room.
We love hearing how the performances touch people. As Rachel Budd from Heathcote Parish Church shared:
“It was brilliant to have the Thrive Puppet Team come to perform at one of our Christmas services in Heathcote. They certainly added a ‘wow factor’ and were greatly appreciated by people of all ages. We would highly recommend booking the Puppet team to perform – they provide a different, fun and engaging way to share some of the good news of Jesus.”
Now with two new leaders and a regular team of nine enthusiastic young people, we’re looking to grow. If you know a secondary-school-aged young person who’s creative and curious about faith, we’d love to welcome them to the team. We’re also looking for churches to partner with us for performances in the summer and autumn terms—holiday clubs, outreach events, Light Parties, Christmas celebrations and more.
There’s no charge to book us—we simply ask for donations to help keep the ministry going.
➡️ Want to join or book the team? Click here.
💛 Sponsor a Puppet – Support the Mission
Taking puppets to churches is more than a performance—it’s a ministry that transforms lives. Could you help us grow? By sponsoring a puppet, you’re investing in young people, creativity, and the spread of God’s love.
➡️ Give today at: www.thriveym.org.uk/donate