Today was the first day at Whitton Baptist Church’s very own Body Builders Gym! Our young athletes arrived bright and early, ready to be sorted into three competing teams: the Abs, the Biceps and the Quads.

After a quick pep talk from Julia, it was straight into an energetic work-out with Emily and Hannah. There was no time for yawning or slacking off, and after a brisk routine of marching, lunging, stretching and jumping, our three teams were raring to go!

The music team then led us for the very first time in singing the Body Builders theme song, which was filled with plenty of actions and opportunities to flex our bulging muscles. With our voices and bodies all warmed up, it was time for the daily Fun Run.

Today’s Fun Run was a chaotic catwalk, requiring our teams to dress up their leaders in a jumbled assortment of wigs, clothes and shoes, before sending them parading down the hall in true model style. We saw everything from posh jesters to balding grannies, and points were given to the teams who gained the biggest cheers from the crowd.

Next, we all sat down to watch the first instalment of the Body Builders Gym Soap Opera, where Tracey, Brad, Richard and Doris find out that they have to clear up their miserably messy gym in time for the visit of a mysterious inspector on Thursday night…will they be able to clean up in time?!

Leaving the Soap Opera on a cliffhanger, it was time for the Abs, Biceps and Quads to start earning some serious points in the gym games! Whether it was playing with the parachute or fiercely racing in the relays, every athlete worked hard to help their team to victory.

Once Rose had refreshed our young competitors after the games with a much-needed drink and biscuit, Hannah told us a story about a miracle that happened nearly two thousand years ago. With the help of a little imagination, we learnt about a wedding in Cana, where a man called Jesus performed the amazing feat of turning water into wine. Hannah explained that this miracle not only shows Jesus as an incredible human, but also shows us that Jesus is God.

After behaving like true sportsmen and women by listening so attentively to Hannah’s story, our three teams returned to their leaders for some arts and crafts. In just ten minutes there were some beautiful creations produced, with teams showcasing their painted t-shirts, tasty gingerbread men and funky Fimo models. However, the fun had to finally come to an end, and it wasn’t long before parents were crowding in through the front door. We had one last sing of ‘Our God is a Great Big God’, and there were smiles all round as the actions got bigger and bolder. Judging from the enthusiastic singing, the excited chatter and the very loud cheering, it would seem that our first day at the Body Builders Gym was definitely a hit!