About us 

Who are we?

Ps'arms Puppets began to develop in 1998 in a very small way, with just one bought puppet and a pattern. Within a few months we had three puppets and were able to make a start on learning how to use them. Our church were very supportive and gave us a few slots in which to "have a go" and then gave us plenty of encouragement to keep going. Within a year our whole family (except our youngest, then 4 years old) were taking the plunge and using the puppets to lead the Easter Sunday morning service. At this point we needed another pair of hands and a friend was invited to help. Soon the rest of her family were keen to have a go and Ps'arms Puppets proper began - eleven members, 2 families (the Lamings and the Minetts) and a growing band of puppets and props. The team has since changed with the loss of some members to university and the addition of others.

And why the name? 

Our puppets are rod-armed, muppet-style puppets. They have a large, foam head, arms and a body, but no legs. They are worked by placing one hand up through the puppet's body, into the mouth. The other hand works rods attached to the puppet's wrists. The arm working the puppet's mouth is held stretched out above the puppeteer's head. One of the first things we discovered is that this type of puppetry soon develops the muscles of the shoulder, arm and hand ....... a long song or sketch can cause a fair amount of pain! 
So, why is this relevant? When we were searching for a name for our group we wanted it to somehow reflect the physical side of what we do, as well as why we do it. We looked at mentions of hands and arms in the Bible, in particular the story of Moses holding his arms in the air while the Israelites fought the Amalekites (Exodus 17 v 8 - 16). Eventually we came across this verse from Psalm 136 v 12:

Just what we were looking for............. the mighty hand and outstretched arm describe us inside our puppets and our message is that God's love endures forever and reaches everyone. 
From here is was just a short leap to turn Psalms into Ps'arms, the apostrophe being there just so that you don't think we can't spell!          

To find out what happened next in the development of the Ps'arms Puppet team, follow the link to School Assemblies.

So, what do we do?

Using our many and varied puppets, we perform a wide variety of sketches and songs. Some of the sketches are a simple way of retelling Bible stories; others are ‘home grown parables’, communicating a simple moral message. Our songs are usually lively with a good beat, but again the emphasis is on the message in the words. We have our own puppet band including drums, piano, guitar, violin, harmonica ….. in fact, whatever is needed! 
On a  regular basis we take assemblies in local primary schools and family services in our own church - Staplehurst Free Church. We are also invited to take family services at other local churches, speak and perform at W.I. meetings, lead special services for the Guide and Scout movements, entertain senior citizens and the list goes on. We have learnt that puppets are never just for children - in fact almost everybody loves them!
To maintain the quality of our work and our energy (and sanity!) we limit the geographic extent of our ministry to within one hour's drive of our home base in Staplehurst and we can only do a certain number events per school term. If you would like to see Ps'arms Puppets in action then see our current schedule on the Coming Soon page and Contact Us to check times and locations and the appropriateness of you coming along.

And what do we believe?

We believe in God as our Creator and that He loves each and every one of us. To show His love for us He sent Jesus, His son, to live a perfect life and then die a criminal’s death. He was punished, instead of us, for the wrong things we have done. If we ask Him, God will forgive us for the wrong things in our lives and His Holy Spirit will help us to live our lives the way He intended.

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