children

We want to invite you to join us in supporting families as they raise their children as disciples of Jesus.

We believe that God has used the 2020-21 pandemic restrictions to teach us to listen better to what he is up to amongst our children and families - we have learnt or been reminded that:

• Our focus needs to move from running engaging programs for children to spending more time talking with families

• Research and the Bible teach us that it is families who have the biggest impact of the spiritual formation of children

• Children belong to their home family and their church family so being involved with and appreciated in the regular life of the church is really important for their discipleship

1. Our ministry staff focus on who and why rather than what. To put that another way, our emphasis is on regular contact with our familes and resourcing them rather than running a program

2. We put our children into appropriate ministry roles. This gives them the opportunity to learn along side others and to contribute their gifts on our rosters and in other places of our life together

3. We will use exisiting events to help train and support our community (parents, carers) in faith skills that are important to children.

4. We mark milestones. The start and finish of school, big birthdays, moving up to the youth ministry. We will celebrate our lives together becuase God is involved there.

5. We run a children's section in our family worship time. This includes a kids' talk and craft and sometimes a song.

6. We pray for our children and their ministry with us. Our childrens' teams meet twice a year to lift before God this ministry.

7. We run Sunday morning programs (Kids Church & Mini Kids) with our 10am worship to help families and our community with the task God has given us of discipling new generations as followers of Jesus.