Leeds North and East Methodist Circuit

Transcription

1 Leeds North and East Methodist Circuit

2 The church s work amongst children is alive and well and in this issue of Koinonia we share stories of some of the exciting activities enjoyed by children in our buildings. Some churches still have groups for children on Sunday mornings, which may be called Sunday School, Junior Church or other less traditional names such as Chapel Allerton s Star Centre. There are many thriving uniformed groups and more recent developments include Messy Church and other midweek activities, often supported by people from different churches. We also look at the church s work amongst needy children through organisations such as Action for Children, Oxford Place Children s Centre, the Nigeria Health Care Project and the Street Child World Cup. Each of us can be involved in the church s work amongst children, whatever our energy levels or financial situation - please do pray for all the activities mentioned in this issue, for the families who attend and those who give so much time to running groups or arranging fund raising events. Youthful God, We thank you for the presence of children and young people at Sunday worship and activities throughout the week. We thank you for their commitment and character, their energy and enthusiasm, their skills and sense of humour. As we teach them, may we learn from their insights; As we talk to them, help us to listen to their wisdom; As we lead them, may they lead us on our journey. (from Adam Biddlestone, Day 28, Methodist Prayer Handbook)

3 Junior Church is a fun children s church. We do this while all the adults are in the hall. We sing songs, play games, have lots of chats to share our news and much more! Each week there is a new topic and recently we have been learning about the 2 sons. Sometimes foods are used in our activities, especially marshmallows! Erin (8) I enjoy singing different songs as well as drawing and colouring. We play different games and sometimes go outside to do outdoor learning. We also pray to God and Jesus. We say that we are sorry if we have done something really wrong. We are grateful for what we have in Junior Church, because some people in Africa and places like that don t have the money to afford to build or buy a church to pray to God. Thank you so much God and Jesus, we are grateful for all that you have done for us. Emily (11)

4 The chances of a woman dying in pregnancy or childbirth in Nigeria are 1 in 29. In the UK it is 1 in 4,600! The Nigeria Health Care Project supports two programmes amongst orphans in different parts of the country. The Motherless Babies Home at Uzuakoli in the South-East of the country provides a loving home for children whose mothers have died, usually in childbirth. Children are eventually discharged, either to their extended family or to foster or adoptive parents. Mary Corput always strives to improve the care of the babies and children. She comes from the North of Nigeria originally and is now a mission partner along with her husband Dr Hans van den Corput. The Bethesda Orphan Care Programme in Igede in the Middle Belt has a different approach. They bring a relative in from the mother s village and train her to look after the baby for about six weeks. Then they go back home to be cared for in the community where they are provided with food for the baby and regular check-ups. Bethesda Orphanage switched to a community-based programme seven years ago and Felicia Okanga, the director, is convinced that this is a better way she should know, as she is an orphan herself. David Cundall, project coordinator

5 The Nigeria Health Care Project has a number of items fior sale, including Christmas cards and a book of prayers by Christine Odell, both seen here. Contact Peter Grubb, , David Laycock or David Cundall Children and teachers sit at the front of the congregation and the preacher usually engages with them before they leave for Sunday School after the blessing, said by the whole church. All Age Worship takes place every third Sunday and the participation is always robust and inspirational with the children's ministry as the main focus. They usually join in some of the hymns or choruses with percussion. The Sunday School regularly contribute to leading worship, sometimes taking the whole Sunday morning service, and the children return to be an inclusive part of Holy Communion. In Sunday School itself, all are welcomed, with those who are first attenders introducing themselves. Everyone is encouraged to share news about events of the past week, interesting, happy or sad, including the teachers. The focus of the work takes many forms; scripture reading, stories, drama, art work, drawing, discussion and we take children s suggestions into account. We include the church's seasonal calendar for the year and Sunday School and church anniversaries. Recently we have encouraged children and young people to be more involved in the wider life of Roscoe and this year Remell (who has just started Secondary School) joined the team of Church Stewards.

6 Remell says: I became a junior steward at the beginning of this year. I had been coming to church for about 5 years. I love stewarding because it allows young children to get involved in the church, so I think it is a really good idea. We are able to work in conjunction with the other stewards. I have been able to do the reading and use the technology. Over the last few months our children at Cross Gates have been taking an active role in our Parade Services. In September at the Harvest Thanksgiving Service the Junior Church children sang Always remember never forget. The Church was looking spectacular, decorated with flowers, fruit and a water feature. Two of the younger children did a reading. The congregation enjoyed seeing slides of the children collecting leaves and painting pictures to be used in the Harvest displays. Pauline Hudson

7 Street Child World Cup, in association with Save the Children, challenges the negative perceptions and abusive treatment of Street Children around the world and enables their voices to be heard through football, the arts and an I AM SOMEBODY! international summit for street children s rights. In April 2014, street children from 19 countries took part in the second Street Child World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Methodist children and young people in Britain helped to raise 30,000 to sponsor a boys and a girls team from Nicaragua to go to Rio through the Casa Alianza project. This was picked up by They post a tweet about their activities each week In September this read Making choices in your everyday life. Thought about street children. #streetchildworldcup and by the annual JMA service in October they had written a drama to tell the story of 2 street children, Santiago and Miguel. Santiago says I started selling tortillas but earned very little. Because I was sending all the money I made back home there was nothing left for me. Nothing for a home, clothes or sometimes food. I had no choice but to sleep rough. Life was dangerous People see street kids as vermin I became so hungry that I approached Casa Alianza shelter, Miguel also joined at the same time. They took me in and I lived there with 80 other children.

8 The project enabled both children to recover from the experiences on the streets. Santiago attended school for the first time and developed his passion for football, eventually representing his country at the first Street Child World Cup in Durban in The Star Centre tweet that week said: JMA service together. Performed our drama about the Street Child World Cup. Read parable of lost sheep, and smiling is infectious poem ripples prompting responses from the congregation: Brilliant, I learnt so much!! Well done the Star centre you did yourselves proud today. Well read and well acted: 10/10!! One of the Star Centre youngsters had her own international experience in Rio When I was 11, I was chosen by my school to participate in a group called CISV (Children's International Summer Village) where children from different countries are able to come together for 4 weeks to make friendships and learn from each other. People from the Leeds Chapter including myself were picked to go to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Going to Brazil was a life-changing event. The thought of being halfway around the earth was somewhat thrilling and terrifying. I was able to learn about the different cultures and what life was like for others. It was an eye opener and made me recognise that I should be grateful for what I have got and to embrace others. ( Etta

9 We sometimes hear the phrase, children are the church of the future. However, like many other denominations, we practice Infant Baptism, by which we welcome children into the PRESENT life of the church, rather than holding children in abeyance for some future point in time, before they can belong. Many older people will remember times when Sunday School took place in a separate building and sometimes at a different time to the church s morning or evening worship. Today we seek to incorporate children far more into our worship. Some churches have children regularly coming in to the church towards the end of the service to share what they have done, so the service ends with everyone together, rather than dismissing the children into a separate room after the first minutes. Over recent years the Methodist Church s work with children and young people has been in serious decline, so it is very good to have an edition of Koinonia that focuses on the good work with children and young people that is currently happening in our circuit. At school children are encouraged and enabled to express their own ideas and opinions. It is important in the life of the church that we also encourage that process, so their ideas and viewpoints help to shape and inform the best way in which we can be the church today. Robert At Gipton Methodist Church we have been running a Toddler Group now for some 15 years. The numbers fluctuate quite a bit but never reach more than a dozen. However over these years we have seen many toddlers come and go and some we still see around Gipton and at the local schools. Toddler groups give very young children the opportunity to meet other children and helps them interact with each other which is a

10 vital experience prior to going to nursery. Toddler Groups also provide a meeting place for Mums to meet and share experiences of bringing up their children. Many Toddlers really look forward to coming to the Group and we know that for years afterwards they always remember their days at Gipton Methodist Toddler Group. This is now the only Toddler group in Gipton and the diversity of nationalities and faiths represented, reflects the makeup of the area. This gives opportunity for Mums to learn from each other about these different faiths. Recently we have been approached by the Children s Centre in Gipton to form an informal partnership with them where we can gain help and advice. This will also enable Mums to be referred to the group as another facility they can take advantage of in the area. Mums usually come through word of mouth but often they comment on the relaxed atmosphere of the group and say this is the best group they have been to. Grenville Jensen Totally Tuesday is a lively group for 9-11 year olds run by the Chapel Allerton Youth Project - a partnership of Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and URC churches. CAYP also has a group for older youth called WoW (What s on Wednesdays) and runs two cell groups as well as reaching out to local schools. Recently, it was very moving to witness over 30 young people praying for the schools in the area as they moved between different display tables at an extra session. Sam says: I enjoy Totally Tuesday because I can meet up with friends and I enjoy the games that help me interact with God

11 This has been the children s charity of the Methodist Church since 1869, when a young Methodist minister, shocked by the plight of homeless children on the streets of London, converted a disused stable block into The Children's Home. Over time, work has shifted away from children's homes towards community-based projects such as children's centres and intensive family support services to support vulnerable families, seeking to prevent potential problems. Our vision is of a world where all children and young people have a sense of belonging, and are loved and valued, a world where they can fulfil their potential, shape their destiny and experience the joy of life. Passion we are driven by our desire to help children and young people overcome injustice and disadvantage Equality we believe all children and young people have equal worth and equal rights Hope we believe in a child or young person s potential, no matter what they have experienced or what they have done Action for Children Sunday is held annually in July, but there are many fund raising activities throughout the year. Before long, Methodist carol singers will be rattling Action for Children collecting boxes and many churches take up a collection for Action for Children on Christmas Day. Some churches have an annual coffee morning and others arrange special events such as the Strawberry Tea and Garden Party at Oakwood in July. How can you support Action for Children in 2015?

12 2014 has been the year of The Big Brownie Birthday, bringing exciting opportunities and events to Brownies across the UK and beyond. We hear from here: We kicked off our Big Brownies Birthday by choosing the activities we wanted to complete the Big Brownie Birthday challenge. These included:- thinking about the jobs we wanted to do when we grew up planting seedlings to grow plants for fathers day making a box of things that made us feel happy writing letters to tell people how great Brownies is and also writing to Rosie in Africa going on a woodland torch walk on pack holiday learning songs and traditions from other countries having a fair trade breakfast whilst on pack holiday We did a presentation at Church Parade in May to tell everyone about how we were celebrating and the congregation joined in with our Brownie Bells Prayer. We handed out Rosebuds to the ladies in the congregation to remind them that Brownies started off being called Rosebuds.

13 We collected 100 to donate to the Growing Zone in Kippax as part of our challenge to help other people. We had a whole weekend of pack holiday fun with our birthday themed Big Brownie Birthday Stay Away. The Brownies got special edition Pack holiday, Cooks and Craft badges that are only available this year and we had a birthday party with a huge birthday cake and singing candles. Last of all, as an extra challenge, we went by train from Crossgates to Leeds to do a whistle stop tour of the Leeds Owl walk which we can highly recommend - for other Brownie packs and adults alike - you would not believe how many Owls are in Leeds!! All in all we have enjoyed a fun packed birthday year! this special year: have also really enjoyed We have been involved in a number of special events around the county. There was a fantastic District Star Quest where Brownies enjoyed all sorts of activities, including some from 100 years ago, collecting stars along the way. They have been on a train ride and visited Eureka and the Thackray museum. The Centenary Challenge Badge introduced lots of different experiences, including being without electricity, drinking tea in an unusual place and being evacuated.

14 Garforth Girls Brigade meets on a Wednesday Night from 5.45 p.m. till 7.30 p.m. We have a good range of ages from 4 upwards. Girls Brigade is part of GB Ministries, a global Christian movement with a great history and a passionate vision for this generation - it s committed to seeing lives and communities transformed and enriched as individuals seek, serve and follow Jesus Christ. Its work is expressed in various ways, but all with the same aim that children and young people discover what it means to experience and share life to the full, an expression Jesus used to explain what happens in our lives as we follow Him. So, what do we do? complete 4 pieces of badge work each year go to camp have sleepovers take part in 4 family services each year enjoy the local Gala day enter district competitions and so many more things. We regularly do craft, music, environment, recycling, drama, helping others, and we learn about Jesus. Baking is a real favourite and you should have heard the noise when they were playing hockey last week! Janet and I had to watch our feet - must teach them team playing! We have a great team of Leaders who arrange all this. The girls enjoy coming and word of mouth is the best recruitment method. We have been running for many years and hope to continue this good work. Liz G, Team Leader

15 This project was commissioned by Leeds City Council to provide a valuable service to over 1,000 young children each year, whose parents are attending Court. Established in 1983, it provides a unique service in the basement of Oxford Place, close to the Court buildings. No experience of court is easy, and it can be a very bewildering place for a young child denied access to their parents in the court room. As a Court s crèche, there are occasions when a parent is taken into custody and then the staff will work with either the family or friends of the parent or with social services to endure the child is given appropriate care. There are spaces for up to 15 children aged 0-12 at any one time, but most of the children attending are actually under 2 years old. Child care professionals and volunteers care for and play with the children until they are collected by their parent/carer.

16 Leeds District Methodist Women in Britain (formerly Women s Network) supports this project and many Women s Network groups in the District raised several thousand pounds at the beginning to help with the development of the centre. As these groups have declined, so has the fund raising, although a small percentage of the Easter Offering collections each year still goes towards this project. Lidgett Park Methodist Church has taken this project for their church charity this year do support their fundraising events if you can. Claire from Leeds City College reflects on her work experience there: It has been great to do my work placement in such a fun environment. I have learned so many new things from the staff and volunteers, and I ve learned a lot about the Courts too. The members of staff come in with such enthusiasm and every day is completely different one experience I shall never forget is when a child entered our crèche with her family but left with a member of the Social Services"

17 Messy Church at Christ Church takes place once a month and is a fun packed Saturday afternoon of crafts with playdough, face-painting and free painting for littlies, themed to fit in the church calendar. Worship is often with puppets, singing to CD and guitars, a short address and prayers, followed by tea and fellowship. We started 5 years ago and average about 50 children with adults. Not many attend Sunday worship but they take home our church magazine and invitations to special services and fairs etc. This is our Saturday Church and long may God help us to run it. The rock of our Messy Church are the 25 dedicated helpers (most of them are well over 60!) Our highlight of the year has to be our Christingle Messy Church. We lit 80 handmade Christingles in church and said prayers. You could hear a pin drop and the Spirit was with us. Roger Guy Messy Church began at Crossgates Methodist Church in May 2012 and is still a great success with a team of reliable, dedicated helpers. Our numbers range from 90 children and adults (at 'Countdown to Christmas', November 2013) to 25 people in August this year (holiday time!) We have had a number of Baptisms as a result of families with babies attending Messy Church. Some of these also come to our Tots and Guests Group on Monday afternoon.

18 We've also incorporated a Cradle Roll service as part of Celebration Time. This was a lovely experience for both families of the children who had been Baptized and the others attending Messy Church. Carol Smith Messy Church is also held at Oakwood, and churches in Garforth have got together to run Messy church in different churches month by month. Caroline Hudson, our Children s and Family worker, has been involved with messy church and other groups at Cross Gates and Oakwood. Other churches looking to develop work with children are invited to bid for her time and expertise in the next phase of her work from Easter 2015 contact Revd. John Mason. Borrowing from the Messy Church model, Chapel Allerton s Explorers group has been inviting children and their parents/carers to explore exciting activities and aspects of Christianity since early We regularly have modelling, painting, collage, and food art - usually something to eat together later as we all enjoy a story, cartoon or video clip. Activities may be triggered by the time of year (Stony Places during

19 Lent) by Bible stories (Piggy activities for the Prodigal Son) or by particular events (Journeys for Le Tour de France). Currently we are exploring some of Jesus Kingdom Sayings with Exploring Small Beginnings, Exploring Treasure and Exploring Impossibilities. We have had lovely comments from parents and children alike: We had such a fantastic afternoon at the Exploring Treasure event yesterday! (Angie) We had a great time too, so well organised and calm (Rhian) Children engage well, good interaction, helpful helpers (Janine) I like Explorers because you can choose what activities you want to do, and you can see what other people do and get ideas. (Orin) ********* Koinonia, basically meaning one another, is a greek word, found again and again in the New Testament. Many of these stories in this issue demonstrate Koinonia with all ages coming together, pooling their skills and resources, and learning from one another. We are very grateful to all those who have contributed in any way. Editing has been necessary to get everything in! Koinonia is produced through the Circuit Office Lidgett Park Methodist Church, Lidgett Place, Leeds LS8 1HG circuitoffice@leedsnandemethodist.org.uk (open to callers 10am-12noon, Monday-Thursday)

20 From the Church of England: The Church will welcome you The Church will accept and value you The Church will work to meet your needs The Church will be Christ-like in its approach to you The Church will nurture you in faith and worship The Church will provide you with appropriate teaching The Church will offer you relevant worship The Church will encourage you to serve others The Church will endeavour to provide you with a sense of community The Church will support you in sharing the Good News of Christ in word and deed From the United Reformed Church: We believe that: 1. Children are equal partners with adults in the life of the church. 2. The full diet of Christian worship is for children as well as adults. 3. Learning is for the whole church, adults and children. 4. Fellowship is for all each belonging meaningfully to the rest. 5. Service is for children to give, as well as adults. 6. The call to evangelism comes to all God s people of whatever age. 7. The Holy Spirit speaks powerfully through children as well as adults. 8. The discovery and development of gifts in children and adults is a key function of the church. 9. As a church community we must learn to do only those things in separate age groups which we cannot in all conscience do together. 10. The concept of the Priesthood of all Believers includes children.