Children and Families Ministry Newsletter

Transcription

1 In this Issue: Prayer points (p2) Library (p3) Training, Resources and Events (pp4-8) Links and Ideas (p6) 10 Ways to Make Your Lessons Unforgettable (pp9-10) Children and Families Ministry Newsletter A message from Gendy Hello everyone, I hope you have all had a restful, warm, restoring summer. I ve been back just over a week, and love being back, in the chaos and all. I know this is where God has put me and it s so exciting to be back, anticipating what God is going to do this year! We are heading into Lent VERY SOON, next week our parish has pancake races then a pancake dinner for koha, the kids and I are looking forward to it. I m also looking forward to Issue 65 February 2016 picking up Bishop Justin s challenge to all of us for Lent. If you ve not heard it, here it is it relates to the Generous Hospitality Lenten study being promoted: Bishop Justin encouraged us all at our recent Synod to consider undertaking this study together, and to challenge ourselves further by inviting people to share our table with us throughout Lent. His suggestion of one meal a week with Christian friends to support each other in our walk together, and one meal a week for friends or people in our life who would not normally be invited to our table. In the challenge +Justin went onto say that this doesn t mean having to squeeze in two flash meals a week, it s about inviting people to do life with us. In our family contexts this may mean we re going to the beach, who can we invite that we want to support in our Christian walk? Or who can we invite that we wouldn t normally? Same with the playground, a picnic, hanging out for an hour after picking the kids up from school, etc. Generous Hospitality is not about giving up, it s about inviting into our lives. What can you do to pick up this challenge in a way that invites fellow Christians into your life more to support each other, and to invite people you normally would not into your life to go deeper with each other? We recommend to you the Lenten Study Generous Hospitality. There are a few copies left that can be purchased from Karen at the Anglican Centre (act now! Karen@wn.ang.org.nz). Diana Langdon (Strandz Enabler for the Tikanga Pakeha part of our Anglican Church) has written up two movie suggestions that families (or children s ministries) can use, to add to the movie list at the end of the Lenten study. You can find these attached to this newsletter. Lastly, I want to acknowledge your patience and grace in the lack of support as I have transitioned into my new Mission and Ministry management role for the diocese, and still piecemeal try to cover Children and Family till we have a replacement. You are all getting the raw end of the deal and I m sorry for this. We hope to have some appointments soon and more accessible support. I personally am very excited about our decision to have a presence in both the north and south of the diocese. May all your ministries start smoothly, glorifying God and actively discipling and creating belonging for all who attend. You are faithful servants thank you! Looking forward to seeing you all at the leadership days over the year more info inside. Xoxo Gendy March 12 April 7 June 11 Coming up: Messy Church Resourcing Day Leadership training day Way2Go Conference

2 Cluster Facilitators The following areas have Cluster Facilitators these facilitators are the first port of call for advice, troubleshooting, pastoral care etc. Urban Wellington: Alison Camplin Parishes: Northland, Willis Street, Cathedral, Wadestown, City Mission Lower Hutt: Lyn Napier Parishes: Lower Hutt, Eastbourne, Waiwhetu, Wainuiomata, Petone Greater Porirua City: Hayley Balmer Parishes: Tawa-Linden, Titahi Bay, Porirua, Whitby, Pauatahanui Kapiti Coast (Kapiti Levin:) Colette Stevens Parishes: Kapiti, Waikanae, Otaki, Levin Rural and Urban Manawatu: Hannah Carter Parishes: Rongotea, Oroua/Fielding, Rangitikei, Ashhurst, All Saints PN, St Peter s, St Matthew s, Milson Combined, Shannon-Foxton. Wanganui: Christine Goodin Parishes: Christ Church, Eastern Wanganui, Castlecliff, Gonville. PLEASE PRAY FOR... All of the families that we engage with (both through Sunday worship and in activities/events during the week): that they would be discipled and nurtured in their faith. Children and families participating in Lenten studies and activities; that they would be challenged and inspired as they go deeper with God, each other, and invited guests. The ministries and opportunities mentioned in this newsletter. Please ring or us with your celebrations, new adventures and prayer needs so we can all share in praying for your ministry. Sharing helps us support each other, build our networks across the diocese and appreciate each other s skills and passions. Save the Dates! Lay Leadership Training Days April 7 and October 8 These days will include a stream especially for Children and Family Ministry leaders. They are for ALL of your team: volunteers, helpers, small group leaders etc. Way2Go Conference June 11 WAY2GO provides innovative and effective ideas from Scripture Union (SUNZ) for children's ministry in New Zealand. Whether you are new to children's ministry or an experienced leader WAY2GO will encourage you with inspirational teaching and practical tips to help children discover Jesus and grow in faith. Ministry Conference July This is for the MAIN Children in Families leader in each parish (ie. The person who coordinates/oversees children/family ministry) and their families. More info coming soon watch this space!

3 Resources in the library We have HUNDREDS of resources in the library available for borrowing: books on parenting, all-age worship, children s ministry curriculum materials, bible teaching resources, resources to equip parents to share their faith at home, ideas for talks, games and crafts, leadership, marriage, raising teenagers, and heaps more! Love Life Live Lent Family Book Church House Publishing Rather than giving up chocolate or going on a detox, you and your family can make a difference during Lent by undertaking an act of generosity each day. This book contains small and fun actions that can inspire and transform your family, your community and the wider world. Includes: daily actions for adults and children; Lent and Easter activities; Recipes; Prayers; fascinating facts about Easter and Lent. Messy Easter Jane Leadbetter Three complete sessions for Lent, Holy Week and Easter, together with a wealth of activities to extend the range of excitingly messy activities for your Messy Church - creative prayers, games, food crafts, and ideas for organising an Easter trail. Craft templates and a session planning grid are included. Humphrey s First Palm Sunday Carol Heyer Unhappy to be at the back of the pack, Humphrey makes a plan to become lead camel in his caravan. Despite his disruptive antics, the caravan makes its way into Jerusalem just in time to witness Jesus entering the city. Though more than three decades have passed, Humphrey recognises the man on the colt as the child to whom he gave his coveted blanket on that special night in Bethlehem. This beautiful and entertaining book is a wonderful way to introduce the events of Palm Sunday. Children will identify with the lovable camel and see, through Humphrey's example, that there is great joy in following Jesus. The Tale of Three Trees Angela Elwell Hunt For three little trees who dream of what they will be someday - a holder of treasure, a fine ship, a hilltop beacon pointing to God - life proves to have something rather different in store. They are disappointed that their lives are so mundane. And, as the years pass, "the three trees nearly forgot their dreams." Yet each eventually gets its wish, although not in the way it had foreseen: they become Jesus' manger, boat, and cross. When that happens, each discovers that things turned out just the way they should have. Together for a Season: All-age resources for Lent, Holy Week and Easter Gill Ambrose, Peter Craig-Wild, Diane Craven, Peter Moger Lift the liturgical texts off the page to produce engaging, multi-sensory worship! Fully planned all-age services; creative suggestions for incorporating multi-sensory elements into seasonal worship to encourage active participation and involvement from the whole church; additional practical resources for use with groups of children and adults, at home and in outreach activities. CD ROM includes illustrations and templates, the texts of services, and full-colour photographs to inspire your own worship. Easter Cracked and More Easter cracked Scripture Union Combining years of Scripture Union experience with exciting new ideas, these books will give you almost everything you need to get the most out of Easter. Group activities, drama, events, stories, songs, all-age worship, crafts, creative prayer ideas, short talks and more! We have plenty more resources available for borrowing! You can view our full catalogue by ing natalie@wn.ang.org.nz, or pop in for a browse if you live nearby. If you would like to borrow any of the resources Natalie to make your request.

4 Diocesan Children and Family Leader and Developer roles - update We are currently in the process of sorting out the applications for the north and south positions. Please pray for this process! In the meantime, Gendy has now moved desks because of her new role. She is still covering Children and Families where able. Her phone number has changed because of the new desk, but her is still the same: gendy@wn.ang.org.nz

5 Lenten Studies for families The Young Persons Office are providing two family movie recommendations and discussion topics for families or children and family ministries doing the Generous Hospitality Lenten studies. The movies are Paddington and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The family discussion sheets for these films are attached to this newsletter (or Natalie: natalie@wn.ang.org.nz.) Please print or forward them on to families in your parish! A big thanks to Diana Langdon, Strandz Enabler (National Tikanga Pakeha Children and Family Enabler for putting these together for us. We would love to share with the rest of the diocese what YOUR ministry is doing re: Generous Hospitality especially over Lent, and anything to do with refugees, child poverty, climate change, or the core diocesan values (Discipleship, Being Family, Last, Lost, Least). Please Natalie (natalie@wn.ang.org.nz) with anything that you would like to share: articles about events/activities you held, photos, ideas or resources to recommend to others! The Bible Society have several free booklets and leaflets perfect for giving out at Easter time to remind your children of the true story of Easter. Go Fish Leaflet (Packs of 50) (Free) Peter was a fisherman when he met Jesus. He stopped fishing and became Jesus' friend." Children will follow Peter's friendship with Jesus over the first Easter. A fun, interactive Easter leaflet featuring the CEV text. An Amazing Race Leaflet (Packs of 50) (Free) Children will race to the tomb to find out what happened to Jesus in this fun interactive Easter leaflet featuring the CEV text. Order the free leaflets here:

6 Lent and Easter resources from Strandz Check out the Strandz website for some fantastic resources for Lent and Easter! Incudes videos, craft ideas, family activities, prayer ideas and a printable booklet from Flame Creative to help families engage with Lent. LINKS AND IDEAS Lent and Easter Lent in two minutes (Busted Halo): A brief kinetic type video explaining the what and why of Ash Wednesday and Lent, from the history of wearing ashes dating back to the Old Testament, to the practices of Catholics and Christians during Lent. Lent Ideas from Barnabas: Lessons, craft ideas, prayers, and ideas to use at home. Lent in Homes (Faith in Homes): Lots of family fun, crafts, games and prayer activities for use during Lent. Lent & Easter (Carolyn C. Brown): Ideas to help explain and include children in more traditional Lent and Holy Week activities. Game Ideas Games on themes: Simple games with links to Bible themes. Games to start a session: Simple games to play as children enter. Three generic Bible games: Simple games that are easily adaptable to fit sessions on any Bible story or character. Games to exercise the mind: Physical games that will help children focus their minds especially after sitting down for awhile! Noughts and crosses prayer: A game that gives children a framework to help them pray out loud in groups. Some Story Book resources Picture Book Theology: Using picture books to engage people and inspire discussions about God and faith. Includes book ideas to engage with the experience of refugee families. Storypath Lectionary links: Ideas for story books that link thematically with the lectionary readings for every Sunday of the year. This could be great for Sunday School, All-Age services, or perhaps as sermon illustrations adults love stories too! Some Articles of interest Children: close to the mystery of God: The key to church growth: Dis-Comforting Bible Stories: Sharing Challenging Scripture with Children: 5 Bs of creative teaching:

7 Connectible is ready! Connectible is a new online resource sharing website, created by the Diocese of Dunedin. It is a FREE online curriculum for the whole Church and it is ready for you to try out! The system follows the Lectionary to help you easily find the resources that connect with a key Bible reference for each Sunday. Each week there are set of components that connect together. Use all of them or only a few. This is a resource sharing website, so if you have good idea, share it. Please have a look through the site then click on the 'Give Feedback' button to add in your thoughts. Check it out at a New Zealand-created discipleship bible story app to help parents teach their children more about the Bible. The world s first bible story app for parents AND kids and it s free! Inside you ll find hundreds of pages of world-class illustration and narration alongside fun facts and fascinating archaeological, historical and scientific discoveries. It s fun for parents too! Visit the website to learn more: Download the free app here: itunes (ios): p/temple-run/id ?mt=8 Google Play (Android): d=com.biblepathway Children and Family Ministry Facebook Group An online community forum for anyone involved in ministry to children and families in the Wellington Diocese (Lower North Island). Ask each other questions, post ideas or resources you use, discuss articles, find out what other parishes are doing... and anything else you want! Go to: Ministry-Anglican-Diocese-of- Wellington/ (you will need a Facebook account it s free to sign up.)

8 Two-year Preschool Ministry Curriculum available FREE A two year preschool curriculum written for a Baptist church during The writer is a qualified Christian school teacher and the publisher has had many years of Children s Ministry experience as well as a theological degree. This package is being offered to New Zealand churches with full permission from the original church. This curriculum package is FREE and therefore not for sale. (We only charge for printing and postage, if required.) Available in digital format for you to adapt to your local context and add your logo or edit the lessons. The curriculum is published through Connecting the Dots Creative Programming and can only be used for your local context. You will be supplied with digital files that you are able to adapt and change. Each lesson contains: - Teaching scripts and small group discussion - Craft activities and colouring pages - Take Home sheets Each theme includes an introductory booklet, lessons and take home pages in both publisher and pdf formats. Elke Keeling on elke.keeling@ihug.co.nz if you would like to obtain this curriculum for use in your parish. We hope it will provide a resource for churches to better teach their pre-schoolers about Jesus and the wonderful God Story from the Bible. Coming up in 2016 March 12: April 7: June 11: July 21 23: October 8: November 5: Messy Church Resourcing Day Leadership training day Way2Go Conference Ministry Conference Leadership training day Diocesan Hui Tell us what you re up to! We would love to hear about ministries and events around the Diocese that engage with children and families, and profile them in this newsletter! If you would like to share what is happening in your parish, please Natalie at families@wn.ang.org.nz. Remember we are here to serve you! If you need ideas, resources, specific training for you and/or your team, an opportunity to debrief or chat, give us a call or an . We ll visit you, send resources out, and seek answers to questions for you. Whatever you need, try us! If we can t help you we ll find out who can! Gendy Thomson, Archdeacon for Young People: (DDI) , arch.youngpeople@wn.ang.org.nz Natalie Moreno, Administrator: (DDI) , families@wn.ang.org.nz

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