Children and Families Ministry
APRIL UPDATE

These resources are compiled by Chris Barnett from the Intergenerational Ministry - Children & Families team at equipping Leadership for Mission (eLM) in the Synod of VIC/TAS. Thanks Chris for this valuable resource!

To receive these Updates directly via email each month, please e-mail Chris at chris.barnett@victas.uca.org.au.

Welcome to the APRIL Children & Families Update!

1.       Multi-National Children & Families Ministry Survey

In 2021 a multi-nation survey of parents and children & families ministry leaders led to the conclusion that a revised approach to ministry with children and their families needs to “…embody greater relational connection, rather than being primarily content or program-driven. Ultimately, there needs to be clearer communication, greater clarity and a stronger sense of purpose amongst all who are involved in children’s faith formation in order to best serve children in the seasons ahead”. In 2022 a call is going out to ministers/pastors/priests and other leaders of communities to participate in the next phase of this on-line research – irrespective of the number of children and families currently being engaged with in their local context.

For a copy of the report based on the initial survey, click here.

Ministers, Pastors, Priests and Leaders of Communities, click here to participate in the Survey, which is estimated to take 10-15 minutes to complete.

2.       Parenting for Faith: Rachel Turner

March 31 6.30pm AEDT In Conversation with Rachel Turner (FREE)
Parenting for Faith: podcasts (Rachel Turner)
Rachel Turner Amplify Keynote: recording (Amplify)
Comfort in uncertain times: book (Rachel Turner) NEW!
It takes a church to raise a parent: book (Rachel Turner)

3.       Easter at Home

Easter Family Faith Trail (UCA SA)
Holy Week at Home (Grow Ministries)
Easter Around the Table (mainly ministries)
Easter & Lent resources (Together at Home)
Seeking God’s Way: A Lent at Home resource (Mennonite Church USA)

4.       Practical Easter Ideas from Max7

Easter Games (Max7)
Easter Chat Mat (Max7)
Easter Service ideas (Max7)
Easter in your street (Max7)
Easter Activity stations (Max7)

5.       Easter Ideas from New Zealand

Lent & Easter ideas (PC NZ)
Lent & Easter ideas (Strandz)
Making a harakeke (flax) Cross (Jennifer Macleod)
The Mercy Tree: intergenerational ideas for Good Friday (SU)
The Colours of Sunday: an intergenerational Easter service (SU NZ)

6.       More Easter Ideas

Resurrection Eggs (Traci Smith)
A Prayer Cross (Grow Ministries)
Easter Family Faith Formation Resources (CRCNA)
Six Tools for building faith in households at Easter (CRCNA)
Easter Path: an intergenerational journey from Palm Sunday (CRCNA)

Nb. For even more Lent and Easter Ideas see previous Updates

7.       Faith Formation Resources

Family Faith Formation (Denise Utter)
Children’s Faith Formation (Tanya Campen)
Adolescent Faith Formation (Michael Droege)
Young Adult Faith Formation (Sarah Jazrembowski)
Intergenerational Faith Formation (Kathie Amidei)

8.       Literature for Children & Faith

Storypath resources (Storypath)
Choosing a storybook bible (CRCNA)
Building faith with picture books (CRCNA)
Children’s literature for ministry (Building Faith)
5 Picture books that tell God’s big story (CRCNA)

9.       Challenging Texts

Sharing discomforting biblical texts with children (Building Faith)
Terror in the Bible: pdf (Monica Melanchthon & Robyn Whitaker)
Terror in the Bible: book (Monica Melanchthon & Robyn Whitaker)
Valuable and Vulnerable: Children in the Hebrew Bible (Julie Faith Parker)
Texts of Terror: literary-feminist readings of biblical narratives (Phyllis Tribe)

10.   Two Events to Consider: Conversation with Rachel Turner (March 31) and Safeguarding Children & Young People (May 5)

·       Speaker’s Corner: In Conversation with Rachel Turner          Thursday 31 March 6.30pm AEDT

Brought to us by the Leaders to Go team, this is an opportunity to engage ‘in person’ with Rachel and to dig a little deeper into her experience and passion. A brief introductory opening from Rachel will be followed by a time for Q & A. For those that missed it, a link to Rachel’s keynote address from Amplify is included above in Item 2. More information and registration here.

·       Safeguarding Children & Young People in the UCA                 Thursday May 5 Midday AEST

For any adult across the Church, including Ministry Agents and Safe Church Contacts, this event will focus on what the UCA is doing to keep children and young people safe in UCA spaces. Topics covered will include trauma-informed response and prevention of grooming. More information and registration here.