NEWS
Virtual gatherings With restrictions on travel and large gatherings, ministries took an innovative approach making this the year of the virtual conference.
VIRTUAL PANASIA 2020 29,330+ views
KIDSHAPER VIRTUAL CONFERENCE Over 1,000 Kids leaders
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT VIRTUAL SUMMIT Enlarging Community focus
Field workers, mission partners and pastors from around the world came together for PanAsia 2020 in the first week of August. The virtual gathering saw people tuning in from their loungerooms, home offices and kitchens to hear from the ACCI team, guest speakers and our amazing field workers. Making use of Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, the five days of PanAsia saw a mix of pre-recorded devotions, sermons and field worker updates, along with live prayer sessions and informal coffee chats conducted over Zoom. Even with the online format, there was a real sense of community and family togetherness – something many found encouraging in these tumultuous times. Field workers and church partners alike were also thrilled to have found a new way of staying connected with the work that is being done around the world and each other. Engagement across the three platforms was high throughout the five days, with a huge 29,330+ views recorded on Facebook alone. Want to see for yourself? Click here to view our pre-recorded PanAsia content, including all the threeminute field worker updates.
Kidshaper 2020 looked different this year but what wasn’t lost was the connection and lean in from 1,000 Kids pastors and leaders around Australia and beyond who linked in for the Kidshaper Virtual Conference. ACC National President Wayne Alcorn and Justin Edge, the children’s pastor from Life.Church, joined Andy & Christie Kirk to encourage the Kids Pastors and Leaders around what we can do in this season. Kidshaper is not conference without the annual song from Dave and Dan who did not disappoint with their ‘live, prerecorded’ item. The second half of the online conference switched platforms with six incredible local ACCkids Team members hosting Electives on Zoom, with all delegates receiving the entire Media pack post conference. The elective topics included: Changing the Success Matrix: Engaging the whole family; Think with the end in mind: Toy and Tech trends, along with Primary and Early Childhood Ministry. If you missed the night you can go to our ACCkids website and access the content from the Resources page. www. acckids.org.au We look forward to 2021, to meet together in person, continue online expressions and together continue to grow in all things Kids Ministry.
Delegates from churches around the nation joined Paul Bartlett and the State Community Engagement Team, to discuss and share ideas on Church and community, particularly in the changing Covid world. “We can’t do church the same way as it has been done before,” stated Paul Bartlett, acknowledging that Covid is enabling the Church to think differently about the way we reach people. Paul went on to share seven points on finding new ways to “enlarge the place of our tent” from Isaiah 54:2.
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1. Build People Not Buildings 2. Emphasis on Neighbourhood 3. Flexibility and acting quickly 4. Partnership is greater than resource 5. Create a Discipleship Pathway 6. Mental Health is the new pandemic 7. Getting Qualified “The greatest danger for the Church is that we’re just hanging on so we can go back to what we used to do,” said Paul. “Covid is forcing us to have conversations and can have an impact on us to change.” As Dermot Cottuli shared, “Community involvement cannot be a one-off event. We have to build relationships that are ongoing and relational or it won’t last. It’s about serving people with no agendas or strings attached but simply that “we’re here to serve”.
