CHURCHES ENCOURAGING FAMILIES TO BUILD FAITH AT HOME

Scripture Union NZ works alongside the churches in Aotearoa, New Zealand in The New Zealand Children's Ministry Network (NZCMN) so we all can benefit from each other’s expertise. Here are some of the resources developed by NZCMN members to help families build faith at home.

BAPTIST CHILDREN AND FAMILY MINISTRIES We know how busy ministry and life can be so we love to come alongside churches and provide resources they can use with and for families. This last year we produced two that have been successfully used by a wide variety of churches: Faith@Home, a resource designed to help families know how to live their faith in the home; and The Advent Story, a fun Christmas resource. Families were able to add a decoration to a small foam tree for each of the days of Advent and then read the true story of Christmas on an app – The Advent Storybook. We enjoyed creating something that was uniquely Kiwi and incorporated modern technology. For these and other family resources please take a look on our website – www. athomeandchurch.org.nz

SALVATION ARMY CHILDREN’S MISSION DEPARTMENT We know, sometimes you have to see it to believe it! We hope to inspire and encourage families to craft their own rhythms of family time and faith conversation by introducing them to a real life family, Allanah and her sweet tamariki. In our ‘Family Time – Praying Together’ video, Allanah and the kids describe their ritual of using prayer sticks as a whānau and explain how this is changing their relationships with another. Maybe it could motivate families in your congregation too! Check it out, along with some other seasonal Family Time resources, at children.salvationarmy.org.nz/family-time

HANNAH MEDLAND Territorial Children's Mission Director

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND Kids Friendly is the national children’s ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. The Kids Friendly website kidsfriendly.org.nz/resourcing/ is a great source for children and families ministry, with numerous resources and articles including a Faith@Home section.

THE CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NETWORK WEBSITE The NZCMN website www.nzcmn.org.nz includes a calendar of children’s ministry trainings and events around the country, along with lists of contacts for regional cluster groups that meet regularly for support.

ANGLICAN DIOCESES OF NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MINISTRY

The faith formation of our Anglican families is a key focus for Strandz this year. We have been increasingly aware of two important conversations happening in New Zealand— one about how churches can best support family discipleship in the home, and the other about child mental health and wellbeing. The research shows that mental unwellness can often stem from disconnection, so we started to consider how we could reinforce those important connections at a young age—to God, creation, ourselves, and one another. As a result, our Family on Mission Journal was launched in November. The journal has a Lego and Minecraft theme, and provides a framework for families to reflect on how God is at work in their lives, and check those points of connection regularly. It is being trialled within the Diocese of Wellington, and we hope to share it wider later in the year. Our hope is that these family connections will hold strong in the years to come, strengthening our wider church and the faith of all generations

DIANA LANGDON Strandz Enabler