Issue 48
The MAIN THING is to keep the MAIN THING the MAIN THING. What is the main thing God wants for the children and families you work with? What do you want want for these children and their families? Only you can decide but as you pray and think about it, it will help you if you think about these areas.
HEADS
What do they know about the Bible already? What do they know about God?
HEARTS
How do they feel about God? Do they have a relationship with God?
HANDS
What issues are they facing in their everyday lives? Do they live their faith out in their everyday lives?
It is good to summarize your main thing into a sentence that is easy to remember and quick to tell others. This will guide the way you design your programme and the content and curriculum you choose. For example, if you have decided your children need to get to know each other and your main thing concentrates on relationships, your programme might include more time in small groups building relationships. Or if you have lots of non-churched children and you want them to know the Bible well, then it will contain lots of stories and teaching. And if you want to help your children live out their faith in their everyday lives, then your programme might include practical ideas and time to talk about their lives. Keep your main thing in front of you and refer to it often – and remember as your children change and grow, your main thing may change too.
Welcome to the WAY2GO magazine. It’s full of ideas for people who work with children in their churches and local communities. Pull it out and pass it around.
GET READY… We will do different thi ngs in our programmes depending on what our main thing is, but there are some underly ing elements that all programmes need in ord er to make them effec tive. Check these things to see if you ha ve an awesome progra mme!
A W E S O M E
Active learning – remember, we all learn best through a combination of doing, saying and seeing as well as hearing. Use as many of the senses as possible during the programme for maximum learning. Don’t expect all your children to learn the same way. Wow – Make sure your programme includes some sparkle and a bit of fun. Fun makes learning easier for all. Explore the Bible – Look for opportunities to open the Bible with children. Give them hands on experience with a child friendly version. Help children to understand Biblical truths and how to apply them to their lives. Safety – Be aware of safety and care including behaviour and language, physical contact, cultural awareness and sensitivity, types of families, privacy and relationships. Opportunities – give your children opportunities to ‘tune in’ to what God is saying to them. Engage them by asking good questions and allowing opportunities to think and reflect and discuss. Maximise relationships – make sure everything you do has a relational element. Develop effective strategies for building relationships with children in and out of the programme time. Establish a relationship with the child’s family – use the time before and after church well. Encourage parents and care givers to be involved as helpers or come and see what their child is doing. They may have a special gift, talent, occupation or hobby you can use in the programme. Expect God – pray and expect God to be at work with your children. Ask God to be present in your programme and to help with your programme preparation and planning, building relationships, pastoral care and followup.
Lig an pe Ne bo
GET SET… Bubbles for 5’s & under Splash for 5 – 8’s
Xstream for 8 -11’s
Grid for 11- 14’s
Light is the exciting curriculum from SUNZ, designed for ministry with children, youth and all ages. Light gives the church a fresh discipleship tool to help leaders equip people of all ages to know Jesus Christ, to learn from God and to live boldly for him. Next year, new purchasing arrangements have enabled us to reduce prices across the board so check them out. Email info@sunz or ring 0508 423 836 for an order form. Mosaic is a Bible based curriculum with a number of topics especially designed to suit small groups of children with a wide age range. It is ideal for small churches and new church plants. Mosaic is $19.99 a book. Email info@sunz.org.nz or ring 0508 423836 to order a copy.
GO! le so let’s use
Our time with children is valuab it well.
r programme:
When you are preparing you
1. Pray and ask God to help you. 2. Read the Bible passage. 3. Check your ‘main thing’. you want to achieve in 4. Be clear about whingatyou decide to do must the session. Everyth your ‘main build around your Bible aim and thing’. r programme. Decide on the content of you
5. 6. Pray again.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING… ALL TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS
Here is an easy intergenerational Christmas Pageant designed to take place during your worship service with absolutely no practice at all. It includes children, youth and adults and uses them to tell the story of Jesus’ birth. http://rfour.org/christmas_ pageant.html
WATERY ADVENT
Aotearoa, New Zealand has been blessed with water so why not use it to reflect on the coming of Jesus at Christmas. This web site uses the image of water to countdown to Christmas. It needs some adapting from the Australian version but it’s a great idea. http://ctm.uca.edu.au/ childrenfamilies/watery-advent/
CHRISTMAS IDEAS
Take a look at this wide range of Christmas crafts, worship ideas and activities aimed at making Christmas count for your children and their families. http://sa.uca.org.au/cfm/ ministry-leaders/resources/ advent-and-christmas
WAY2GO TRAINING Next year’s WAY2GO conferences are going to be held in the second term of 2015.
INVERCARGILL 9 MAY 2015 WELLINGTON 23 MAY 2015 AUCKLAND 6 JUNE 2015
They are a bit later in the year so that you and your team have time to get to know each other and the children you are working with before you come along and get trained together. SUNZ trains and equips leaders all year round and helps them to work with children in their churches and local communities. Contact us at way2go@sunz.org.nz if you would like us to come to your church in the first term of next year.
Hilary Hague National
Andrew Ramsbottom Auckland
Annette Osborne
Auckland/Northland
Paul Dadd Auckland
Raewyn Rowney Wellington
Nigel Winder
Otago/Southland
SUPAkidz camps The photos in this issue of the WAY2GO magazine all come from our latest SUPAkidz Camp in Southland. If you would like to send a child you know on one of our SUPAkidz camps, there are two coming up in January – one in Auckland and one in Wellington. Look online for more information.
www.sunz.org.nz
Scripture Union wants to work with your church to create opportunities for children and young people to discover and follow Jesus, grow as leaders, and influence the world. Contact us and let us know how we can help you. Scripture Union in New Zealand – PO Box 760, Wellington 6140 way2go@sunz.org.nz – 0508 423 836 – www.sunz.org.nz