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Welcome to the April 2008 Children's Workers' newsletter. |
How surprised were you to see or even hear about the snow that fell over the Easter weekend? It seemed like the seasons had gone mad! As the snow lay melting on the ground as we sang Easter hymns it was funny to think that snow is usually associated with Christmas and the hymns of Jesus' birth. In amongst the snow there were daffodils and buds on the trees - proof that new life can spring even from the coldest and hardest of situations. Perhaps this can be a message for the work of all out ministries - to remember that new life is all around, we sometimes just need to look carefully to see it.
Christian Childcare Forum present - LOVE, A four letter word Love has become a four-letter word noticeable by its absence in most of the legislation and guidance for those working with children and young people. But for Christians and professionals involved in caring, teaching and supporting them, it is of crucial importance. We believe that children must be enabled to give and receive love. So in an age of safeguarding and child protection, how do we express love in an appropriate way? This one day event will draw from the wisdom and practical experience of Christian professionals working alongside children and young people in a wide range of settings – a must for Christians working and volunteering with children. More information, including booking, at www.christianchildcareforum.org.uk This event has a fabulous line up of speakers! |
The second of the CORE downloadable modules can now be bought from www.coreskillsforchurches.com This practical and creative module aims to develop a knowledge and understanding of children with disabilities and explore ways to make all activities accessible, inclusive and welcoming. This is in addition to the first module which enables children's workers to support children through the different transitional experiences in their journey from infancy to early adolescence. Both these modules are available from the website for £3 each. |
Stemming the TideMethodist Young People have challenged every Methodist church to have a month of action on climate change.So MethodistChildren and MAYC through JMA and World Action are producing - shaped by the responses of a survey sent out to children and young people - a resource online so that all ages in every church can engage in a really effective month of action. The resource to be launched early in May, will be flexible with plenty of material to use with children’s groups, youth groups, all age worship, Bible study, sermons, etc. There will be plenty of facts, ideas, activities and evaluation tools that will help both study and action - both as an individual and as a corporate group. There will also be a focus on the impact of climate change on the Pacific Islands, and those who live there. The web address will be www.stemthetide.org.uk. A poster will be sent to each church, with room for you to fill in which month your church has chosen for its month of action, along with postcards and information pocket cards to raise awareness. |
Children's Ministry Courses CORE Skills is the foundation for children's work, but what if you want to go further? International Christian College, Glasgow Moorlands College, Christchurch Cliff College, Sheffield St John’s College, Nottingham Oak Hill Theological College University of Wales, Bangor University of Chester We are always eager to hear about others - so please let us know of any you are aware of. |
News from JMAWe hope JMA groups and supporters will be busy planning their support for the climate change project. See below for more information on this. Please check that your church is making the most of these free print resources:Rainbow is free for all children, so why not: FUN has information for leaders about what’s in Rainbow, but loads of other ideas for activities too. To get extra copies of April’s Rainbow and FUN for your church ring Customer Services at mph in Peterborough 01733 325002. In September Rainbow will be looking at Methodism in the US and have a story from Sri Lanka – don’t let anyone miss out! |
More CORE Issues in Training - get booked in now!
MORE Core Issues in Training at the University of Nottingham from Friday 5th September to Sunday 7th September 2008. There will be workshops on transitions, special needs, global issues, as well as time spent looking at young leaders, spirituality and where the governments in the nations are heading with children's issues. This is an event not to be missed! You can book in now for the Conference by downloading the booking form from here - http://www.methodistchildren.org.uk/adults/More Core booking form.pdf The cost is £150 per person - talk to your Church Council or Circuit about supporting you to get there! Contact secretary@cgmcontheweb.com for more information |
This ecumenical training conference is not to be missed! For those working with children, children's workers and beyond!From the Religious Education Resources Project "Hi, my name is Karen Van Coevorden and I work part-time as the Key Worker of the Religious Education Resources Project, an organisation funded by the Methodist Church with the aim of providing high quality advice, resources and training for school staff, pupils and governors in the field of religious education in local schools from the perspective of the Christian Faith Community. For the remaining two days of the week, I am a PPA cover teacher and the RE Subject Leader at South Park Primary School in Ilford, Essex. Since commencing my new role in November, I have been busy building upon the excellent work done by my predecessor, Reverend Keith Underhill, and attempting to carve out the Karen Van Coevorden-shaped hole of the project. My work has been considerably varied and has covered a wide age range, from Nursery children to University students. I have been flexible in my approach and have responded to the needs and requests of individual schools. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what my job entails (each day is so different!), much of my work involves conducting assemblies and leading demonstration lessons on aspects of the Christian tradition. These complement the support material outlined in the Redbridge Agreed Syllabus and cover a wide range of themes, such as ‘Why is the Bible special for Christians?’ and ‘What does it mean to belong?’ My sessions are always interactive and provide opportunities for fun and engagement with the Christian material. Highlights have included role-playing the story of St. Francis and the wolf of Gubbio with Year 1 children and re-enacting the events of Holy Week with Year 4 children. This year, I have also enjoyed leading church visits, where I have attempted to bring the building alive by recreating some of the most important events that take place. These have included participating in a mock-baptism and enjoying bread and grapes as part of communion. The main highlight, a mock-wedding, always produces shrieks of laughter from the class, particularly when the groom is told, ‘You can now kiss the bride’! Recently, I have become an accredited Godly Play Teacher, so I am extremely excited about using this method to bring biblical stories into the schools within my borough. I ask that you will support the work of the Project and remember me in prayer as I approach the many challenges that lie ahead in the future. If you are interested in hearing more about the work of the Project, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0208 598 2899 or by email on caravankv@hotmail.com. " |
Recommended by our web visitors! www.metroministries.org has a wide range of resources and also has a network site where many organisations working with children can upload their own games and lesson ideas and get lesson and game ideas from Metro Ministries which has a Sunday School of over 40,000 children a week combined. 'Speaking of Faith' is an American Christian radio programme, which investigates faith in its widest context. Quite often its programmes (which are accessible through the website) focus on aspects of children, family and spirituality.This week's broadcast is on the topic of the spirituality of parenting, and amongst those interviewed is Rabbi Sandy Eisenburg Sasso (author of God's Paintbrush, In God's Name etc). It's well worth listening to - and also exploring the reactions and additional material on the web site.Here's the link: Seasons of the Spirit has put downloadable samples of its 2008/2009 material online. If you have churches thinking about a change in the curriculum they use, they might appreciate being pointed in this direction. Beware - the deadline date for ordering is quite early. You may have heard that the Government is holding a consultation into the impaction of the commercial world on children, and are asking for evidence from children, young people, parents and other interested parties (you?). If you would like to encourage people to take part the details can be found here: |
Breakout 2008 11th to 13th July
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you require any further information please contact us on children@methodistchurch.org.uk MethodistChildren is part of the Connexional Team of the |
