God tops National Children’s Survey

The children’s charity 4Children (www.4children.org.uk) runs a national Buzz survey every year to canvas the opinions of children and young people. This year’s survey asked them who they thought had changed the world for the better and who they turn to for inspiration. 1000 children aged 4-14 took part and there are some fascinating results.

We were delighted to read the following –
88% of the children had heard of God, 58% thought that God inspired them to make a better world and 59% thought that God does a lot to make their world better. The survey is packed full of very useful information for all of us working with children.

You can download the survey here.

Godly Play Network

Godly Play UK has become a registered charity and is growing in popularity all over the country. A Godly Play celebration is scheduled for later this year and we at MethodistChildren are delighted to be involved in the planning of this event. To consolidate Methodism's committment to Godly Play we want to have a networking opportunity for all those who have become devotees of this way of working. Our first stage is to get a list of people who are using Godly Play, have trained in Godly Play, or are connected with Godly Play in any way. Once we have a list we will then be in touch with everyone and set up a day here in Methodist Church House where we can be together and share our experiences and plan how to keep people in touch with each other and with developments and resources.
If you would like to be on the network list then please send us your details at children@methodistchurch.org.uk

Celebrating Children

Have you looked at the Celebrating Children course for Christians working with children in secular and church settings in the UK and overseas? It is held at at All Nations Christian College from September 10-14th 2007.

Topics to be covered include:

- Understanding Children and Childhood
- Listening and Responding to Children
- Recognizing Needs, Gifts and Potential (for children, families and organizations)
- Developing safe, effective intervention in practice
- Looking after self and staff/teams.

£325 Non-residential £395 Residential

Speakers include:
Glenn Miles,
Andrea Thomas,
Ian Thomas,
Andrew Towner,
Josephine-Joy Wright

Hosted by and in association with All Nations Christian College.

Contact Katharine Shaw for more details (01920 443500)

Rebuilding Strong Towers

You may have attended one of our Building Strong Towers events and might be keen to know how you could do more with this resource. We are pleased to announce that the partners who worked together on this are offering a one day Consultation event in Methodist Church House on Tuesday 30th October 2007. We aim to present the resources developed for Building Strong Towers so that others can use them in both similar and new contexts. The consultation will address how we can best equip the Church and its workers to walk alongside children in difficult times and ensure that as a society we function effectively in support of children. We will look at regional co-operation and at strategies to resource colleges and training schemes.
A free pack will be available on the day, including a version of the DVD to use in your own events, programme suggestions, contact details for national and local groups who helped or might help and a resource list.
The event is aimed at

• regional and local trainers of children’s workers,
• those responsible for initial and ongoing training for clergy and specialist ministries,
• people developing new work in churches or extended schools,
• leaders of children’s work in regions and denominations,

You are warmly invited to attend or be represented at this presentation and consultation and we look forward to sharing ideas with you and hearing your views in this important area. Please let us know by post or email who will be attending, children@methodistchurch.org.uk

Millennium Development Goals

The mid-point progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has just been published. Here is some idea of how we are doing on the way towards 2015.

• The proportion of people living on US$1 a day or less has fallen from 45.9 percent to 41.1 percent since 1999; however, achieving the MDG target of halving the extent of extreme poverty in Africa by 2015 means the pace of reduction has to be doubled.
• Only five donor countries have reached or exceeded the long-standing UN target of donating 0.7 percent of gross national income being to development aid – Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
• Indeed, total official development assistance fell in real terms by 5.1 percent between 2005 and 2006, the first decline since 1997, despite pledges by the G8 industrialised nations at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 to double aid to Africa by 2010.
• Worldwide, the proportion of people living on $1 a day has dropped from 32 percent (1.25 billion in 1990) to 19 percent (980 million in 2004). According to the report, if that trend continues, the “MDG poverty reduction target will be met for the world as a whole and for most regions”.
• Primary school enrolment has increased from 80 percent in 1991 to 88 percent in 2005;
• There has been a decline in child mortality, mainly through interventions against measles.
• In southern Asia, almost 30 percent of people still live on $1 day while in eastern Asia the share of income of the poorest fifth of the population had fallen from 7.3 percent in 1990 to 4.5 percent
   The UN Millennium Development Goals website
  

"I'm telling you the most solemn and sober truth now: Whoever believes in me has real life, eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate the manna bread in the desert and died. But now here is Bread that truly comes down out of heaven. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. I am the Bread—living Bread!—who came down out of heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live—and forever!"
The Gospel of John Chapter 6 verse 47

Dedicated to Paul Godfrey 1957 - 2007, a dear friend and colleague to Children's Ministry who will be sadly missed by many.

If you require any further information please contact us on children@methodistchurch.org.uk 

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