A decade of School's Work

A dedicated Christian schools' worker has told of his decade teaching children and young people about the Gospel, now regularly visiting 21 schools across Staffordshire and Derbyshire.

Jordan Lambert, of Uttoxeter, started working in just three schools when he began in 2016. His work is supported by the Methodist Church, as well as the Church of England, United Reformed Church and the Assemblies of God. Free churches and the Roman Catholic Church have also lent support to standalone projects in the past.

The role supports children’s holistic development and works closely with school leaders to shape Christian visions that enrich the ethos, culture and daily life of their schools.

In March this year, more than 1,000 schoolchildren from Staffordshire were told the resurrection story thanks to a free cinema project.

Jordan spoke about the dramatic growth in the schools he visits.

He said: “The role started with something like setting up a weekly assembly and setting up an after-school club and it has just grown from there. It has grown so much that it’s been amazing to see how God has worked through this role to reach so many people. I have this role to create these places and spaces where children can learn about faith.

“Working in such an ecumenical way across so many churches has also been awesome. I feel like I am representing the Church as a body rather than any particular denomination and just being a Christian person.

“The Apostle Paul says we should be all things to all people so some may believe, and working with children and young people of such a different age range really shows that. We do a lot of work on deepening social skills and showing how to treat other people.

“I visit, sometimes, four or five schools a day and it is really important to build relationships with the school leadership. School ministry is not set in its ways and of lot of flexibility is required. Luckily, we do get a lot of support from volunteers in special events designed to bring the Church and schools together, predominately during seasonal events.

One of his favourite parts of the job is sharing the Gospel with children and seeing their reactions.

He said: “There is a genuine enjoyment that comes from what we do and how we connect. The children can learn about Jesus in a fun and exciting way. For me, the Gospel is full of exciting stories and adventures and they really respond to that.

“When we went to see the film King of Kings, some of the children were visibly moved or even crying. A lot of them didn’t know that Jesus had died for us.

“We see little elements of people becoming more aware of the faith, even if that doesn’t mean they immediately come to church on a Sunday morning. We are also able to break down stereotypes about Christians too, some of the children had the idea that Christians just sit at home and read the Bible all day! We can show that we are normal people who do read the Bible, of course, but also do so much more and live our faith in the world.”