It may be that children, young people and their families are one of your areas of growth-focus.
Or perhaps your focus is elsewhere, but you want to engage with children, young people and families in your growth activities.
Whatever your level of engagement, you can access lots of resources and training through The Well Learning Hub.
Here are some ideas for engaging with children, young people and their families through each of the Methodist Way of Life practices.
Worship
Ask yourselves how it feels to be a child at your regular worship gathering. Plan some child-friendly activities to help them worship. Choose songs that are easy for children to sing; offer a box of percussion instruments for them to play; set out a table with a simple Bible craft that connects with the theme of the service.
Pray
Plan a prayer event with creative prayer stations that invite children to use all five senses to help them pray. Include something to touch, something to eat, something to smell, something with music, something colourful. Consider using the intergenerational prayer cards. (Link to buy these from Methodist Publishing)
Notice
Regularly ask children where they have noticed God in their lives that week and really listen to the answers. Have them write or draw a journal of the past week and give them the Methodist Way of Life journalling sticker pack to use. (Link to buy these from Methodist Publishing)
Share
Invite the children connected with your church to design a poster or postcard to advertise a seasonal service or event, such as your Easter service or Christmas fayre. Have them use the picture to show what is special to them about the season.
Live
Include a regular testimony slot in your worship gathering where people share an example of where they’ve tried to live like Jesus that week – and include children’s testimonies too.
Tell
Plan a simple, child-friendly, seasonal event three times a year to share the message of Christmas, Easter and harvest.
Care
At the start of each school term, give each child connected with your church a care package with pens and pencils, some chocolate and a card wishing them well. Offer the same to the parents at the start of the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays.
Learn
Offer an after school club to help children with their homework.
Open
Start a youth club and serve pizza and ice cream.
Challenge
Organise a letter-writing campaign to your Local Authority to address an issue of injustice in your local community. Have children and young people write their own letters, perhaps with a little guidance for the younger ones.
Flourish
Start a church garden – even if it’s a micro-garden in a planter against the church wall – and have children and young people care for it.
Serve
Regularly have the children and young people connected with your church serve coffee and biscuits after the service.
If you’re starting from scratch or rebooting a children, youth and family ministry, contact Gail Adcock for more information on training and accompaniment.