Children’s Worker Conference
September is a manic month! It always seems to take me by surprise, I think I’m prepared with clean uniforms ready for the first day of school and have the new church term all planned out and ready to go. And then bam! September hits and my fantastic organisation is full of holes (and so is some of the school uniform!) The new church rota needs reworking, the list of jobs far exceeds the time I have available, and suddenly the summer holidays feel like a distant memory! Maybe you’re the same - each academic year begins full of vision and positivity but very quickly we find ourselves back in the grind of ministry and powering full steam ahead towards Christmas without a moment’s pause.
Well let me help you with that. In the midst of this crazy term, there is a moment to pause. To remember why we do kids ministry, to remember why the bible is the answer. There is a day to come, not with your session plan and your box of crafts, but with your hands empty and your heart ready to receive. As children’s workers, we are so good at doing, we are capable and even skilled, at coping in high-stress situations. But Jesus invites us to come to him for rest. So let me extend that invitation to you afresh.
Come to the Children’s Worker Conference on the 7th of October. Take a day away from the ministry grind and come and be refreshed in God, envisioned in ministry, and equipped to teach truth to God’s children. Come as you are. Come not with a role or with a title, come as a child of God. Come and learn how to teach from the teacher himself.
Teaching Truth: unleashing the power of scripture in children’s ministry
Maybe like me, you’re finding that the conversations you’re having with children today are changing. Their culture is a mess of confusing opinions and fluctuating truth, they are grappling with issues that we didn’t face at their age and they are asking questions that we feel ill-equipped to answer. That is why this conference is going to be all about Teaching Truth. Through this one-day conference for Children’s Workers, parents and pastors we’ll be exploring how the bible is relevant and essential for children of today’s culture, and will equip you to teach real truth in the home, in schools, and in churches.
We'll hear from Dave Rogers about why grounding our children's ministry in the Bible is so important for us in Commission. Robin Barfield will equip us as teachers as we think through how children encounter God in scripture and what our role is in that. We’ll be unpacking how we can teach biblical truth in different areas of children’s ministry through a range of afternoon seminars from fantastic kids workers. Then I’ll send us out with a big vision for how the truth of God’s word empowers us and our children to stand firm in this confusing world.
There will be plenty of worship and ministry throughout the day, with time to pray for one another and be strengthened in faith together. And we’ll enjoy a shared lunch as a time to connect as teams, meet new friends, and learn from each other. Come along, take the pause. I look forward to seeing you there!
