As Christians, we know that children matter. We know that children’s ministry matters. And we know that this pandemic has been grueling and has placed an enormous burden of isolation on children and youth. Let’s gather to reflect on how we will tackle these issues.
On Saturday, October 16th, we will hear from leaders addressing best practices and wondering about ways we can respond pastorally to our young people when they need it most.
What to Expect? A series of short presentations followed by an interactive workshop to provoke questions and help us in our collective quest for inspiring ministry that delivers spiritual nourishment for children.
“My life of faith was nurtured from early on as my parents prayed with me, read bible stories to me, and took me to church. The church welcomed me and included me in the telling and singing of our story of love and hope. It’s so important for us to know that children can also have a relationship with God and learn how to foster that. This early formation helped to inspire a lifelong love of Christ and a sense of belonging to him and his people.”
– Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson
“It is astonishing that we pay so little attention to the fact that Jesus’ most lovely promises and most stern warnings involve the care and attention we pay to children and youth. Every act of loving encounter and meaningful attention is a prophetic engagement with the future and a profound statement of what we believe a human being is. This ministry is not only urgent, it is the greatest of human privileges.”
– Bishop Mark Macdonald
“One of the biggest surprises in some recent data on Canadian spirituality was that many people who are not connected to a church nevertheless desire for their kids to be taught about faith by a faith community. This means that, whether or not a church presently has kids in their congregation, every church should be exploring how they could connect with and serve the children in their neighbourhood in order to share the gospel with them and their families.”
– Rev Dr. Judy Paulsen
This will be a hybrid event. To register or for more information email Lee-Ann at [email protected].
