As someone who has moved from Children’s Ministry into Family Ministry and having been a ‘sleeping partner’ in the CMN for the last 7 years, reading the emails ‘for information only’ but not responding to them, I was delighted to be invited by TSA’s formal representative Jonny Whitmore, to partner with them on the Network in person.
It was lovely to touch base again with people from my days in CM, meet legends like Suzi and Sam in person, who I have seen on International Webinars and been in awe of their work, and get to know, as far as possible, the other members of the group that were present.
I have reflected on the staying power of some of us – we have been in this place of ministry with children and families for many years. What a testimony to our calling whether that be full time or in lay ministry. There is something ‘dissenting’ about our work– we want to raise a voice that in some cases is still not heard. Thank God for the Hive Mind of CMN in regrouping around Core Skills and creating Children’s Ministry Essentials which is even more accessible, and even in pilot is providing the most amazing testimonials. My heart hurts that the cry remains ‘I wish I’d known this sooner’ and the video from Children Matter, played as we shared closing prayers on Thursday bought a different emotion from the tears I cried 10 years ago. I felt disappointed that the message ‘You’re losing us!’ is still current – and those children are now 19, 23, 15, 17 etc.
We asked, ‘where are they now’? and it seems they remain, but what of so many others?
It was amazing to hear of the resources that are being developed to reach children in schools, to disciple families and train workers – the result of 100’s of hours of dreaming, praying, listening, collaborating, planning and preparing. Let’s keep praying over the dreamers and developers – while our denominations differ and our struggles come from a variety of places, we must be one another’s Champions!
To that end, I’m really looking forward to The Salvation Army playing a part in the further collaborative development of Family Ministry Essentials.
What did I learn?
- A new word – ‘wakelet’ a place to save, organise and share content from the across the web.
- That the little people counters in Carcasson are called Meeples.
- That the game of the book ‘Being Intergenerational Church’ is fabulous. It was fun and we got a bit competitive, but it created a place where we could get the heart of some important matters and thinking out loud.
- That the best way to answer a question is with a question.
Finally, we said goodbye to Jane, Yvonne and Isobel and thanked them for their wisdom and service to the group. Only Jane would know the whereabouts of the mislaid secretly signed thank you cards!
The challenges remain and I am glad to be included in the Network for a season as we keep on keeping on.
Liz Hall, Salvation Army
Children’s Ministry Network 