All NexGen Pro articles – Page 58
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Issues
Rethinking children’s work
The environment our children are growing up in seems to be constantly changing. What does that mean for our children’s work? Do we need to rethink what we’re doing? The diocese of London’s Sam Donoghue thinks community is the key
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Blog
5 ways your youth group can respond to humanitarian crises
From three earthquakes in Mexico, to Hurricane Irma wreaking havoc across the Caribbean, to a refugee crisis in Myanmar – the world has been rocked by humanitarian crises in recent weeks. It can leave us here in the UK feeling useless and asking what can we actually do to help?
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Issues
Medieval Teenager: How the Reformation saved my life
October marks 500 years since the start of the Protestant Reformation. Evangelist Glen Scrivener unpacks the importance of some of Martin Luther's doctrines for our ministries through sharing his own experience as a 'medieval teenager'.
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Faith at home
A story for home: The storm at sea
Here is a story for you to tell at home, perhaps at bedtime or as part of a ‘God-time’ during your day. You can break this story up and tell it part by part, or tell it all at once. You could also use this story during a children’s session.
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Issues
Hope for girls: turning up the volume
In October 2012, the United Nations launched International Day of the Girl Child to recognise girls’ rights and the challenges they face around the world. As the day approaches, Girls’ Brigade’s Claire Rush looks at how we can help support and empower our girls
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Issues
Sam Wise: Teach versus experience
One of the joys of my job is the year-long course we offer children’s workers. It’s designed to go a bit deeper than the ‘how to’ of children’s work and look at some of the thinking behind it. We look at children’s spirituality, how faith develops and some of the theology relevant to children.
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Faith at home
Forming faith rituals: Mini rituals adapted from Jewish ‘High Holy Days’
In our family, we celebrate Shabbat each week and Passover every year. So, I wanted to look at the Jewish ‘High Holy Days’, as they are known, to find some rituals we could use to enrich our faith at home. I’m not going to give an exhaustive overview here because you have Google too, but focus on what elements we can adapt and use.
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Issues
Mentoring: Self-control
Why is it that getting up at 7am for work can be absolute torture and require three hits of the snooze button, while 7am on a weekend morning for a long cycle in the Peak District is often an absolute joy? (It may be the other way around for you!) I’m sure you have your own struggles, but the answer is to do with our motivation.
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Issues
Games: Get-to-know-you games
The new term is in full swing and you may see some new faces around your youth and children’s groups. Here are some simple welcome games to help everyone join in and get to know each other.
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Issues
Craft: The prodigal son
The story of the prodigal son is a fantastic parable to explore creatively with children and young people. There are so many threads and themes that can be drawn out of the story: family, rebelliousness, separation, forgiveness, new life, celebration, love and jealousy. These crafts will give a helping hand in exploring some of these themes and should give plenty of space for discussion.
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Issues
Recharge Bible Study: What God wants
Recharge is a Bible study just for you, to nurture your own relationship with God. So stop, sit, breathe and read. This month, Gerard Kelly explores the importance of places
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Blog
Parable: Flat battery
The girls crowded around the stage door. Their ears were still ringing from the concert. What a night it had been. They’d heard all their favourite tracks: ‘Ooh baby, I love you’, ‘I love you, baby’, ‘Ooh, baby’ and ‘Love is an existential construct (but I love you baby)’. And now they were waiting for their hero, Olly Bieberlake, to come out and meet his fans.
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Blog
All-age service: Room without a roof
Meeting aim: To see that Jesus heals the paralysed man, but only after fixing his eternal problem.
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Issues
Jesus tells stories: Session 4
Meeting aim: To allow the children to explore the depths of Father God’s forgiveness.