Question #1 How do you start a new children’s ministry when you only have a few children and support from the congregation is not forthcoming?
Unfortunately, there are often people in churches who don’t want change. They are happy with the way things are and they see any differences as a threat. And children make a big change! If you’re faced with such attitudes, then here are some positive steps you can take:
Work with the church leadership
Your minister / church leader and PCC / eldership set the direction for your church’s ministry and getting them on board will make a significant difference to any new children’s work. Approach them with your desire to start some kind of ministry and identify together what would be best for your church and children / families from your local community.
Have children’s advocates in the congregation
There will be people in church who view ministry with children as important and you can use their positivity to influence others in the congregation and help to change the atmosphere.
If apathy in the pews is rife, volunteer recruitment might be tricky
Start by running a group every month or every two weeks, and ask potential workers to commit to one or two Sundays for a limited time.
If there aren’t many children in your church, you can still start some kind of ministry. Here are some pointers:
- If you would like to start a Sunday morning children’s group during the service, there are some resources for groups that have a few children, but a wide age range. Try Mosaic from Scripture Union.
- Increase the amount of intergenerational services you do on a Sunday. This kind of inclusive welcome will be attractive to new families. If you’re not going to alienate the congregation, this needs to be more than a children’s talk and a couple of action songs. You could start by using the all-age service outlines in this magazine (our archive is available for free here). You might take a look at The All-In Thing from Big Ministries or, for a more comprehensive all-age approach, check out Explore Together from Scripture Union.
- Start a family ministry outside of Sunday morning. You could set up a Messy Church ( messychurch. org.uk) meeting every two weeks or month. This means that families can come to something at a time that’s more suitable for them, and where they can meet and mix with other families.
Many denominations are ready and willing to support you, so get in touch with your local representative. It might take a while and a lot of work, but starting a new ministry is more than possible and will bring a positive change to your church! Alex Taylor is staff writer for Premier Childrenswork
Question #2 How can I support the refugee children who have arrived in my area?
For months, the media has covered, often in the grimmest detail, the plight of unaccompanied refugee children caught up in, or seeking to escape from, the conflicts in Syria and elsewhere. This includes the heartwrenching stories of those in the Calais camps, as they struggle to survive and find safe places to live.
The experiences that these children have had to face are almost unimaginable. More than half the Calais children are estimated to have a sexually transmitted disease, which is a clear indication of the abuse they have suffered from adults where there is little or no protection. And over 150 of these children need not be in the camps at all because they have a legal right to join families already in the UK. So why does it have to be this way? Is there anything that can be done to change this horrific situation? The answer is, of course, yes!
I applaud the efforts being made by my good friend Krish Kandiah and his team at Home for Good in raising public awareness, campaigning and building a solid resource base across the Church in this country through which to respond to this humanitarian crisis. Over 10,000 people have already offered temporary foster homes for these unaccompanied minors. This is an incredible achievement, proving that the Church in this country is far from dead or deaf to the cries of the vulnerable.
The government, too, has the opportunity to respond with the new immigration bill. Will the collective conscience of Parliament be moved by the suffering of those 3,000 children who could find protection in the UK almost immediately? Time will tell. But churches and those that work with children and young people need to be aware of another dimension to this problem.
Sadly, the UK has a poor track record in protecting unaccompanied minors. Shocking numbers already ‘go missing’ from care, for example no fewer than 239 disappeared from the care system in 2015 alone. Refugee children are some of the most vulnerable in our society. They are alone, afraid, lack family networks and even the basic documentation confirming their identity. We have failed them. The government must respond quickly and effectively to direct its limited resources towards them.
CCPAS believes that the Church has an incredible opportunity to reach out to refugee children as no other organisation or agency can. But with this opportunity comes huge responsibility. We must ensure we are aware of these issues, must be prepared to act where necessary but must also understand how to do so appropriately. Remaining vigilant and being attuned to the needs of our communities may mean we come across unaccompanied minors. We may be able to support some of them through our children’s work and other early-help activities. Equally, we may become aware of the risks they face which may threaten their safety. We must always be prepared to share our concerns appropriately with the police or social services; for some of them, perhaps, we may be able to offer direct assistance, protection and care.
For more information and ways to respond, visit homeforgood.org.uk Justin Humphreys is head of safeguarding for the Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS)
