Is your church’s children's work just glorified child-minding? - CFN Newsletter Week 120

CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK NEWSLETTER 120

> Scripture Union trustee Nick Harding throws down a challenge on how churches treat their children, and those who work with them
> News:
> UK turns its back on internet obscenity
> 15,000 children a year thrown out of their homes
> Scottish legislation will undermine marriage
> Sites:
> Celtic pilgrimages with LTG
> Debating Philip Pullman
> A delightful and original online games site
> Marriage MOT: Living with broken dreams
> You've got to laugh: Turning over a new leaf?
> Members' Zone latest

OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS WEEK

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At last count, more than 120,000 had been ordered in advance for use by churches. Order online at
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Dear All

Nick Harding has some home truths for churches in this update - is yours giving its best for its children and young people?

Eric Spellmann has more useful advice, this time for anyone using Microsoft's popular PowerPoint program.

We've got lots to lighten your day, the latest news, marriage tips from Kate, great sites to visit, the inside track on the new Families Together magazine (out in the next few days) and more.

Have a great Easter - may you know the joy of risen Jesus in your family and your church!

Shalom

Russ Bravo
Christian Family Network
info@cfnetwork.co.uk
http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk

PS Christian Family Network is here to direct you to the best in parenting, marriage and family resources; to link you up with other Christian families up and down the UK; and to help you make the most of life as a follower of Christ - at home, at work, at school and college, at play and online.

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ADVICE

Childminders?

• It's time we stopped playing down children's ministry, writes Nick Harding, Scripture Union trustee and children's adviser for Southwell diocese

What jumps to mind when you think of a church minister?

Is it the ordained leader of a local church, or the youth pastor? Perhaps it is the vicar or curate. It may be the worship leader or pastoral care worker. Sadly, it's not likely to be the children's worker who meekly confesses to 'just doing children's work'!

When we talk of people being 'called into the ministry', what we actually mean is they are going to lead churches and work with adults. We have turned the idea of ministry on its head, and as a result we're seeing children leave the church at an alarming rate, and a shameful lack of volunteers to work with young people.

Let's tell the truth. We see children's work as childminding, and children's workers as those who are cutting their ministry teeth before they grow into other age groups and ministries. We see working with children as an easy option, as a job for the less skilled, as a place to sideline people. We put children into damp, dirty rooms with old furniture and flaking paintwork, while sitting comfortably in our expensively refurbished churches. We sustain two or three planned services each Sunday for adults, but only manage short sessions for children, led by tired, uninspired and devalued workers with tatty photocopies and broken crayons.

Yet if you ask most church leaders what services they struggle with most, they'll say the all-age services. If you ask preachers what events they fear speaking at, they visibly shudder at the thought of parent and toddler sessions or school assemblies!

Children's work is a high calling, and those called to it deserve respect, support and encouragement. Those in this work need prayer and commissioning so that the whole church body can both see who they are, and learn to value and appreciate their role in the body of Christ.

Children's workers must be given opportunities for worship and spiritual growth, so that they don't lose out as a result of serving children and families, and so that they can model Christian living to the children. And children's workers deserve quality training and development opportunities so that they can learn to do their work better. They need to be seen as people who have heard God's call on their lives and are serving a valuable group of the church family, in the same way that the preacher and worship leader serve another church group.

The church budget, which all too often reflects the low value placed on children and those who minister to them, needs to provide generously for training, resources and materials.

Too many children's workers, who slave away week in, week out in our churches, have been shaped by the way the Church has seen them in the past, and find it hard to see themselves as having value. Many started the work because there was no-one else, and have never really understood the importance of their work. Some have got used to being seen as childminders, and have lost their vision and lowered their standards as a result. We can hardly blame them when we as the Church have given them no support, no encouragement and no respect.

• To read the rest of Nick's provocative article, go to our Advice section at http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/advice.asp

> THIS WEEK'S NEWS

> UK turns its back on internet obscenity

It seems that UK ISPs are increasingly getting their act together on refusing to host obscene online content. This is the verdict drawn by the IWF (Internet Watch Foundation), which has released its annual report.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> 15,000 children a year thrown out of their homes

More than 15,000 children in the UK, aged under 16, are thrown out of home each year by parents who hit, neglect and reject them, says research from The Children's Society, published this week.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp for the full story

> Scottish legislation will undermine marriage

Changes in Scottish law designed to speed up divorce proceedings "risk severely undermining the permanence and stability of marriage," warns Cardinal Keith O'Brien.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> MARRIAGE MOT

> Check out our archived marriage tips in the Members' Zone, plus stacks more marriage resources at http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk

Living with broken dreams

Life can be full of disappointments, unfulfilled expectations, even unexpected tragedy. How do you cope with these? Do you push down the pain deep within, do you thrash around in frustration and self pity or do you face into the pain and allow others to help you?

Facing difficult times together is part of marriage. Our spouse can help us face the pain, reassure us of their love and help us to lift up our eyes and hope again.

There’s a saying “When one door closes, another opens” It may not be the door we want, but if we have each other then we can surely dare to hope. Are you facing disappointments and broken dreams? Is your partner facing them? Are you facing them together?

> EVENTS

> YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH ...

A little boy found the old family Bible and started thumbing through the pages. As he was turning the yellowed pages, a pressed tree leaf fell out.

He exclaimed: "Hey, this must be where Adam and Eve left their clothes!"

www.mikeysfunnies.com

> CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK THIS WEEK
(MEMBERS' ZONE) - http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/default.asp

> Advice

> Kate's Marriage advice - Living with broken dreams
> Is your children's work at church just child-minding?!
> Eric Spellmann on the wonders of PowerPoint

> Resources

> Give yourself a faith lift!
> Child rearing - your questions answered ...

> News

> UK turns its back on internet obscenity
> 15,000 children a year thrown out of their homes
> Scottish legislation will undermine marriage

> Top sites this week

> Celtic pilgrimages with LTG
> Debating Philip Pullman
> A delightful and original online games site

> Events: Care for the Family tours and day events in 2004 plus more of what's on near you

> Webwatch Index: more than 600 sites at your fingertips

> Site Search Engine: the easy way to trawl our 1,000-page plus archives

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