Godly play

Godly play is fast growing approach to teaching children that has a lot going for it, even though it has some controversial elements. In a nut shell, "Godly play is a Montessori method of telling Bible stories, developed by Jerome Berryman that uses parables, sacred stories and liturgical lessons about religious traditions using simple material." (from the Godly play website http://godlyplay.org.au)

At the very heart of godly play is the idea of engaging children to encounter God in play. Children are naturally playful and they interact with their world through play and imagination. A playful environment is a wonderful, relaxed setting in which to engage children. Therefore I warm to the typical Godly play session described in the following scenario;

... a teacher shares a Bible story using three dimensional objects and multiple senses. Afterwards children are invited to express things they wonder about the story. Then they're allowed to play with and manipulate the objects. It's a calm setting meant to be more like worship than school. For John 10:1 - 18, about Jesus being the good shepherd, Godly play might include cotton balls and craft sticks. Children can build a fence and gate. The teacher can read the passage while acting it out with the cotton balls. The children can express their thoughts and questions about Jesus being the good shepherd. finally children can quietly play with the props as they talk to God about what they've learned."

In this setting the application of the lesson is not presumed, rather it is arrived at through engaging the child in the story (often through imagination) and reflective questions such as, "I wonder how the shepherd felt when he lost his sheep?" The child can reflect on the story and how it relates to them.
There are some good reasons why applying the story in this way is good thing. It focuses on application that is relevant for the child, and not merely that which the teacher finds relevant. Also it broadens the application away from the typical 'moral' to the story. Finally in the relaxed setting it opens a natural conversation for exploring what the story means.

Controversial is the presumption among the advocates of Godly play that, "... children have an innate sense of God's presence... Godly play lets children discover and experience God for themselves... meeting God long with children rather than teaching them what we as adults think they ought to know." In Godly play, "...the teacher in the role of spiritual supporter or guide who fully accepts that each child has his or her own relationship with God already."
We believe that, by nature, children do not have an innate sense of God's presence; rather, we are born without it. Also we may prefer an approach to children that is more directional and takes into account the very real presence of sin and ignorance in a child .
Nevertheless, for children, the context of reflective play is a fitting environment in which to explore ideas, questions and practices of faith where true direction and information can also be given. It is also the best environment for those who already do have a real sense of God given by the Holy Spirit. In a playful, reflective setting, the teacher expands on the lesson through play, he or she looks for faith and responds to a child's sincere relationship to God when they find it.

Basic Safety

The following basics are taken from an article in Ministry To Children.com
How well do you fare in these 7 basic areas? What might you need to improve? Do you have any good resources or ideas to share about how to do these well?

Safety is non-negotiable in children’s ministry. You can have the very best curriculum, most creative activities, and dynamic decor, but if you have not made safety a priority, you could be headed for potential disaster. We can never fully protect our ministries or our kids from all impending harm, but it is our responsibility to be proactive when it comes to safety. The following list is good place to start.

1. Background checks - You need to know who the people are in your classrooms. Background checks require paperwork and can involve expense. However, they are your first line of defense in protecting your kids. Not only do background checks reveal what might be hidden in someone’s past, they also deter potential predators. Requiring all volunteers to fill out paperwork communicates that your ministry has high standards. There are numerous resources that provide criminal checks for ministries. You can also check with your state’s Department of Human Resources or similar agency for free or inexpensive options..

2. Two adults in every room – Background checks make up your first line of defense, but they can’t be the end. Background checks only keep out people who have been caught before. You must have precautions that continue to protect children. A key to this is having a very firm rule that no adult should ever be alone with children. Ever. No exceptions. Not only does this protect kids from being in unsafe situations, it also protects volunteers. If a child did make a false accusation against a volunteer and that volunteer was alone in the room, there would be no one to defend him/her.

3. Windows/open doors – A third method of protecting kids in the classroom environment is to make sure that others can see into the classroom at all times. Your doors should have windows in them. If they don’t, consider leaving the doors open and utilize baby gates for the little ones. Your volunteers need the accountability of knowing anyone can see in at any time.

4. Allergy Awareness – Allergies are serious business, in fact they can be a matter of life or death. First, eliminate items from your environment that are the highest risk of allergens. Completely outlaw nuts and peanut butter. We had a situation where a child had an extreme allergic reaction after touching a tiny bit of peanut butter residue on a soap dispenser! Communicate with parents your need for allergy information and clearly communicate these concerns to teachers.

5. Emergency Preparedness Plans – Train volunteers well on what to do in case of an emergency. Post fire evacuation and severe weather evacuation plans in each room. Some churches place emergency bags in each room that teachers can access that contain emergency supplies. Also, in this day and time you should have a plan of what to do if a dangerous person or “intruder” entered your church. None of these things are fun to think about, and hopefully none of these plans will ever be used.

6. Baby-proof - Baby-proofing is important at every age group. Consistently walk through your classrooms checking for electrical outlet covers, sharp corners, unsecured cabinets, and choking hazards. Some churches create a checklist and have volunteers check for unsafe conditions every week.

7. Check-in/Check-out – No matter the size of your ministry, you need a secure way of making sure that the right kids go home with the right parents. It is easy when you are in a small church or when you have been around for awhile to be lax in this part of security because you feel like you know all of the parents. However, new families don’t know you. New volunteers might not know all of the parents. A secure system that provides security for children and parents is never overkill.

Creating Child Safe policies

Churches have many unwritten codes of practice and behaviour. Sometimes though, it helps to write them down. When written they become firm guides, yardsticks for performance, and ways to reinforce the type of culture, attitudes and behaviour we want to see in our churches. This applies especially to the way we treat children.

For this reason it's become common practice in our churches to have a written 'Child Protection' policy.

Fortunately there are many good examples that can be borrowed and 'massaged' to suit our needs as churches.
However, when you look for a good policy here are some important things to look for and ensure you've included.

1. An introduction affirming the church’s commitment to the safety and protection of children and the purpose of the policy.
2. How volunteers and employees recognise and respond to suspicions of child abuse and neglect.
3. General plus ministry specific codes of conduct and standards of care for ensuring the safety of children, including bullying by other children.
4. Recruitment and training of volunteers and employees.
5. Guidelines for handling complaints and breaches of the policy.

As the policy is being produced the following needs to be considered.
1. Is the policy written in a clear and easily understandable way
2. Does the policy identify any relevant government or legislative requirements (such as the need for Working with children Checks)
3. Does the policy specify responsibilities, supporting procedures and standards?
4. Will the policy be shared with all relevant audiences including parents, carers and children (where appropriate)?
8. Have all employees and volunteers been made aware of and had the opportunity to read the policy? (Volunteers could be encouraged to sign a written statement indicating they have read the policy.)
9. Is the policy current and when will it be evaluated and reviewed?

10 Ways to engage Parents in the Children's ministry

To keep parents engaged in your children's ministry is vital for a number of reasons. First, parents are the primary spiritual nurturers of their children and the work of a children's ministry is to support parents in their task; parents therefore must be involved and engaged. Secondly, parents have the biggest investment in their children's spiritual health. Therefore, involved parents are your biggest supporters. Thirdly, children are blessed when parents are involved because through parental participation children perceive and receive the spiritual support, encouragement and direction of the most significant people in their lives.

Here's how you can keep parents engaged.

1. A regular email update outlining what's happening in Children's ministry.

2. A regular article in the newsletter that underlines the importance of children's ministry as well as updating what is happening.

3. Invite a parent as a special guest to speak about their faith or topic at hand.

4. Invite parents to volunteer to provide food or do other acts of service at the children's ministry.

5. Create a roster of parents to pray for the children's ministry. If possible include some specific prayer requests for any given week.

6. Phone or speak directly to parents at least once a year specifically about their child's participation in your children's ministry. Ask if there are any concerns, encouragements or blessings to share; give feedback and share your insights into their child's spiritual growth.

7. Create 'take home sheets' that provide further activities, discussion questions, etc that enable parents to engage with their children.

8. Heighten the profile of children and you children's ministry in church services. For example, make sure they are prayed for (how about a specific prayer by the elder before they go to Sunday school?). Or have a dedicated children's service. Or engage children in the service of the church in such things as greeting, taking up the offering, leading in prayer, the music team or serving after church.

9. Commission the children's ministry team and invite them regularly to 'report' in church services or congregational meetings.

10. Schedule group meetings with parents once or twice a year to discuss the direction and plan for the children's ministry. Get their input and share how they can support the ministry.

Any other ideas?

"I miss being with God."

I read the following in a book called, Listening to children on the Spiritual Journey.

I was deeply challenged by it for a number of reasons... take a read first....

Loraine (age eight) liked her new church. Happily she made her way to the children's activities on Sunday mornings, ready to enjoy the music, laughter a creatively presented short lesson, and the energetic young children's pastor. Although Lorraine had fun at her new church, as she snuggled into bed one evening she said, "Mommy, I miss being with God." And her mother took time to listen and fin out what was behind those words.

Loraine talked about children's worship at the church they had attended previously. There the children were welcomed into a special place to "be with God, to talk to God, to listen to God, and to hear the stories of God." In that calm and quite place they watched the stories enacted with simple figures, they wondered about the story, and then chose who they would respond. Loraine remembered a Sunday when she had chosen to go to the Bible table, and Miss Cathy had read the story to her again. Here is a child who had experienced being in God's presence and hungered to be with God again.

Is Loraine's desire unusual or do many children know what it is to sense God's closeness and treasure those times. Listening to children has led us to believe that they can experience God at an early age and that they love to be in God's presence. ..."

Here are my questions....

Would children in your church say they meet God in your children's ministry?
What could you do to foster and nurture that more?
What might you be doing that is actually getting in the way?

I find these questions really challenging as I reflect on the children's ministry of our church, and our worship services.

What are your thoughts?

Resource: Creating Children's Church Packs

It's great to have children as part of the service. Their presence also creates a special challenge. As one slightly frazzled mother blurted out recently, "My four old can't sit still in church all that time. He's four, he simply can't."
Most churches have some form of activity for children during the service, or at least during the sermon. Often this is a simple colouring sheet or a word find etc.
At Wantirna (where I am the part time children's ministry worker) we have now created a Children's Church pack for each child. We have different packs suited for 4 - 6 year olds and for 7 - 12.
They come in an A3 plastic zip lock bag and contain textas, pen, pencil, scrapbook (for ideas, prayers, notes, drawings), glue stick, Bible activity book, scissors, children's reading book and code breaker. When the children are in the service (we have a cycle of 3-4 weeks in Sunday School followed by 2 or more weeks in church) we add activities relevant to the service. The packs are usually handed out after a children's ministry time.

The packs enable us to provide a variety of activities related to the service. for example, our current service theme is "Telling the story of Jesus." We have created a story wheel (see below) that the children construct and colour during the service and then take home to use in their families.
Children can pace themselves and complete work previously begun or do 'extras' if they finish quickly.
We have created extra packs for visitors and give a child their own if they become regular attendees.
So far children have embraced them enthusiastically (as have the parents.)

Homework Club Outreach.

How do you reach children for Christ in your local community. Paul Muilwyk has tried something. He is the youth worker at Wollongong CRCA. By God's grace, if you want to reach children in your own neighbourhood, it maybe something you could do.
Homework Club (Towradgi Learning Centre)
I teach scripture at our local public school. As I was talking with the teachers I came to the realisation that there was a great lack of quality in homework being completed. This led me to investigate options for our church to be a homework facilitator base with the schools backing. A proposal was then brought to the church leadership for a 6 month trial ministry. The proposal was to provide for a need in our community and build a ministry to local families and children in our immediate area. The idea is that we are not tutors; we simply help the children complete their homework, reading and assignments.
Every Tuesday afternoon at 3pm after school I wonder down the street to the local public school and pick up the students involved (11 at the time of writing). We walk to the church and are greeted with afternoon tea and games until 3:30pm, then for the next hour we break into groups and we coach the students through their homework just as a parent would. None of us are teachers, or trained, we are simply fulfilling the role that a parent normally plays, providing the students with help when their parents either don’t have time or cannot speak English well enough.
There has not been many challenges in this ministry yet, we are still waiting for them to arise. We believe this ministry has been blessed by God. From 2011 this ministry will be a permanent part of our churches work in the community after the successful trial. Fruit from this ministry has been fantastic. Firstly, the relationships we have built with local community families is outstanding. We have had the opportunity to get to know some of our neighbours well. All three of our year 6 students have either begun attending or their parents have told us they intend to send their child to youth group next year. One of our other girls will be attending GEMS next year and a few other community children begun attending GEMS and Cadets before coming to Homework club.
We believe this is a great link into our community, the local public school is in full support of the program, they even gave us enough supplies of workbooks, pencils, reading books, etc. to get through the trial period. We pray that this ministry will continue to grow and develop in the years to come.
Paul Muilwyk (Youth worker)
Christian Reformed Church Wollongong