Children's Ministries
About the department
Children attend weekly church services held throughout the North England Conference with their families and friends. Children of different socio-cultural backgrounds, with multi-dimensional needs, constitute a very special part of the church family.
The Children's Ministries Department aims to nurture children (0-14 years old) into a relationship with Jesus, where they come to experience His great love. It enables our children to love each other and, where worship is understood as a response to God's great love, they experience a love that must be shared with those in our communities.
The nurturing of children is accomplished through the spiritual leadership of Pastors, Parents, Leaders and Teachers. The Department's main focus is to provide training for Children's Ministries Leaders and Teachers, who have been elected to serve within their local church, including Pastors and Parents. The training seeks to equip individuals with the skills to implement an effective Children's Ministries Department within their local church, providing an understanding of the GraceLink Curriculum and multi-ministries.
Our department's objectives
Grace-oriented ministries, in which all children will experience the unconditional love of Jesus, find assurance of acceptance and forgiveness, and make a commitment to Him and develop their faith.
Inclusive ministries, in which the volunteers who minister and the children to whom they minister will be valued and involved regardless of race, colour, language, gender, age, abilities, or socio-economic circumstances.
Leadership ministries, in which volunteers are empowered, trained and equipped for effective ministry to children.
Service-oriented ministries, in which children are given opportunities for hands-on service to people in their neighbourhood or city, which could establish a pattern of outreach to others that may well continue through life.
Cooperative ministries, which involve working in partnership with other ministries such as family ministries, Sabbath School, and stewardship, to support and help parents develop their children's faith.
Safe ministries, whereby our churches adopt safeguards to protect children from physical, sexual, emotional, and spiritual abuse; to choose volunteers with high spiritual and moral backgrounds; and to minimize the church's liability; and,
Evangelistic ministries, in which children who are not enfolded in the church family will be introduced to the love of Jesus through outreach programs such as Vacation Bible Schools, children's branch Sabbath Schools, Neighbourhood Bible Clubs, and Story Hours.
Bekezela Peters
Director
bpeters@necadventist.org.uk
Director's role
The Children's Ministries Department operates on a 50% budget, with Bekezela Peters serving as Director. Her role includes advocating for children's spiritual development, training and supporting local leaders, and providing resources and programmes. Key responsibilities include:
Planning and budgeting the department’s activities and initiatives
Conducting seminars and workshops on child-related issues
Providing training in the use of the GraceLink Curriculum
Resources
Resources for leaders
Programs and Ideas for Prayer Stations. This book explores both the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of intergenerational worship, providing a brief history of worship in the Bible, an exploration of Jesus’ theology of childhood, and His approach to intergenerational worship. By the end of the book, you’ll have resources to run at least three different intergenerational worship services on Creation, The Story of the Lost Sheep, and The Parable of the Talents.
Certification Training. This will include links to webinars and quiz sheets. Contact Bekezela Peters for more information.
Resources for children
Bible Adventures for Young Readers: This Bible study set uses a creative, kid-friendly approach to introduce children to the 28 fundamental beliefs, the pillars of our faith. With its easy-to-understand format and interactive approach, children will quickly grasp the concepts while having fun learning.
Day by Day with Jesus Bible Reading Guide: The new 2012 Bible Reading Guide for children aged 9-14 is now available in PDF format.