Spec-tacular Growing Faith Adventure

During the recent lockdown I took part in the six month “Reflecting on Growing faith” online focus group led by both Sue Mitchell Children & families Missioner and Dr Sarah Holmes Researcher into Young faith. As a group we considered the Church of England’s Growing Faith Adventure and how as churches we needed to make better connections between church, home and school to enable children to develop a lifelong faith.

Following on from this as a church we re-shaped our Children’s and Family Ministry with the Growing Faith Adventure at its core.This is one of the things we chose to do to connect all three areas.

We began in our new “Kingdom Kids” group with our overarching theme of Team Jesus, this specific session was about “Being Spectacular” recognising that this can be found simply in the everyday through creation and small simple acts of kindness.

We explored the concept in a creative way and then shared this with the wider church in other words sharing with “All generations of our church family”.

Each child received a pair of sunglasses to takeaway encouraging them to be proactive that week by putting the specs on and looking for spec-tacular signs in Gods world

In addition, the children were to deliver gifts to our local primary schools, pairs of Giant Sunglasses for the Headteachers, with an additional note to share what they had been doing and encouraging the Heads to look for teachers and children doing Spectacular things whether through classwork or simple acts of kindness!

There was great feedback with all aspects of this. Children were excited to see their teachers wearing the glasses around school. It was posted about on school social media. Ladies at a village knitting group were overheard talking about it. Parents shared how it sparked conversation at the dinner table. Glasses were worn by children when they were out and about, looking for signs of Spec-tacular God.

It sparked inspiration for the same idea to be used by our curate/doctor while speaking at a conference for paediatricians around Europe.

Months later, and it is still having an impact in an intergenerational way. This simple, fun idea has been like a stone dropped in water; rippling through all three spheres of home,

school and church, plus wider communities; showing how by making even the smallest of changes can make a big difference. I would really encourage you to attend the conference and find out how the Growing Faith Adventure can help in your ministry to children and their families, there is so much potential in using it!

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Article by Tracey Fitzsimmons
Children’s and Family Ministry Co-ordinator

St John’s Church, Burscough, Lancashire

The Church of England Growing Faith Adventure provides an opportunity to make all our decisions through the lens of what this means for children, young people and families.

To enable flourishing relationships between church, school and home.

The Three Growing Faith Principles

Connected Communities
Faith grows in each of the three circles school, home and church. However, when faith grows in the intersections it will be stronger and life long.

Spiritual Encounters
Faith is enriched by encounters with God and through the sharing of personal stories.

Imaginative Practices
Finding new ways of exploring together to help make faith relevant to everyone.

Why should church, home and school be on this adventure?

Archdeacon Pete Spiers Growing Faith Champion says –

“I have long thought that the church needs a fresh approach to her work with children and young people. Parents and grandparents are a really big influence in a child’s life. Schools understand this very well and seek their support in the educating of their children. So if the church wants to see children and young people becoming disciples of Jesus and growing more deeply in their faith, she will need to harness and co-ordinate their influence with those of the family and school. This is what Growing Faith is seeking to do and I welcome it wholeheartedly.”

Lucy Moore Head of the Growing Faith Foundation says –

We all want children and young people to have the chance for the full life that Jesus promises. We want to live in a world where every person of every age flourishes spiritually as one aspect of that fullness of life. How can we do this? We can simply look at what we already do through a Growing Faith lens and put children and young people at the centre of it all, with school, households and church all working together for the wellbeing of those children and young people. How might we start to think differently? What might we do differently? What an adventure that will take us on” What might this look like?

For further information on the Growing Faith Adventure please contact:

Sue Mitchell
Children & Families Missioner
0151 705 2167

Rev Dawn Harrison
Governance, Admissions and New Worship Communities
0151 705 2177
Email Dawn Harrison

 

A selection of resources are available to inspire and equip you on this adventure, enabling you to better connect the three areas.

What opportunities does Home and Church working together in partnership present?

Faith in The Nexus research shows that ” home can provide a safe and exploratory space for faith-talk”. There are many ways the church can help develop this.

Resources to Inspire

• Prayer Spaces at Home
• The Kitchen Table Project
• Together @ Home
• Faith at Home
• Who Let The Dads Out
• God Venture
• Parenting For Faith

What opportunities does School and Home working together in partnership present?

The rhythm of the school year provides ” Opportunites for faith related activites” in the home, Faith in The Nexus

Resources to Inspire

Network of Kindness

A Rocha International

What opportunities does Church and School working together in partnership present?

The relationship between the church and school is key, “Connections need to be strategically priortised not left to chance” Faith in The Nexus report

Resources to Inspire

Inspired Classrooms

Find a School Near Me

Worship Warriors

Prayer Spaces

Open the Book

Alpha Youth

Why on earth

The Bible Course

Make Lunch

Experience Events – Jumping Fish

What opportunities does Church, School and Home working together in partnership present?

Developing flourishing connections between Church, School and Home results in changes of attitude and thinking, which in turn enables a positive impact on introducing people to Jesus, deepening faith, growing leaders and working for justice in our communities and beyond.

Any of the resources on this page (see above) can be used to enable these connections.

On way for Church, School and Home to work together is to look to set up its own worshipping community. If you are interested in this please book your team on the Inspire, Equip Connect session, if you would like more details please contact Dawn Harrison.