Rev. Linda Pollock led three sessions on children

"If the church cannot be a prophetic voice in our world today, we are nothing."

"What we offer cannot be bought: a sense of belonging, praise & recognition, responsibility."

"We all have time constraints: PRIORITISE!"

I thought Linda, Graham and Steve had a really good approach. I took away the bit about aiming to be a prophetic voice and about being positive about our young people. Thanks for organizing the event.” (Brigid)

We had several group work sessions

Graham, David and Aline in discussion.

Linda: "How much eye contact do children enjoy in a week with their own parents?"
"How many lack a significant adult in their lives?"

Baby David - our youngest attendee!

Baby David was as good as gold and provided a model!
Linda: "If we cuddle and care for our babies physically, how can we fail to nurture our children spiritually?"

Sia

We all know Sia's sunny smiles!

Linda: "The minimum we can give them is to know their names and welcome them, showing there is at least one other person who is pleased they made the effort to come.

Be a fool for Christ! "

Group work

Niels joined us from Amsterdam and Nancy from the International Baptist church.
Sometimes we need to explain to youngsters that they have a responsibility to the group and should not seek only to take from it.

Lunch with teachers from other churches.

Brigid from St Anthony's underlined the importance of giving youngsters a place in the church with responsibilities: doing the reading, prayers and taking the collection .

“I found it very worth worthwhile. Each of the speakers was really inspirational. They gave good ideas and lots of food for thought. . . . I really appreciated meeting and talking to members of other churches too.” (Siân)

Graham and Isabelle had brought their newborn baby.

Discussion continued over lunch

Sia, Nancy, Siân and Linda.

Linda: children are dismissed from the worship context to an educational context. ("Junior Church" vs "Sunday School".)
John Bell: ‘Jesus taught adults and played with children. We do the reverse.’

“It was great for me to find out how things are done at other churches. We all want what’s best for he children and it’s great to get other perspectives. The day opened my eyes about children and worship. At my church we have Sunday School for one hour, and then ‘Children’s Church’. We call it ‘Children’s Church’, but it is just an extension of Sunday School with different activities. I am rethinking how we are going to do things for the fall. I am leaning towards ‘Children’s Church’ being just worship time.” (Nancy)

“My understanding of the difference is the "Sunday school" has an emphasis on education whereas "Junior Church" is a continuation of worship. If we focus just on education then we deprive the Junior Church members of the "worship" part of their church experience. The Junior Church is made up of education and worship, while Sunday School is oriented around education only.” (David)

Graham Allison is joining the Development Team

John gave a talk on Child Protection. John, Graham, Neville and Niels chat over lunch.

Graham: Young people need affirmation, to talk about what is important to them, to have permission to talk about gun violence and rape in a place of safety where they will receive a responsible response.

“Coming to Brussels was well worth the travel. I found Linda’s training and the group discussions very inspiring. How to give our young church members a sense of belonging and how to know their world were the most important lessons I learned.” (Niels)

“The training day showed me the importance of creating a trusting and safe environment for the members, where they can feel comfortable in discussing what is on their minds.” (David)

Steve Mallon

Steve Mallon spoke on Youth Strategy and programmes abroad.

Associate secretary of the Mission and Discipleship Council with responsibility for education and nurture, Steve explains the importance of this area of the council's work: "Education and nurture are the key elements that equip the Church for mission. We cannot be a missionary church if our members are not learning, discovering and moving deeper into their knowledge and experience of God.”

“The challenge facing the churches in the UK in working with young people has never been more acute. The old ways and tools no longer work for us. We need youth workers who can stand up and be confident as they engage with young people in a largely post-Christian and post-modern world.”

“Thanks for a great day and for inviting others in the religious community. I hope we can reciprocate someday. I so enjoyed Linda’s presentation and would love to have any information she sends.” (Nancy)

“I must say that for me the day was both inspiring and encouraging. It's reassuring to be told that whatever we do or don't manage to teach the young people we work with, the most important thing is that we be there for them and take an interest in them. I should think that we all came away inspired to do at least that” (Sia)