Safeguarding
Diocesan Safeguarding policies →
Video conferencing with primary school-aged children
Child Church Form
Parent Church Form
Child Church Choir Form
Parent Church Choir
Connect Young Leaders Programme
This Programme is about inspiring YOU to be a leader and influencer right where you are. Now, and in the future in whatever sphere of society you find yourself.
Read more
Messy Church
If you’re hoping to start up a Messy Church or similar project in your parish or school, please get in touch with our team, who would love to help you develop something which is appropriate and sustainable for your community.
“Messy Church is so good, it’s breaking down barriers that separate church from community and overlapping the two.”
~ Helen
Register your Messy Church
Teaching resources
The Real Me
Based around the principles of the Liedentity Campaign, Bishop Rachel and others have put together an identity-themed Messy Church resource:
Download the Real Me planning resource
Child Baptism
Families that come for baptism can be nervous when they arrive at church; making people feel at ease helps to make the experience more relaxed and enjoyable. The Church of England website offers core details, clearly explained.
Through play, children learn the skills necessary to effectively participate in the world, liturgy boxes and bags provide them with the opportunity to participate in worship. We offer them at cost (£8); email Sophie at ku.gro.coidsolg@sdnommiss to order one, or use the resource below to create your own:
Create a Liturgy Box →
Godly Play
In most religious education children are told who God is. In Godly Play children discover who God is. Godly Play is a story telling technique based on the principle that all children have an innate Spirituality and our responsibility is to respect that and encourage it to flourish. Contact the Connect Team for Godly Play teaching resources.
How-to Guides
The Church Support Hub is a nationally curated bank of resources and information to help you with you Children, Youth and Families Ministry. The Hub is being added to regularly, but if there is something specific that you are looking for which isn’t there, please contact the Connect Team who are always here to help.
Ideas and Activities
- Liturgy Boxes for Baptism and Communion
- 8 Ideas to try with Intergenerational Groups – Faith grows in such gatherings through the sharing of lives and the stories of God’s faithfulness in them
- Fresh ways to teach liturgy to teens
- Create a Blessing Board or Book – Pin up or stick in a book photos of people or places special to you, you might like to use the prayer above as you think about the people add your children’s drawings, post it notes or other expressions of prayer. This becomes their first spiritual journal
- Diocesan Prayer resources
- Discovering your vocation
- Shapes for living: rule of life
- Noticing Wall — from ‘I’m not interested thanks’ to daily interaction. A zero-pressure space to write notes to each other, ask questions, jot down fun things we learned, and make plans
External resources
If your church is looking to appoint a Minister for Children, Young People and their Families (CYPF), or if you’d welcome support in line management, guidelines are available here.
Messy Church – A way of being church for families and others; based on creativity
Prayer spaces in schools – Creating space in schools where pupils can pause to reflect or pray
Jumping Fish – Resources which excite young people to explore and grow in faith
Ministry Juice – Support for various aspects of ministry work, particularly aimed at young people
Thy Kingdom Come – Global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray
Sportily – Fun-loving sport and Christian faith groups
Youth for Christ – Supporting churches who recognise the importance of sharing Jesus with the next generation
Premier NexGen – Online Hub providing support and reassurance to anyone invested in the faith of the next generation
Urban Saints – Reaching young people with the good news of Jesus
Youthscape – Innovative youth work
Onelife – Equipping young people in the Church through events, training and resources
Stir – Stimulating Gospel curiosity in a culture that seems indifferent. Stir Music Session
Ugly Duckling Company – Helping people to find life in all its fullness through the power of conversation.
Living Out – Exploring sexuality, gender & faith with young people.
Novo: Make New – what is a discovery Bible Study?
Soul Stirrers – 15 short, shareable videos that stir spiritual curiosity.
The 30k Project – Wellbeing Workbook
Growing Together
A collection of resources for households (people of all ages) to explore or nurture Christian faith in their own time and at their own pace. Though these resources were written in direct response to the challenges brought by Covid-19, they apply in many cases today.
Easter
Choose joy
Small things done with great love
Calming the storm
Living well together
Being a channel of God’s peace
The gift of time
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
After Easter – The world was not the same
Supporting Children with Anxiety, Grief and Loss
Though these resources were written in direct response to the challenges brought by Covid-19, they apply in many cases today.
- Fear How do we talk to our children about Coronavirus? Fear and coronavirus
- Grief How children grieve and how they can be supported. Grief and coronavirus
- Saying goodbye Ideas for acknowledging our grief and saying goodbye to our loved ones: Saying goodbye and coronavirus
- Order of service to celebrate and remember the life of someone who has died.
