What a fabulous weekend we had at the Hand in Hand ‘Kingdom Builders’ conference.
Held on 6-8th February, over 700 children and family ministry teams (paid and volunteer), church leaders and regional leaders from across the denominations, descended on the Bethel Convention Centre, Birmingham, united by a passion to share Jesus with the next generation.
Undeterred by the wind and rain, the ‘Joy’ team were on hand to cheer delegates into the building, as we took up our positions on the BRF ministries stand, alongside our colleagues from Parenting for Faith. The teams kicked off Friday afternoon with a joint seminar on ‘Inspiring all ages to grow in faith’ where we had the opportunity to talk together as a BRF Ministries team about some practical ways to engage all ages in our gatherings and supporting their faith in between times at home. It was so exciting to be able to communicate the message that as a Christian community, we all have our part to play in helping children and their families develop a faith that lasts.
Back on the stand we enjoyed many great conversations, hearing people’s ministry stories, as we shared ideas and resources that might help. Messy Adventures, Messy Church Does Science and our Get Messy! magazine continued to be popular choices, probably because these resources are packed full of practical and creative ways to experience and retell Bible stories.
As well as championing Messy Church amongst the uninitiated (Aike had a close encounter with a Dalek, who is now considering starting a Messy Church on planet Skaro), it was a delight to meet face to face so many Messy Church champions from across a number of denominations and organisations (you know who you are!).
We also loved catching up with colleagues who helped us deliver our Messy Church conference last year: Kirstyn Oliver (Alma Autism), Sam and Sara Hargreaves (Engage Worship), Gemma Gillard (Truth be told) and Mel Cave (Roots).
On Saturday, Messy Church and Parenting for Faith hosted a 1-hour session at the hands-on area, demonstrating and encouraging people to pray in creative ways, giving ideas for parents and grandparents to encourage their children to find their own pattern of prayer using ‘chat and catch’ with God.
That afternoon, Aike and Sarah were interviewed by Pure247radio – a Christian radio station that loves to play music without bad language in the lyrics. In the corner of the exhibition room, we took turns to put on the headphones and sit in front of the microphone for a live broadcast in conversation with Andy B. Sarah described her first radio experience for Messy Church as ‘slightly nerve-wracking (!!) but a great opportunity to share the Messy Church story with people far and wide!’
Later, Aike delivered a 15-minute ‘Ted Talk’ style session on ‘Engaging teenagers in Intergenerational worship’, sharing our new approaches and what we’re learning about engaging teenagers in Messy Church through our Messy Momentum project. Aike comments, ‘It was really encouraging to see how many people, particularly those that aren’t yet involved with Messy Church, wanted to hear more about the project, as engaging teenagers is an issue for the wider church community and not just Messy Church. I’m so proud of the Messy Churches that have signed up to the pilot, as this research will be significant for everyone involved with children, youth and family ministry.’
A special shout-out to Elizabeth who is one of the leaders taking part in Messy Momentum. She came up to us at the end of the conference, laden with Bibles and ‘Diary of a disciple’ for the youth and older children in her Messy Church, bought with the microgrant available for all Messy Churches on the pilot. It was brilliant to see her enthusiasm, which gave us much joy as we left for home.
Aike, Jane and Sarah
BRF ministries Messy Church team
Our work at Messy Church is funded by donations. Please consider a donation to help us attend events like this and reach people who haven’t yet heard about Messy Church.
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