Dear Well members

Below are snapshots of information which may be of help to you in your work with children and young people...

FEATURED NEWS

TUNE INTO GOD WITH YOUR SENSES

Two exciting events are taking place on Sunday 28 February for children and young people. These interactive workshops will be accessible to all abilities. Parents, carers and leaders are encouraged to watch and learn too.

The workshops will look at how we listen to God using all of our senses – the way we hear, touch, see, smell, taste and move using our bodies. Come along and hear different ways that God speaks to people in the Bible and have a go at listening to God in new fun and different ways.

Workshop times: 2pm - 2.45pm (8-11s) and 3.30pm - 4.15pm (11+)

Find out more and sign up here.

A METHODIST WAY OF LIFE

Available from Methodist Publishing, these illustrated cards come with questions to prompt conversations around the practices of A Methodist Way of Life. Suitable for all ages and groups. The pack includes 12 cards with an introductory card. A supporting PowerPoint presentation is available to download on checkout.

If you missed The Well Webinar on prayer and a Methodist Way of Life then do not despair! You can watch it again, along with all other past webinars, on the The Well Learning Hub YouTube channel.

YOUNG ADULTS BIBLE STUDY

A young adults Bible study has recently been launched for 18-30s from all over the Connexion. Some of our young adults attended last month and there was some really good feedback.

Register here for the next on Tuesday 2 March.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

CREATIVE OPPORTUNITY

Fairtrade Fortnight started on 22 February. As part of this year's event, children and young people between the ages of 5 and 25 are invited to share their vision, for an online exhibition, of the world they want for farmers and workers worldwide, and the planet we share. The deadline for submissions is Monday 1 March.

OLD STORIES SPEAKING HOPE

IN A NEW WORLD

Join Nick The Vic + Sooty, Sweep and friends for some faith-filled fun for all the family!

When the Covid 19 lockdown was announced Suzannah and Nick Wood wondered what they could do to help. They wanted to offer comfort, inspiration, education, entertainment and above all HOPE. For many years they had told Bible stories in all age church, holiday clubs and messy church using Sooty, Sweep and friends - but they had never recorded these performances.

They decided to produce a series of 17 videos – each one lasting about 15 minutes. You can see each episode here, including the most recent video on the subject of Lent.

The main focus was for families and adults to enjoy at home whilst they can’t get to church. Suzannah and Nick hope you enjoy them and please share with your networks.

IDEAS EXCHANGE

For anybody involved in ministry with 11-25 year olds.

Delivered in partnership with the Evangelism and Growth Team, this gathering for youth workers, and others involved in ministry with young people, will be a chance to share challenges and reflections, resources and ideas. Members of the Connexional Team will also be present to share initiatives and suggestions.

The gathering will use the four areas of ‘Our Calling’ to look at ideas for worship, learning and caring, service, and evangelism with young people. The time will be interactive, with a chance for conversation, sharing and some activities. This will be a brilliant opportunity to meet others in roles similar to your own and pool ideas and perspectives. We’d love to see you there!

Register for the event here.

FUNDING NEWS

14 to 16 year olds can apply for a small grant and mentoring support PeaceJam is a youth leadership programme that empowers young people to create positive change in themselves, their communities and in the world through the inspiration of 14 Nobel Peace Laureates who pass on the spirit, skills and wisdom they embody. They’re offering small grants and mentoring support to 14 - 26 year olds who might have social action ideas they want to work on.

The Matthew Good Foundation - Grants for Good Fund is looking to support local community groups, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises in the UK with projects that have a positive impact on communities, people, or the environment.

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

Pray for Schools is a network of groups and individuals with a heart for prayer, currently hosting regular prayer meetings via Zoom, with the next one taking place on Wednesday 24 February. The current 'Love Our Schools' campaign has the theme of 'care for each other and the environment' and there are resources available to help people - including children and youth - engage.

Solutions Not Sides (SNS) is a non-partisan educational charity delivering workshops on the Israel-Palestine conflict for young people.  The workshops, which include an Israeli and a Palestinian speaker, can provide enrichment to discussions on conflict, identity and global citizenship. The programme has been made completely virtual and can be delivered on Zoom. Once restrictions ease, a facilitator can also be sent to work with your group live. Before each workshop is a pre-session that can be run either by yourself or set as homework. Numerous follow up opportunities are also offered, such as resources for projects, summer residential programmes, internships and peer programmes with Israeli and Palestinian teenagers. Community sessions for adults are also available, or training for practitioners working in local and community areas to understand and address Antisemitism and Islamophobia in relation to Israel-Palestine. All workshops run on a donations basis, if you are unable to contribute any costs to the workshop it can be delivered for free!

The Methodist Called to Be postcards share some of the ways in which ministry is expressed in the Methodist Church in Britain. Each card has a beautiful image on the front and some questions for reflection on the back and can be used to start conversation in small groups, or for personal contemplation. Order now from Methodist Publishing. You can also visit the Vocations pages of the website for information about the #LoveThisCalling campaign.

A new Signpost for Chaplaincy page has just been launched on the Methodist Church website with information about events, resources and other items that might be useful for chaplains.

Vine Youth Ministry operates in schools in Somerset and Dorset. In response to the pandemic, a lot of the work has been moved online, which means there is now a YouTube channel full of 'MiniMix' assemblies - which could be easily adapted for online children's and youth work sessions too.

It was Children's Mental Health Week last month. To mark this, TES curated a list of resources to encourage conversation and raise awareness around the importance of looking after our mental health.

The Diana Award is recognition of a young person for their social action or humanitarian work. The Award is open to young people aged 9 - 25 who have been engaged in at least 12 months of activities to transform the lives of others and often in the face of adversity. If you know a young person that is changing the world around them, let The Diana Award know so they can champion them and their amazing work. Nominations must be made before the 12 March 2021 deadline.

Every week ROOTS offers free worship-at-home resources to help equip churches looking to support your community during lockdown. These include activity sheets for children and 'check-in' resources to help young people connect their faith to real-life issues. You can also try a free sample of one of ROOTS weekly service plans - which have been recently adapted to reflect our new ways of gathering. Finally, ROOTS at home offers ideas for weaving faith into every day life.

WATCH/READ/LISTEN

Thrive Youth Ministry Podcast a podcast / video series entitled "The Heart of a Youth Leader" - it's not just for youth leaders, but anyone in ministry with children, young people and families.

The Esther Collective Podcast is a community of 18-30s women exploring the issues young women face with honesty, hope and a sense of humour. Facilitated by Girls’ Brigade Ministries, it launched on 15 February 2021 with a new episode fortnightly on Spotify, iTunes and other platforms.  

Burning Down the House is a new research report from Tearfund and Youthscape, which asked young Christians, aged 14 - 19, to share their thoughts on church, faith and the climate.

The National Youth Agency has made all of its Routes To Success webinar series available on YouTube. The webinars are aimed at helping  those who work with young people to develop their skills, practice and knowledge..

Ubele's Young Emerging Leaders Collective now has a monthly podcast called ‘TL^2 – Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders’ where they discuss a variety of topical and pertinent issues, relevant to the lived experiences of BAME young people. You can find the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and Pocket Casts.

Think of the children - a blog from Red Letter Christians UK, offering a challenge to parents tempted to 'play safe' when choosing a church to attend.

The collection, Hope and Resistance: Through Palestinian Children’s Eyes, is a new art collection that has been curated by academics at Liverpool Hope University. The online gallery, created by Palestinian children aged between 9 and 15, illustrates their experience of living on the West Bank.

TRAINING AND EVENTS

Monday 1 March 2021, online event

With you in spirit? The Youthscape/St. Mellitus annual lecture

Rev Dr Sam Wells, from St. Martin's in the Field speaks about moving towards a theology of presence in online youth work. Find out more here.

Monday 1 to Thursday 4 March 2021, online module

CYM short course: Chaplaincy skills

Covers basic skills and key aspects of chaplaincy, including religious, spiritual and pastoral care in a range of contexts of school, college, young offenders and hospital. Find out more and register here.

Tuesday 2 March 2021, online event for North West & Man region

When prayer is difficult

Part of the Methodist Year of Prayer and the second in a series of events from the NW&M regional team. See the flyer here or contact Rob to book.

Wednesday 3 March 2021, online event

Developing and empowering teams

Hosted by the Southern & Islands team of the Methodist Learning Network, along with Emma Nash from the Evangelism & Growth team, but open to all. When we get teams 'right', ministry flourishes: people grow in confidence, they develop new skills, the work gets done faster, solutions are more innovative. But many of us find it hard to develop and empower teams like this consistently. Find out more and register here.

Saturday 6 March 2021, online event

Joined Up conference

Aimed at youth and children's workers, schools workers and chaplains. This event is completely free and will include Krish Kandiah (Home for Good), Mark Russell (Children's Society) and Susie Mapledoram (a Diocese Youth Advisor) as keynote speakers. There will also be a range of workshops, both live via Zoom and pre-recorded. Find out more and register here.

Tuesday 9 March 2021, online event

Connecting chaplains

A National Gathering of Chaplains hosted by the Southern and Islands Region in partnership with the Ministries Team of the Methodist Church. Find out more and register here.

Wednesday 10 March 2021, online event

Praying and responding to God for all ages and abilities

Led by Naomi Graham from Growing Hope, this webinar from The Well will seek to answer questions like, "How do I support someone who is non-verbal to hear from God?" or "What do I do when a young person with autism finds it difficult to picture what God is saying as they think very literally?" or "How do I engage a young person with a learning disability in understanding the concept of God speaking to us?" Naomi will offer some background information on how our brains work and how we process things, as well as some practical strategies to try. Register here.

Monday 15 to Friday 19 March 2021, online event

CYFI week

A week of input for children's, youth and families workers and key volunteers, delivered by The Well, in partnership with the Southern and Islands Regional Team. Find out more and register here.

Monday 22 March 2021, online event

Webinar: How to run a virtual prayer room

Brian Heasley from 24-7 Prayer will talk about the logistics of running a virtual prayer room and provide some top tips for encouraging people to take part. The evening will also include an opportunity to experience an online prayer room; to pray, reflect and spend time with God. Register here.

Tuesday 23 March 2021, Monday 26 April and Monday 10 May 2021, online module

CYM short course: Supporting and mentoring young leaders

Exploring mentoring, supervision and coaching as models for discipleship and helping learners reflect on their own practice. Find out more and register here.

Wednesday 24 to Friday 26 March 2021, online event

Renew Normal

From Youthscape, an event that asks what we have learned and what we might need to do next. Find out more and buy tickets (£10) here.

Thursday 25 March 2021, online event

Green evangelism: what does climate justice have to do with sharing our faith?

Join hosts Phoebe Parkin (Youth President, and keen advocate for climate justice) and Holly Adams (Evangelism and Contemporary Culture Officer) and panellist Elaine Heath (author and minister in the United Methodist Church) for a discussion about environmentalism and evangelism. Find out more and register here.

Saturday 27 March 2021, online event

Thriving families - supporting family wellbeing now and in the future

The Well, in partnership with Action for Children. Check our online events page for the registration link.

Monday 12 to Thursday 15 April 2021, online module

CYM short course: Working in a school community

Providing a critically informed evaluation of the role Christians have and can fulfil within the school community and a platform for students to engage with the changing policy environment for schools and to identify appropriate opportunities for contextual ministry. Find out more and register here.

Thursday 15 April 2021, online event

Ideas exchange event for those in ministry with 11 - 25 year olds

See item in featured news or find out more here. Click here to register.

Saturday 17 April 2021, Methodist Church House, London

Exploring ordained ministry (for 18 - 30 year olds)

Find out more about being an ordained person, how to candidate for ministry and what is included in the training pathway. Book here.

Tuesday 27 April 2021, online event for North West & Man region

Praying with children

Part of the Methodist Year of Prayer and the third in a series of events from the NW&M regional team. See the flyer here or contact Rob to book.

Monday 17 to Thursday 20 May 2021, online module

CYM short course: Mission and evangelism with children and young people

In partnership with Youth for Christ the course will explore a theology of evangelism and explore its place in the wider mission of the church as well as its relationship with areas of ministry such as pastoral care and counselling/worship and social action. Find out more and register here.

Saturday 22 May 2021, online event

A living library - part of #LoveThisCalling

People posing as living ‘books’ will share their stories of calling with the attending ‘readers’. A wide range of ‘books’ will be available to browse; from Youth Reps to Ministers to administrators to worship leaders. The event will be online, it will be free, it will be quick-moving and stimulating, follow-up support will be available for people who have vocational questions. More information coming soon!

Tuesday 15 June 2021, online event for North West & Man region

Helping a congregation to pray

Part of the Methodist Year of Prayer and the fourth in a series of events from the NW&M regional team. See the flyer here or contact Rob to book.

Tuesday 13 July 2021, online event for North West & Man region

Prayer at home

Part of the Methodist Year of Prayer and the last in a series of events from the NW&M regional team. See the flyer here or contact Rob to book.

You may like to pass this email on to others in your church who may find it interesting.

With best wishes
Methodist Children, Youth and Families Team

Email: childrenandyouth@methodistchurch.org.uk
Website: www.childrenandyouth.org.uk  
Twitter: @childrenyouth  
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Methodist-Children-Youth/126895266084