Finding the key to unlock children
HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND (ANS) -- Every
child has a key in the same way that a bankcard has a unique pin
number. It is important that we find that which is uniquely empowering
for every one of the children we reach.
This was the theme of the 2006
Kidsreach national children’s ministry conference held last week at
Gateway Christian Centre, Hamilton.
Kidsreach is and interdenominational
Christian organization with a mission to train, resource, equip and
encourage people who minister to children.
Speaking from Psalm 139:13-16, Pastor
David
Goodwin, the conference director, said: “Children are easily deceived,
hurt and disempowered. On the other hand, you and I have a positive
message of hope and can truthfully say to each individual child we
meet, ‘There has never been anyone like you since life began and there
never will be.’
“This is the message at the heart of our
ministry. Every child is a miracle and it is God’s will for them to
flourish, blossom and grow in their faith and in every other way.
“But how do they get to find the will of
God
for their lives when there seems to be so much against them? How do
they get to be the people God has called them to be in a world that has
gone so far away from him?”
The decision to move the conference to
Hamilton was made because it has out-grown El Rancho in Waikanae where
the previous 12 meetings were held.
Said Mr. Goodwin, who with his wife,
Therese,
founded Kidsreach in 1994: “I was a little nervous about the change to
a live-out conference from the live-in camp format as well as the
change of venue and date, but it has worked extremely well.”
Delegates, who included family and
children’s
pastors, children’s church workers, Bible in School teachers and
representatives from Children’s Bible Ministries (CBM), the Christian
Education Commission, Cool Bananas and others, travelled from as far as
Invercargill and Kerikeri for the conference.
Dick Gruber, a children’s ministry
specialist
from the United States, was the keynote speaker. He and his wife,
Darlene, have been in children’s ministry for over 30 years.
He presented guidelines, encouragement
and
motivation from the conference theme “The Key” to equip the 420
delegates with greater confidence, resources and skills with which to
return to their respective ministries.
Karen Stewart, children’s ministry leader
at
Gateway Christian Centre spoke about being in kids’ ministry for the
long term, Mr. Goodwin, who spoke about the “The Key” and Hugh Dickey,
of CBM, told delegates of the work of New Zealand missionaries in other
lands.
Elective speakers all had a wealth of
experience to pass on key ideas to delegates. The included Val Groves,
Major Allison Ross, Janet Meehan, Jill Kayser, Felicity Stone, Sean
Pawson, Brian and Shona Goldsbury, Stu Thompson (Skyte the Clown), Ken
Youngson, Keryn McCutcheon and Brett Cardwell (Cardytoons).
Cool Bananas organised wacky,
entertaining
children’s games in which the adults participated during the conference
party on Saturday night.
After the church service on the Sunday
morning, during which Mr. Gruber preached from Matt 19:14, the
delegates received prayer and commissioning before returning home.
“Children are the church of now,” said
Karen
Stewart, of Gateway Christian Centre. “Let’s take their dreams and
visions seriously and learn from their faith.
“We are called to raise up a mighty
generation of children, to build them up as an incredible army, the
secret weapon of our churches.”
