The Child and Community: Resources
Spiritual Child ResourcesChildren at home: Nurturing children's spirituality in the home; including creating sacred space, the place of story, using books, play and children's responses. Footsteps: Reaching out to children and families who have little or no contact with church. A variety of different events offering storytelling, drama, reflection, creative activities, prayer response and refreshments. Creative church: Informal opportunities for story, play prayer and multi-sensory activities Wider community: How is the church involved in the local community? Church anniversaries, local community groups, taking action Special needs: How do we include children with special needs? Books Messy ChurchFresh ideas for building a Christ centred community by Lucy Moore Messy Church is church for families who find it hard to go to church on Sundays. Its focus is on creativity, celebration and community: a craft and activity session followed by a short act of worship and ending with a shared meal. This first book explains the thinking behind Messy Church and gives the outline for 15 themed sessions. published by Barnabas 2006 ISBN 9781841015033 Messy Church 2Ideas for discipling a Christ-centred community by Lucy Moore  Messy Church 2 explores discipleship, faith development and training for leadership and includes practical ideas for nurturing fellowship and community. The book reflects on what it means to be a church rather than a children’s club and topics include Christian basics and Baptism and Holy Communion. The book also gives the outlines for a further 15 themed sessions. published by Barnabas 2008 ISBN 9781841016023  From the Ground UpUnderstanding the spiritual world of the child by Kathryn Copsey This book is based on Kathryn Copsey’s experiences as project leader for CURBS (Children in URBan Situations). It looks at the spirituality of the child - what does it mean to be made in God’s image - and the biblical perspective on children. It also offers practical suggestions on how churches can nurture children’s spirituality, particularly in an urban context. published by Barnabas 2005 ISBN 9781841013862 Celebrating ChildrenEquipping people working with children and young people in difficult circumstances around the world Editors: Glenn Miles and Josephine-Joy Wright  More than 50 writers from around the world have contributed to this reference book for all those involved in projects with children. The book is organised under the headings of: the Child in Context; Listening to Children; Risk and Resilience; Holistic Mission to Children; Practical Issues; Evaluation and Monitoring of Programmes; Development of Self and Staff and Case Studies from around the World. published by Paternoster 2003 ISBN 1-84227-060-5 WebsitesMessy Church"Messy Church is one church's attempt to be church for families who might want to meet Jesus, belong to their local church and bring up their children as Christians but can't cope with traditional Sunday morning church services. It's a once-a-month time of creativity, worship and eating together..." Their website is here: Messy Church CURBS: Children in URBan SituationsCURBS is a Christian charity dedicated to training and resourcing church linked children’s workers in inner cities and urban estates. It places a strong emphasis on respecting children’s own spirituality, understanding the urban context in which they live and recognising their developmental needs. Their website is here: CURBS |