Ministry with children, young people and their families is crucial if we are to be the whole people of God. The CEY Team is available to assist Parishes in this important area of ministry. There are a variety of ways that this can occur, such as:
Consultation
Some times we aren't sure what working with children and young people involves, where to start, or how to continue and grow that which is already occurring. It is often helpful to have someone from outside your community to visit and review what is taking place, offer suggestions and advice, or just to encourage the good work that is happening. We believe that a good well planned process (not necessarily programs) is essential as we work towards building strong communities of faith.
The following is a brief example of a typical Parish Consultation:
1. Meeting with key Parish personnel (Clergy, Parish Council)
2. Meeting with all stakeholders (Clergy, Parish Council, Youth & Children's Ministry Leaders etc) to look at the big picture, grapple with the needs of the community, explore how various ministries link together, and most importantly to gain a sense of peoples' dreams and hopes.
3. Undertake research in the wider community
4. Draw together a plan to meet needs
5. Look at what can realistically be achieved
6. Review the necessary resources required to undertake the task at hand
7. Provide training, resources and accompany those who undertake ministry
Training
Whilst we wouldn't call ourselves experts, we do provide training in a variety of aspects of ministry with Children, Young People and their families. We are happy to visit individual Parishes and meet the needs of each community, or undertake training on a wider level. Our policy is, if we aren't able to undertake the training, we will find an appropriate person who is!
Some areas of training include:
- Children's Ministry Basics
- Youth Ministry Basics
- Accompanying Young People
- Nurturing Families
- The Child Friendly Church
- Special Religious Education Teacher Training
- Family Faith Formation
- Developing entry points into the Parish Faith Community
- Child Protection Essentials
Accompanying
We try to meet regularly with those people who minister in this important area. We believe that it is in meeting together, sharing our thoughts, ideas, resources and wisdom that many of our problems are solved.
Some initiatives of CEY include:
- Visits with Parish Lay Ministry Employees
- Assisting Regional Teams to gather together
