In January, due to growing numbers of children attending Welcome Kids each Sunday, we launched “Welcome Kids Seniors” (WKS), a new group aimed specifically at children in school years 5 and 6. They meet at The Cube each Sunday morning and are seeing God do some amazing things.
The group is led by Harriet Code and her awesome team. I wanted to share what’s been going on since then, in their own words.
What Harriet says:
“Since we started WKS, we’ve seen our year 5 and 6 children grow in confidence, in friendships and in their own relationship with God. The numbers attending each week have grown too.
“It’s a really exciting time opening the Bible every week, immersing ourselves in God’s word, and asking questions about what it means for us today, as well as what it tells us about God. We’ve been trying to encourage the children to ask questions and consider their own thoughts and opinions in relation to what we’ve been discussing, and it’s been great to see them come to church with their own questions. They are an amazing group of children and it’s a really exciting ministry! “
What the kids say:
- “I feel really valued – everyone has an opportunity to share something”
- “It’s a mix of things: we have fun games, we go more in depth and there are comfy seats!”
- “I like that the questions are more complex”
- “We get to have more open conversations”
- “I can share my own thoughts and everyone’s ideas are listened to”
- “The leaders are amazing”
- “I know the people in seniors much better now and our friendships have become much stronger”
What some of the WKS team say:
- “I love the games, and seeing the kids relate to each other and enjoy being at church”
- “It’s great seeing the relationships that are building with the kids from different schools in a Christian environment”
- “I like the breakout groups where the children think of ways they can be kind to kids at school and outside of church”
- “I love the ‘eureka’ moments when a part of the gospel becomes so clear to the kids that they take over with their own explanations and answers”
Some final words from Harriet:
“When I think about what we’re trying to do in WKS, we want to encourage the children to be confident in their thoughts and opinions, to have a safe space to question their ideas, and to independently think about God’s word. It’s really exciting to think that we’re on this road, and this became evident during the recent Welcome Kids Weekend Away.
“During the Sunday meeting at the weekend away we shared (with permission!) how some of the children were going through a tough time with health issues, bereavement and more. They all showed real emotional maturity as they poured out their support, respect and concern for one another and then surrounded the affected children and prayed for them. For me this was a moment of awe, pride and genuine thanks to God. They really are an amazing group of kids!
Encouraged? I certainly am
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