Children, Young People and Families Team Update | | |
We’re right in the middle of Lent, preparing for Easter, the sun has started to shine in places, the rain has calmed down and crocuses and daffodils are blooming from the earth; Spring is here! We hope that in your ministry with children, young people and families, you will see new shoots of life springing up as children and young people encounter God and grow in faith.
A new venture for the Children, Young People and Families team starting this Spring is a partnership with the Bible Reading Fellowship’s Parenting for Faith team. We are working with them to pilot a new resource called ‘Deeper Rooted Lasting’ to help support discipleship of families in your church. You may already know the ‘Parenting for Faith’ course which equips parents to help their children meet and know God. The course includes 5 discipleship tools that are easy to learn and apply to family life. The team at Parenting for Faith have developed a new resource called ‘Deeper, Rooted, Lasting’ specifically for church leaders and children’s ministry volunteers to help them support families growing in faith by using those discipleship tools in group activities and in worship services. The Diocese of Leeds is going to pilot these new resources with churches to see what impact they might have and we’re looking for churches who would be willing to get involved. Your church does not need a big children’s or youth ministry, in fact if you have a few children who attend worship or none at all, we’d love to hear from you because it would be great to see if this resource has an impact on your church’s culture and ministry. If you are interested in finding out more about Deeper Rooted Lasting or want to join the pilot, please do get in contact with me - jo.young@leeds.anglican.org.
Parenting for Faith have many courses to support faith at home including Parenting Teens for a Life of Faith and Grandparenting for Faith. As part of the pilot, they have offered some free places to church leaders in the Diocese of Leeds on their Parenting as a Church Leader course on Wednesday 29 April 9am-2:45pm. The cost is usually £25 and if you would like a free place, please contact me for the booking link and code.
Our team are here to support you in ministry to children and young people so if you have any questions or any suggestions for training that would be helpful, we would love to hear from you - childrenyouth@leeds.anglican.org.
We hope that this season of Lent is a time where you not only serve children and young people to understand the power of the Easter story but that you too have time and space to connect with Jesus. When it comes, may your Easter celebrations be full of joy and wonder!
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Jo
With prayerful best wishes,
On behalf of The Children, Young People and Families Team
| | TEND 2026 - Book your place! | | |
Please book on to one of our annual TEND events later this year. A day of celebration of children and youth work across the Diocese, to equip and inspire each other, with opportunities for workshops, prayer, networking.
Saturday 6th June - All Saints, Ilkley
Saturday 5th September - St Andrew's, Purlwell (Batley)
| | | For more information and to book your place on either event, please click here. | | An Introduction to Intergenerational Worship | | Tuesday 28th April, 10am-12.30pm at Church House, Leeds | | |
An opportunity to consider the importance of intergenerational worship for the whole church. During this workshop we will:
- Consider what we mean by ‘Intergenerational Worship’ and why it is significant in the life of the church
- Think about how we might do it well within our services
- Share some examples of good practice
- Look at how we might nurture children and young people in their faith within an Intergenerational context
- Look at different ways of making prayer interactive.
| | | Safe Practice in Children's and Youth Work | | Thursday 30th April, 10am-11.30am at Church House, Leeds | | |
This interactive workshop is recommended for everyone wanting to follow safe practice in their mission and ministry with children, young people and families, and covers the following:
- Considering the Safer Environment and Activities guidance to support work with children, young people and families.
- Defining core safe practice requirements for work with children and young people.
- Identifying the help available to support parishes and leaders meet the requirements of safe practice.
| | | Emergency First Aid Course | | Thursday 7th May, 9am-4.30pm at Church House, Leeds | | For children and youth workers and volunteers, in conjunction with Wakefield Council's Commercial Service Team. To receive certification, candidates must be able to get on the floor to demonstrate recovery position and CPR (please wear suitable, comfortable clothing to allow you to do this), complete the full day course and bring photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. Cost: £67.19. | | | For more information and to book your place, please click here. | | Admission to Communion before Confirmation Workshop | | Monday 15th June, 10am-11.30am at Church House, Leeds | | |
If you’re interested in finding out more about Admission to Communion before Confirmation, this session will:
- Share details of the guidelines and application process
- Consider the expectations around preparation
- Discuss resources to support the preparation and ongoing nurture and discipleship of children and young people
- Explore the next steps to continue the process.
| | | Tuesday 23rd June, 7.30pm-8.45pm, Online | | If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Ministry with children and young people isn't something to do alone, but what can we do when we find ourselves struggling for numbers of volunteers? This evening workshop will look at some of the things we can do to build and sustain teams for working with young people and/or children. | | | Employed Children and Youth Workers' Gathering | | Thursday 26th March, 10am-12pm at Church House, Leeds | | |
If you are employed by (or an intern for) a Church of England church in the Diocese of Leeds in a role relating to children, young people or families, then this gathering is for you! It’s a couple of hours for seeing how each other is doing, sharing any relevant news, and praying for you and the ministry in which you’re engaged.
More details and booking information here.
| | | Messy Church Learning Community | | Tuesday 21st April, 7.30pm-9pm, Online | | If you are involved in a Messy Church Team who are seeking to reach people of all ages with the good news of Jesus, then this community could be for you. Join us online for this meeting where we will be thinking a little deeper about the hospitality we offer at Messy Church and how this might extended beyond providing food and refreshments. | | | Additional Needs Learning Community | | Thursday 23rd April, 11am-1pm at Church House, Leeds | | If you are involved in Children and Youth Ministry in the Diocese of Leeds and want to help make church more accessible for families with Additional Needs, then this gathering is for you! We will meet together, ask questions and get the wisdom from the room. We will share relevant news with you and pray for the ministry you are involved in. Hot drinks are provided, but please bring your own lunch. | | | Thursday 7th May, 7.30pm-9pm, Online | | For strengthening connections between church, home and school. This hub is focused on using seasonal experience resources to engage with schools and planning future opportunities for faith exploration. We will explore some resources, share how they have been successfully run in parishes and consider how they can be part of a pathway for children and their families to engage further with church and be nurtured in their faith. | | | To find out more and book your place, please click here. | | Toddler Teams Learning Community | | Thursday 4th June, 10am-12pm at Church House, Leeds | | June is the National Month of Prayer for Toddler Groups, the 2026 theme is Jesus the Good Shepherd and at the gathering we will have a chance to share the joys and challenges of running a toddler group as well as praying for all the church toddler groups across the diocese. There will be tea, coffee and cake provided alongside lots of encouragement and inspiration. | | | Ministry with Children and Young People | | |
Whether you have been working with children and young people for a long time or you are just starting out, this course is designed to help you develop and refresh skills and knowledge so you can serve children and young people well. The course is interactive with groupwork activities plus times for discussion and reflection.
We will explore 4 areas:
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- Children Matter – the value of children to Jesus and to the church
- Practical Matters – the skills and practicalities needed to work safely with children and young people
- Faith Matters – how faith might develop for children and young people and how we might help to nurture faith.
- You Matter – the importance of knowing our roles and responsibilities and looking after our own faith and wellbeing.
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