Below you will find links for children’s and youth ministry resources and organisations that will support and resource you in your ministry with children, youth and families.
If you have a story to share about an approach or resource that has worked well in your setting or something you have learned that you would like to share with others, please fill in this form. We’d love to hear from you.
Stories
Holy Trinity Church and Leverstock Green CE Primary School enjoy Woodland Worship each month with young families from the local area. “Woodland Worship immerses us in the natural world and stimulates our imaginations to explore our own understanding of God in a new and exciting way.” Read more about a Woodland Worship experience held in January 2023 here.
Barnet Deanery’s All Age Retreat and Pizza Evening for our Youth. This was held on the 14th of April, and we were overjoyed some of our youth were able to attend our retreat held at Holy Trinity church. The day was titled ‘Journey to the Cross’ and was held on Maundy Thursday. As a group, we have been meeting for bible study over lockdown via Zoom and in person when we could, and our last study was based around Pete Creig’s ‘Unanswered Prayer’, which touched on a lot of hard, sensitive questions. This led to us deciding that a retreat day was exactly what we needed to unplug from society and listen to what God had in store for us. We needed help to step away from the anxieties that have been building up through our experiences living in a pandemic. To be honest, I was unsure how they would take to switching off their phones and engaging through worship craft and silence. But as always, they adapted and engaged fully with the day. There were lots of positives, but the standout for me was the reflection given by one of our elderly members about her life at University and how she came close to ending everything even though she was a committed Christian at the time. This spoke to our group, and to see them conversing with her about the same issues they are dealing with and how she got through it was a blessing to see. Each age group has a lot to offer, and when we sit down together to let the holy spirit work within us, the results are always amazing. Once the retreat finished, we then had a youth social with takeaway pizza and games in the garden. We were so blessed with the money given, and I believe this made a big difference to our group. Hopefully, they will remember this time with fondness and remember they are not the only ones to go through these issues. – Paul Robinson, Beswick Family Worker
USEFUL LINKS FOR WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (RESOURCES/CHARITIES/INITIATIVES):
Messy Church – Everything you need to know about Messy Church: ideas, blogs, contacts.
Roots – Worship and learning resources for the whole church.
Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF) Resource Hub – Activities, ideas and resources for children and families.
Godly Play UK – A creative and imaginative approach to Christian nurture. Their website includes details of training events.
Godly Play UK – A creative and imaginative approach to Christian nurture. Their website includes details of training events.
Going for Growth website – The national Church of England Youth & Children’s work website.
MindEd – a web portal which contains a wealth of information for anybody working with children and young people’s mental health issues.
PAPYRUS – prevention of young suicide website.
The Resource Vault – An online resource where children and young people can get the advice they need, when they need it, on various mental or emotional health issues. Resources are sorted into different age groups, making them easy to find and relevant.
Thy Kingdom Come – Prayer resources for children’s and youth groups.
Urban Youth Workers Institute -For those who are working in more urban and diverse contexts.
Worship Workshop – Helping schools build better worship.
Local Youth and Children’s work organisations
Organisations that can provide support and guidance.
Worked with a number of partner agencies to produce a large number of resources to be used with young people and parents. They’re to raise mental health awareness and normalise conversations about mental health. These have been designed to engage particularly with boys and young men, but they can be used with girls or mixed groups also.
Offers advice, support, encouragement, networking, resources and training in all areas of youth and children’s work across the St Albans and Harpenden area in any and every church/organisation.
Youthscape – a youth ministry based in Luton, resourcing the church around the UK through research, resources and events.
Guidance for churches and church-led activities
When considering activities in your church, please check out the Safeguarding pages for guidance and support.
Children and Communion
An increasing number of parishes in St Albans Diocese are admitting children to Holy Communion before Confirmation. Children can be admitted to Communion before Confirmation only after parishes have followed the processes established by the Bishop of St Albans, outlined below in easy stages.
Policies and Processes
Preparing the Way – Admission of Children to Communion before Confirmation. Diocesan policy, with guidance on how to implement it in your parish.
General Synod Regulations on Baptised Children Receiving Holy Communion before Confirmation.
Resources
Explore Communion before Confirmation and prepare children to take it with the help of these resources:
A selection of resources for the admission of baptised children to Communion before Confirmation.
Bishop’s Consent Form to be completed after the Parochial Church Council(s) have agreed that the benefice/Parish wish to proceed with a policy of admitting baptised children to Communion before Confirmation
Background research sources
BRF Report on Discipleship in Messy Church
A collection of research findings and resource materials from the 2019-20 research project Deepening Discipleship. This was a project of the Archbishops’ Council Evangelism and Discipleship Team supported by the Strategic Development Fund, led by the Church Army’s Research Unit (CARU) and Messy Church at BRF.
You can find the report by following this link: Deepening Discipleship report.
Church Army Report on Young Adults
A report on some research conducted on young adult gatherings, including a church in our diocese.
Church Army Report on Mission with Young Adults
