Part of my work over the past few months has been checking in with parishes about what’s going on in children’s, youth, and family ministry.
Through that, I’ve heard lots of inspiring stories of ministry serving those folks in creative ways as we have moved through the challenges of lockdowns and restrictions. Alongside those wonderful and encouraging stories has also been the difficult reality of numerous Sunday Schools, youth groups, Messy Churches and other ministries that just weren’t able to continue through the last 18 months or so.
I’m not writing this as an obituary of sorts for those ministries, or even as a chastisement of parishes who let things take a fallow year, but rather to make sure that if you are in one of those parishes, if you are feeling like ministry has stopped and you don’t know how to get it going again, that you know that you are not alone.
As we move into the fall and ministries start up again, or we begin to think about how those ministries may start up again, knowing that you aren’t alone is a powerful piece of information to have. If you are struggling with figuring out how to make things happen, others are too, and there are resources and supports to help you navigate that.
Connect with other parishes in your region, find out what other people have going on and don’t be afraid to be honest. If you are open and honest about the things that feel challenging or overwhelming, that gives other people permission to name those things too, and creates the potential for us to move forward together in support of one another.
Children, youth, and families are still out there in your communities, and we still have a call to do ministry with them.
Reach out and connect with one another through this, and please reach out to me and the Youth and Family Ministry VSST for support too. We’ve got lots of ideas and resources and would be more than happy to share all of that with you.
As things continue to open up, and we continue to re-imagine what these ministries might look like, I look forward to reconnecting with folks across the diocese, and will hold you, your communities, and your ministries in prayer.
