Reflecting on the Small Changes, Big Impact CYP Ministry Conference

We were delighted to see a packed conference for our first Children, Youth and Families (CYP) conference on Saturday, 9th November on the theme  Small Changes, Big Impact, at St John’s, Waterloo. The conference centred around the Bible verse of Matthew 13:31-32 “ A mustard seed, though it is  the smallest of all seeds…when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree”. We really wanted to equip and encourage those involved in ministry with children, young people, and families across the Diocese to see that the small changes really can have a big impact, whether as clergy, volunteers, or paid children or youth ministers.

We had over 200 attendees who wanted to address the ongoing challenges faced by parishes reaching children and their families. It was so encouraging to see how invested people were to make small changes that can have big impacts in helping children, youth and families  have a deeply rooted faith that can withstand the pressures of growing up. We were privileged to have Dr Carolyn Edwards who spoke powerfully about how everyone is needed to grow younger and more diverse. Lots of people enjoyed speaking to her and her colleague June Knowles, the 30K Project, Senior Project Manager in the marketplace afterwards.

Market Place

The market place was buzzing with people (indeed some stalls ran out of information to give out!) wanting to find out more about schools ministry through Spinnaker, Music through the Royal School of Church Music, Children & Youth Ministry resources through Roots, the Diocesan Lay Ministry department’s pathway for children and youth ministry through Commissioning and Licensing and Southwark Social Action.

Southwark Social Action

Roots

Lay Ministry

Hope for the Future

As we have travelled out to visit, support, and resource parishes, the feedback has been clear: many have been struggling to connect with children, youth and families as they did before the pandemic. Feedback from the conference left many coming away feeling like there  is hope and a drive to create a Church where children and young people are welcomed and valued.

We have really enjoyed visiting many parishes this year and the conference was designed in direct response to what we’ve heard from them. After reviewing the survey responses from earlier this year, we created the conference with parishes in mind—whether your ministry is just beginning, growing, or already flourishing, the Small Changes, Big Impact conference had something to inspire everyone. The focus was on exploring how small, practical changes can make a big difference in the way we reach, serve, and care for children, young people, and families in our local parishes who come through the doors and who are also in the community.

Here’s What Our Attendees Had to Say….

“The day was interesting and informative. Hearing about the resources and support on offer from the diocese.”

Sonnet Kelly, the Flourish Minister at The Good Shepherd Lee, said this about her experience at the Small Changes, Big Impact Conference.

“What a wonderful and insightful experience I’ve  had at the CYP Small Changes Big Impact conference! Thank you to all involved in putting this on. I really have been inspired and encouraged by all the various seminars and their facilitators. The variety of topics covered as well as the practical support, lived examples and experience brought by the various facilitators in their settings was astounding. ‘Growing younger together’ as a concept for our Church is a welcomed one as the young people we serve really can and do minister to us all in a multitude of ways, and, having the conference set out in such way to acknowledge as well as celebrate that was phenomenal. Seeing the various familiar faces, meeting new ones and having the support and understanding from facilitators really did make for a family feel and I’m thankful to have taken part.”

Supporting Each Other

We had a wide variety of topics covered in seminars led by experienced people within the Diocese who have worked extensively in engaging with children, young people, and families. These sessions provided insights into different aspects of CYP ministry, including starting a ministry from scratch, finding and retaining volunteers, working with schools, Messy Church, fresh expressions of church, music and young people, social action, how the Diocesan Investment Program could support CYP ministries and more.

Throughout the day, attendees were given practical tools and ideas to help them engage more effectively with children, young people, and families in their own contexts. There were also many  opportunities to network with others, share stories, ask questions, and be part of a wider conversation about how we can transform the future of children, youth and family ministry in our Diocese.

Katy Miller and Charles Ajayi leading a session on using music to grow faith with CYP.	Canon Will Cookson leading a session on the Diocesan Investment Programme.
Monica Pons and Revd Anna Norman Walker co-leading a session on starting children’s ministry from scratch.	Jason O’Shea and Daniel Osei Bonsu co-leading a session on Serious Youth Violence.

Inspiring Worship

The worship team from St Peter’s Brockley ended the day with an inspiring and uplifting act of closing worship which encouraged us to fix our eyes on God to help us make the small changes that will have a big impact in children, youth and families ministry.

Next steps

This is only the start as we are planning a series of follow up training that we plan to launch in the new year. Together, we can make small changes that will lead to big impacts in the lives of the children, young people, and families we serve. Don’t miss out on this chance to further equip yourself for this vital ministry! This is a fantastic opportunity to build on what was learned and continue growing in your ministry.

Whether you attended the conference or not,  you can sign up for follow-up training  here bit.ly/3AjGV7n.

To book a parish visit from the CYP Team click here https://bit.ly/42c6UXz.

If you are thinking about how to welcome children, young people and families, have a look at our toolkits here https://bit.ly/3J0DhiW.

To find out more about the Diocesan Investment Programme click here https://bit.ly/3COb3Zk.

We would encourage you to check out more photos from the Small Changes, Big Impact CYP Conference here.