The following article was published in an earlier edition of 'Seasight' and, by request, is now reproduced here..........

Mission Action Plan ....Children and Family Worker

What an encouragement it was for me when I attended the most recent Diocesan Synod to hear Bishop Richard explain the strategy and outlines for delivery of The Diocesan Mission for Growth in the next five years.

Issue 4 of Faith in Sussex includes a section covering the Mission for Growth where it describes under Re-imagining Ministry:  Ministry is the calling of the whole people of God.....Children and young people should also take their part in contributing to our service of God’s mission. One of the six main aspects of delivery of Diocesan growth states that the Diocese will be: Where possible involving children and young people to help shape our work together and using our church schools as a resource for this.

It is therefore with huge hope and excitement that I can report that the PCC has endorsed the work of its Children and Family Worker subcommittee during 2014 by agreeing on the Job Description, the Person Specification, the remit for Line Management and the Contract for employing our own Children and Family Worker. The advertisement and details of interviews will be taken to PCC in January 2015 and we hope to advertise by March 2015. We have long awaited this time using research and Diocesan expertise to guide us to a point when we pray we can do our very best for families, children and young people in our parish.

As was stated in the APCM 2014, there has been a willing volunteer force for years but St Peter and St Paul has never had a consistent and cohesive provision that has allowed growth and mission for Children and Families to be one of its priorities. A portion of the generous  legacy from Phillippa Senst and Diocesan commitment and understanding that children, young people and their families have a significant part to play in growth have combined to encourage our PCC to place this development as one of our key action points in our Mission Action Plan 2014-2015 shared with Bishop Martin during his visitation.

The PCC has funding for five years for a full time Children and Family Worker who will work with 5-16 year olds and have oversight of the 0-5 years’ work. The worker will lead, develop, manage and co-ordinate the volunteer team. The worker will  give particular direct leadership to the gaps in the provision that exist at the moment for our own children and young people especially in providing discipleship for this age range whilst also reaching out into the parish to involve many more families and their children in the life of our church and its role in Rustington.

Our commitment to this development is not for a brief amount of time as it is clear from research into healthy churches that a wide age range from youngest to oldest makes for growing churches. The initial appointment will be made for three years to be extended to five and onwards if this is mutually favourable. Obviously as the initial funding is for five years then there will need to be some creative approaches to covering costs after five years but we have faith that this is what God wants from our church at this point in its development of mission and giving.

If you would like to know more detail about the work of the subcommittee please contact me directly and I will arrange for a group of PCC members to meet in The Upper Room for further questions and answers.

Please pray for the PCC as it encourages and guides; for the work of the subcommittee that it is diligent, strategic and caring; for the development of a Line Management group; for the interview panel and interview process to demonstrate wisdom, intelligence and mindfulness and for the prospective candidates that God may be showing the way to the right person for this significant work to begin in 2015. Thank you.

Liz Henderson - February, 2015

On behalf of the PCC’s Children and Family Worker Sub-Committee: Dot Mitcham, Hope Newcomer-Jones; Steph Spanner, Lea Stavrou; Mervyn Wright;

From Reclaiming a generation by Ishmael ...{The Church of England } is losing children from church life, not because they do not love Jesus but because they cannot cope with what we call church and the regulations that surround it. Our children are not in a position to change things, but we are.