Children (and, in fact, all of us!) love to receive something by post, actually through the letter box, in this digital age, and Lynda decided she would send themed packs of Bible passages, creative prayer suggestions, relevant science experiments, worship songs, encountering with the Holy Spirit and ideas for creative activities every month to the ‘Powerhouse’ (Sunday school) families. These themes are the same as those the adult church members are following. So far there has been an Easter themed pack and a Philippians (‘The Lockdown Letter’) pack. In her shed, Lynda is currently preparing a Pentecost pack. As well as ideas from Lynda, the packs signpost families to YouTube videos and on-line resources. She is passionate about children encountering God for themselves, and feels that some things are harder to convey on paper, but is trusting that the Holy Spirit will work through what she is sending out.
The packs are also available on the church ‘Launchpad’ Facebook page which reaches some of the Launchpad (a ‘Messy Church’ style gathering) and Toddler Group families. Lynda is excited by this as most of these families wouldn’t normally access what was available on a Sunday.
Lynda has turned her garden shed into her Lockdown Office, and although she’s certainly being very productive out there, she is hugely missing the face to face contact that is usually a key part of her role. She has worked at Truro Baptist Church for more than a decade, firstly as a volunteer children’s ministry co-ordinator and for the past six years in her paid role, so she has developed strong relationships with the church families, local schools and wider community.
Lynda is missing the schools’ ministry aspect of her work, and also the contact with the many toddler group families. She sends out letters to the toddler group families by email and through these they can be reassured that ‘the church is still here’ and they are ‘still part of the family’.
Lynda’s wider ministry has involved the setting up of the ‘So What?’ Local Network Hub, which seeks to equip and empower those who serve children and families in local churches and enable them to better help children to encounter God. These valuable gatherings involve breakfast, and obviously can’t happen in the same way at the moment, though Lynda is trying to keep in touch with people when possible.
Something we can all take part in is ‘Drawing back the curtains to let in God’s Light’. Read about this initiative on the Truro Baptist Church website or like the So What? Facebook page and join Lynda and hundreds of others in praying for children in the UK and beyond, during the duration of the pandemic. There’s also a lovely little video, based on a Psalm 23 family activity, to watch.
Thank you, Lynda. We share in your hope that families will continue to encounter God together at home long after lockdown is over.
