We are all people in a place.
And this is a great place to start!
We have natural connections as church families in our neighbourhoods. We interact with schools, groups that use our buildings, neighbours, extended whānau and existing ministries. It’s the relationships we have in these places that can so often be the missional and Kingdom-building opportunities we look for.
This is often the most natural place of peace where the relationship is already made between church and community…
Just like Becky discovered at All Saints.
Becky Sussex and her family have been members of All Saints since 2000. In 2011, they were sent by All Saints as NZCMS mission partners to Cambodia, where Becky, with a background in primary school teaching, worked in an international school supporting missionary children. Six years later the family returned to New Zealand, where Becky navigated a period of transition. She was volunteering in children's programmes at All Saints when the role of Children and Families Worker became vacant.
“I managed to convince myself that there were many reasons why this wasn’t the role for me!” she tells me. “God, however, had other plans, and after much prodding and nudging in a variety of ways, it became obvious that he was really keen for me to apply for the position.”
Becky began in October last year and I’ve loved watching her thrive in the role! We chatted about what she’s been up to.
Becky: When I entered the role, it had been vacant for some months, so my first priority was to establish a fun and engaging Sunday morning kids programme. There I aim to make connections and build relationships with the families who attend.
I was also keen to connect with and support the existing Kids’n’Koffee programme. Kids’n’Koffee has been a long running ministry to the community, led by Lois Mills and her team.
As the year has unfolded, it has been exciting to see opportunities bounce off these programmes. One of these is a monthly group called Kids & Cooking, which a number of these families attend.
This is held in our church foyer and is an opportunity for parents and caregivers to cook simple recipes with their kids alongside others, with good coffee and great conversations.
We now also organise monthly Whānau Nights where families from the community of Kids’n’Koffee and Kids & Cooking join with families from our parish to share kai and chats and games together. These community building events aim to form friendships and link families into church events. We imagine these evenings will evolve and respond to needs as they arise, with a view to building faith-sharing opportunities.
Becky: It has been really important to me to spend time at Kids’n’Koffee regularly, as this is a wonderful space which engages with many families from the community.
It was through conversations with parents there that I gained a sense that several of these families, who had no extended family here, and some who were new to Nelson, were looking for more opportunities to get to know others and grow friendships. Kids & Cooking (which is a smaller group) and the Whānau Nights grew organically out of this.
I am aware of how hard it can be to engage in conversations on a Sunday morning when you have little ones with you. So it is also my great hope that these events will provide opportunities for our parish families to connect with one another, as well as with families from the wider community.
Becky: That relationship building with people is so important!
I’ve also learned that it is really good to look at what is already happening in the parish, see what is working well and then look for opportunities to build on that, with God’s help.
I think it’s important to acknowledge the gifts and passions that God has given each of us rather than replicating someone else's programme.
For me, food and kids are two things that I enjoy, so it was a natural space for me to move into – it makes sense for my context, resources and skills.
Becky: My dream for 2024 is that God will take these beginnings, consolidate and build on them. That he will guide me and others involved, in what the next steps might be, and that he will use this to draw people closer to him and to build his kingdom. I’d love to see more children and their families become part of our parish whānau.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
We are all people in a place.
And this is a great place to start!
We have natural connections as church families in our neighbourhoods. We interact with schools, groups that use our buildings, neighbours, extended whānau and existing ministries. It’s the relationships we have in these places that can so often be the missional and Kingdom-building opportunities we look for.
This is often the most natural place of peace where the relationship is already made between church and community…
Just like Becky discovered at All Saints.
Becky Sussex and her family have been members of All Saints since 2000. In 2011, they were sent by All Saints as NZCMS mission partners to Cambodia, where Becky, with a background in primary school teaching, worked in an international school supporting missionary children. Six years later the family returned to New Zealand, where Becky navigated a period of transition. She was volunteering in children's programmes at All Saints when the role of Children and Families Worker became vacant.
“I managed to convince myself that there were many reasons why this wasn’t the role for me!” she tells me. “God, however, had other plans, and after much prodding and nudging in a variety of ways, it became obvious that he was really keen for me to apply for the position.”
Becky began in October last year and I’ve loved watching her thrive in the role! We chatted about what she’s been up to.
Becky: When I entered the role, it had been vacant for some months, so my first priority was to establish a fun and engaging Sunday morning kids programme. There I aim to make connections and build relationships with the families who attend.
I was also keen to connect with and support the existing Kids’n’Koffee programme. Kids’n’Koffee has been a long running ministry to the community, led by Lois Mills and her team.
As the year has unfolded, it has been exciting to see opportunities bounce off these programmes. One of these is a monthly group called Kids & Cooking, which a number of these families attend.
This is held in our church foyer and is an opportunity for parents and caregivers to cook simple recipes with their kids alongside others, with good coffee and great conversations.
We now also organise monthly Whānau Nights where families from the community of Kids’n’Koffee and Kids & Cooking join with families from our parish to share kai and chats and games together. These community building events aim to form friendships and link families into church events. We imagine these evenings will evolve and respond to needs as they arise, with a view to building faith-sharing opportunities.
Becky: It has been really important to me to spend time at Kids’n’Koffee regularly, as this is a wonderful space which engages with many families from the community.
It was through conversations with parents there that I gained a sense that several of these families, who had no extended family here, and some who were new to Nelson, were looking for more opportunities to get to know others and grow friendships. Kids & Cooking (which is a smaller group) and the Whānau Nights grew organically out of this.
I am aware of how hard it can be to engage in conversations on a Sunday morning when you have little ones with you. So it is also my great hope that these events will provide opportunities for our parish families to connect with one another, as well as with families from the wider community.
Becky: That relationship building with people is so important!
I’ve also learned that it is really good to look at what is already happening in the parish, see what is working well and then look for opportunities to build on that, with God’s help.
I think it’s important to acknowledge the gifts and passions that God has given each of us rather than replicating someone else's programme.
For me, food and kids are two things that I enjoy, so it was a natural space for me to move into – it makes sense for my context, resources and skills.
Becky: My dream for 2024 is that God will take these beginnings, consolidate and build on them. That he will guide me and others involved, in what the next steps might be, and that he will use this to draw people closer to him and to build his kingdom. I’d love to see more children and their families become part of our parish whānau.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
