Children at the Baptist Assembly
Children at this year’s Assembly spent much more time alongside the adults in what was an intentionally much more intergenerational gathering.
With the dedicated children’s programme only beginning at 4pm, they were part of both the opening celebration and the afternoon Market Place sessions.
Their programme was led once again by Arise Ministries. ‘When we received them we weren’t sure how they would arrive,’ its director the Revd Ed Jones said. ‘But they came and engaged.
‘We had the opportunity to talk about what had gone on earlier in the day. It was great being able to chat.’ In the programme they looked at Acts 10, building built a rooftop with cardboard boxes to imagine what it might have been like for Peter.
Ed added, ‘In many ways for the Arise team it was quite strange day, normally we get there and we’re straight into it. We weren’t really working with the children until the afternoon.’
‘As a whole I thought it went really well. There was a great atmosphere around the place. A real sense of community and Baptists coming together to worship and have fun.’
Ed led an all-age Bible study in the Market Place, looking at the Great Commission, and enjoyed the 20-minute format.
‘In 20 minutes it had to be punchy and to the point,’ he said. ‘That works well in all age settings,’ he said.
‘I couldn’t make it, but it was great to see Jonathan Somerville and his son lead the all-age prayer session. My reflection would be – how can we engage children more in all age settings? Let’s keep looking for opportunities.’
Baptist Times, 20/05/2015