Bury and Rossendale Deanery recently welcomed over 70 attendees to the Growing Younger Conference, an inspiring morning themed around Joshua 1 Verse 9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Attended by Deanery Synod Members and the wider community, people from many different traditions came together at Bury Church High School to learn about growing younger across our churches. Man Dio Growing Faith, the Diocese of Manchester Transformation Team and Revd Canon Donna Williams, Area Dean, organised the conference, which started with vibrant Wiggle Worship led by Jo Haslam and Dan Caffrey, Transformation Director.
Jo then gave a talk on how churches can connect with young children and their families, and the voices of young people were featured when Susie Mapledoram, Assistant Director of Education, interviewed two young people about their faith journeys, its highlights and lowlights, and their experiences of being a young Christian today. Aged 16 and 18, Poppy and Isaac shared insights about their faith being encouraged by support at home, in school and in church, and that being amongst other young Christians at camps such as Scargill, where they were both leaders, has strengthened their faith even more.
Also available throughout the morning was a series of seminars and workshops, with each attendee able to choose two to join. These collaborative groups covered topics such as Intergenerational Church, Christian mindfulness and wellbeing, planting seeds and growing faith, strengthening church/school links, sacred spaces, and more, offering a welcoming platform to share ideas and encourage one another. Positive messages were written on a Good News Wall, where people could share how they’ve been growing younger in their churches.
Finishing the morning with a short time of reflection and a blessing by Bishop Mark, the conference was hugely inspiring and received positive feedback from those in attendance, with one person saying, “I really enjoyed the event and got so much out of it. Our church has already started to put some of the ideas into practice and is planning some exciting events to engage children and young people!”
To learn more about Growing Younger in your church, click here: Children and Young People Ministry.