Families, Children and Youth at St. John’s Dukinfield

15/03/2025

Hi everyone just wanted to give you a heads up that this Sunday in our Doves group children will be offered (if they are ready) the fantastic opportunity to choose to say yes to Jesus for themselves.
We wanted you to know because this might spark some conversations with you.
-They may be bubbling over with enthusiasm and want to share their thoughts and feelings
- They might be a bit hesitant and not know what to say
- they might not have chosen to say yes but friends have and they might be working this out.
- they might be full of questions.
You might be thinking how do I deal with this 🙈 especially if you haven't made that choice yourself or are still working this God stuff out.
We would love it If you feel that you want to chat about any of this and maybe see if there's any suggestions and resources that we could offer ( every child is different and you absolutely know yours best) please just shout out. You can speak to Tim, me, Karen. We are here to encourage and support you in this wonderful journey.I'm happy to meet and chat over a coffee or in church or you can pm me. Erica xx

31/10/2024

I may be in the minority but I’ll be so glad when Halloween's over tomorrow. I really hate all the stuff connected to it & messing around with darkness is certainly not fun & is a really bad idea for our society to promote. I’m praying today for all those churches running light parties, either in person, or online. May they be amazing, a real blessing to many, & let’s always remember that ‘the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ John 1:5

21/02/2024

The Bible Society are now giving away FREE Easter books, and they're super simple and quick to claim! Just click "GET FREEBIE", followed by 'Learn more' on the Facebook post, and fill in your details, including your full name, phone number, and delivery address. Once you submit, you'll just need to....

18/02/2024

SO HEAR IT IS …the first in our Lent series 'Journeying with Jesus' for your family to draw close to God.
💭 something to think about
❓curious questions to chat about
👍 weekly challenge #1 for those who like to 'do' Who and how could you encourage someone this week.
🐾EXTRA...why not use the Video/ Lego story in the link below and retell the story.
We would love to hear from you about anything that you tried. x

Who's downloaded our free Lent resource?

Why not gather with your family for 10 minutes at some point over the week (could be over a meal, before bed, whenever works for you!) and use our Journeying with Jesus resource!

This downloadable is flexible and adaptable for all different ages and stages, so you can use it however best suits your family. Download now and have a look at week one over the weekend!

Check it out here - https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/lent-journeying-jesus/

18/02/2024

SO HEAR IT IS …the first in our Lent series 'Journeying with Jesus' for your family to draw close to God.
💭 something to think about
❓curious questions to chat about
👍 weekly challenge for those who like to 'do'
We would love to hear from you about anything that you tried. x

Who's downloaded our free Lent resource?

Why not gather with your family for 10 minutes at some point over the week (could be over a meal, before bed, whenever works for you!) and use our Journeying with Jesus resource!

This downloadable is flexible and adaptable for all different ages and stages, so you can use it however best suits your family. Download now and have a look at week one over the weekend!

Check it out here - https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/lent-journeying-jesus/

15/01/2024

This seems really timely when we are thinking about the need to pray as a church and it is the theme for worship central on Wednesday. Worth checking out.

Join us TOMORROW for our pop-up small group all about Chat and Catch!

Our pop-up small groups are for parents and carers and this month we will be talking all about different ways to engage kids and teens with Chat and Catch. Chat and Catch is one of our Five Key Tools at Parenting for Faith, and it encourages children in prayer and hearing God’s voice – chatting to him about everything that is on their hearts and catching his response, however he chooses to speak.

We will be having live discussions around this topic and there will be chance to join in the conversation and ask questions. You can watch from home or invite a few people to gather and watch it together. We'll provide discussion questions to help the conversation flow! Spread the word and see you there at 8pm on our page!

14/01/2024

Hi church family - just reaching out to ask if you would join me in praying for all those members of our church family who are going through the sad loss of a loved one. There are quite a few of us who are on that journey recently from a few months back to even in the last few days, from our youngest children and young people, their parents & grandparents, through to more mature members of our family. All expressing it in their own different ways.
🙏Father God would you draw close to them and may each one know the hope and comfort that only you can give even in these sad times. We pray that they may know your tenderness and compassion at this time and that you will not leave them to walk this journey alone, that you bind up the broken hearted, that you would be their very present help in times of need. Amen.
God bless X
p.s. I have attached this collection of suggestions and links from Parenting for Faith just in case it might be something that some find helpful.

How can we prepare ourselves to help our children and young people if someone they know becomes very ill or dies?

08/01/2024

We often just post for parents but this one is for all you GRANDPARENTS out there who care for our children and young people. You make a difference. Be encouraged. 😊

How can Christian grandparents pass on their faith to their grandchildren? There are three truths every Christian grandparent needs to know 👇

⭐ Karl Pillemer, of Cornell University, reported that ‘as many as 9 out of 10 adult grandchildren feel their grandparents influenced their values and behaviors’. And wonderfully, this influence also extends to discipling grandchildren. You are spiritually influential in the lives of your grandchildren and have huge potential to be part of their faith journeys.

⭐ Being in a close relationship with someone who loves you enables all sorts of good things: the freedom to be vulnerable, the courage to trust, and the willingness to learn from each other. So the closer you are to your grandchildren, the better positioned you will be to share all the good things you have with your grandchildren, including and meeting and knowing the God you love.

⭐ We hear about all sorts of family situations. God’s involved in all of it. Grandparents are part of his design for helping grandchildren meet and know God – and that doesn’t change because your situation is less than ideal. He also knows what you can manage, and he won’t demand more than you are capable of – and he does have a plan. Be encouraged. Whatever it looks like, God’s not finished with your family yet.

Read more here - https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/post/three-truths-christian-grandparents-need-to-know/

19/11/2023

BRILLIANT RESOURCE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. Linking in with Stuarts message today on asking questions this is a brilliant resource children and families for the Advent season (and beyond). Each dipper includes a bible verse, something think about and a prayer suggestion. So simple. Speak to Kate (she will have some on the book stall). Will try and put a link to a YouTube clip in the comments box on suggestions of how to use them (if I can get to grips with the technology 😅)x

30/10/2023

Another useful way of helping our families think about Halloween. Thought I'd share for anyone interested.

It's Halloween tomorrow, and many of our children and teens will be asking questions.

- Why can't we do this/that/the other?
- What's so bad about it?
- Isn't it just about having fun with friends?

Over the last few weeks, we've been sharing content to help you think through your approach to Halloween. Some of us avoid it like the plague, others embrace with open arms, and still others are selective about what they do/don't participate in. There's no one 'right' way to disciple our kids, and there's no one 'right' approach to Halloween.

But if your children are especially interested in, or asking questions about, the supernatural, here are three starters to help, as you consider your response.

You can watch the full training from Rachel Turner here: https://www.parentingforfaith.brf.org.uk/post/dealing-with-the-worlds-view-of-the-supernatural-facebook-live-2/

18/10/2023

Worship Central Wednesday 18th October 7.30pm

It would be great to see as many as possible at our Worship Central event this evening. We will start with refreshments and then lead into a time of worship and prayer led by Bethany & Andrew. We will also take time to pray for the ongoing conflict in Palestine.
We will then watch a brilliant video talk from J.John on 'Sharing our Faith', which fits in so well with our current series.
Look forward to seeing you all later.

16/10/2023

As we work out how to do Halloween as Christian parents/carers (or even if you are still working out about God yourself) here's some great alternatives to Halloween to help us celebrate in our families.

Christians have traditionally celebrated 'All Hallows Eve' or 'All Saints Eve' by banishing evil spirits and giving thanks for the saints who have gone before them.

We can use these Christian traditions as a basis for our own modern-day celebrations! Here are some fun ideas to try.

What does your family do at Halloween? Share in the comments!