Strandz is the hub of Children + Families ministry
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"One Generation shall praise God's works to one another"
Psalm 145:4
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HE WHAKATAUKI
E kore e taea e te whenu kotahi ki te raranga i te whāriki kia mōhio tātou ki ā tātou. Mā te mahi tahi ō ngā whenu, mā te mahi tahi ō ngā kairaranga, ka oti tēnei whāriki. I te otinga me titiro tātou ki ngā mea pai ka puta mai. A tana wā, me titiro hoki ki ngā raranga i makere nā te mea, he kōrero ano kei reira. |
A PROVERB
The tapestry of understanding can not be woven by one strand alone. Only by the working together of strands and the working together of weavers will such a tapestry be completed. With its completion let us look at the good that comes from it and, in time we should also look at those stitches which have been dropped, because they also have a message. - Kūkupa Tirikatene |
National Enabler
Diana Langdon is the National Children and Families Ministry Enabler for the Anglican Dioceses of New Zealand (Tikanga Pākehā). Diana's days are filled with:
Contact Email Diana |
Strandz NetworkConnecting the dots
Strandz works intentionally with the Anglican Dioceses of New Zealand, sharing encouragement, resources, training, material and ideas to inspire the church to engage with the children and families across New Zealand. We connect leaders and the wisdom they bring, and offer opportunities to share that with others. We have an amazing Strandz whānau, including some great Enablers up and down Aotearoa New Zealand, who may be helpful to get in touch with over this time. They include: Auckland
Angela Blundell - Intergenerational Ministry Facilitator Wellington Natalie Moreno - Whānau Discipleship Resourcer Nelson Amanda Poil - Children and Families Ministry Enabler Christchurch Azariah Peach - Children's Ministry Developer Dunedin John Graveston - Children, Youth and Young Adult Ministries Educator |
Our vision is for every parish to grow in these five areas of ministry with children and families:
Kingdom Pilgrims
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Kingdom Pilgrims
Robert Coles describes a child’s faith journey as a pilgrimage, where children are active agents, walking with adults and God throughout their lives. In our own New Zealand Prayer Book / He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa we say to the newly baptised: “You are now a pilgrim with us.” Children are full and active members of the body of Christ, with gifts and talents to offer. As you walk with a child on a journey of faith, you are helping to give them words to express their beliefs, experiences to grow through, examples to learn from, and safe communities to make mistakes and take risks. As pilgrims, the children in our faith communities are on a pilgrimage with us. We’re in this together - we minister with children. Sometimes we’re further ahead, giving them advice on how to navigate the way, and sometimes they’re ushering in things of the Kingdom we have yet to see. |
Children's Spirituality
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Strategic Faith Formation
“Childhood is not a transitional stage on the way to adulthood,” wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer; “the child is the partner of God.” In each phase of a child’s life we are called to discover, celebrate, and navigate strategically with them. Preschool, primary age, intermediate, and teenage years are all equally important, and provide unique opportunities for faith formation. Strandz supports churches to walk with children for the long haul, helping them provide strategic and intentional faith formation over the years. Every child is created in the image of God, and no matter what phase of life they’re in, we are called to nurture, support, grow, and encourage their faith at every age. What you do every week in a child’s life matters more than what you will do for them as adults. |
Partnering with Families
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Reggie Joiner from the reThink Group says; “The family exists, in its imperfection, to display the heart of God to every generation.”
No one knows a child like their parent. No learning about life stages, faith development, or education better equips you to know about that kid! A parent knows their child’s patterns, tendencies, preferences, and behaviours better than anyone. The church is called to support and equip parents in navigating each phase of parenting, as those primarily responsible for the faith formation of their children. We provide a faith community for their whole family to belong to, share in, and live out the Christian faith. We’ve recognised that partnering with families to navigate the key transitions in life is particularly important, such as the move from primary school to intermediates, intermediate to youth. |
Intergenerational
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Intergenerational Faith Communities
An intergenerational church is one where all ages are working together towards a common goal–sharing and growing in their faith. While we create space for children and young people to belong and identify, we ensure they are embedded in a welcoming, loving and accepting wider church family. As Ivy Beckwith says; “We need to provide intergenerational communities where children can take risks, grow in their faith, and connect with adults who will love, mentor and inspire them. Frequent and regular cross-generational opportunities for worship, learning, outreach, service and fellowship offer distinctive spiritual benefits and blessings.” Forming relationships with children is the responsibility of all members of the church–not just their parents or those who are involved in children’s ministry. |
Whole hearted community
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We want to grow our children and families to have a faith that they embody and live out, revealing God’s heart and grace to those in the local kindy, school, shops, neighbourhood, and wherever they find themselves.
As the church, we intentionally build connections with children and families in the local community. As an intergenerational whānau “we welcome children, emerging adults, recovering addicts, single adults, widows, single parents, teens whose parents are not around, the elderly, those in crisis, empty nesters and struggling parents of young children into a safe but challenging place to be formed into the image of Christ.” We welcome in the last, least, and lost, and offer the grace and acceptance we ourselves have been given. |