I'm writing this after Camp, feeling tired in my bones and quite aware that ageing truly means that you have very little bounce back from sleepless nights, loud music, endless joyful shouting and being surrounded by the boundless energy of adolescents.
So even as I’m reflecting on the constraints of the realities of age I am incredibly delighted and deeply grateful for what happened at Camp. And I include these thoughts for all of us, not just the families of the Team Bay Seniors who went, because this Camp and the experiences of our children there are now a part of our culture, our rhythms, and who we are as a Bay Kids Community. It will be everyone's turn eventually which is really cool.
Camps are not just about going away for a few days and experiencing crazy fun times, running on very little sleep and and being squashed in together in a dining hall to eat the best macaroni cheese ever with other campers you don’t even know - maybe you even have your own childhood memories of this - they’re also about setting a precedent, and creating a tradition where our children have sacred time set aside to gather to worship and pray and be ministered to, experiencing the Holy Spirit and a sense of the broader Church Community that they belong to. It's our way of saying to our children - this matters, their spiritual journey matters. It beautifully embodies the idea of there being ‘no Junior Holy Spirit’.
I am aware that our Team Bay Seniors look to our Youth, and I am grateful they can. I saw this happen when the Youth came back from Easter Camp. Our Seniors were very quick to emulate their freedom in worship and prayer, their joy in praise, and their ability to recognise that they belong to our Church Community, that they have ownership as part of the Church as a whole. And I know that this will be the same for our Juniors, as they look to our Seniors, noticing what they share and how they interact in Church.
On Sunday we had such a fun discussion with the Year Fives about who would be going to Camp next year, and then who will be going the next next year, and then it unravelled as I had to do the projected maths for everyone, but it was so delightful and the enthusiasm was contagious, albeit competitive.
I know the hesitations that can go alongside an emphasis on ‘Camp’ becoming the focus, on our tendency to crave the highs and to be on the mountain tops; And of course I do not want these to become a kind of ‘siloed moment’ where the Spirit only moves in isolated events when there’s 110 of you praising Jesus. Thankfully our children are way less cynical, ridiculously hopeful, and always up for anything that resembles a party. We model the joy of gathering together consistently on Sundays and we celebrate the treasure we have in corporate prayer and worship through our Bay Kids SPARKS Prayer Meetings and our invitations to Extended Worship Evenings.
I want there to be a recognised and anticipated rhythm of ‘gathering points’ for all our Bay Kids children; The Old Testament understanding of a community that looks to Feasts and Festivals, marking time and celebration. And that our children get excited about establishing a rhythm in their lives of Intermediate LIVE Camp and Easter Youth Camp, so that even our Bay Preschoolers have this to look forward to.
Psalm 78:4 (NLT)
“We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.”
It’s not an overstatement to say they ‘grow up so fast’. They just do and I really wish they wouldn’t. I am relying on you all to somehow slow this process down as I have failed and find myself flanked by two young men who used to be equally small and cute not that long ago.
We have children in our Church who have been with us since they were just new to Bay Preschool, under two years old and full of beans, and now they are just moving through Team Bay Juniors with confidence and ease and plotting their escape into the mythical land of Seniors, and beyond.
My aim is to keep an eye on this window - this timeframe of formational discipleship that is from 18 months to 18 years.
The challenge for us is to stay in the Big Picture of it all, even as we contend for the small everyday moments. The Big Picture gives us hope, allows us to see growth, and reminds us of the importance of giving our kids time, space, and experiences to help them get to know God.
I think we do this so well as a Church Community because we're not afraid to embrace our children and all the chaos and noise they bring, to make space for them more than just accommodating them, but letting them know that they truly belong.
Belonging is so very important for the growth of a resilient life-long disciple. Research shows that if your child has just one adult friendship in the Church, outside of the family unit, just one other person in their life who knows them and sees them through their journey, then this increases the likelihood of them staying in Church and remaining active in their faith beyond High School.
“When comparing twentysomethings who remained active in their faith beyond high school and twentysomethings who dropped out of church, the Barna study uncovered a significant difference between the two. Those who stay were twice as likely to have a close personal friendship with an adult inside the church (59% of those who stayed report such a friendship versus 31% among those who are no longer active).” Barna 2013
Belonging is important, Community is important, opportunities to experience the Holy Spirit and gather corporately are important, celebration is important, and intentional discipleship moments are important. We get to be part of what's important.
Let me finish with the words of Jesus patiently addressing His ‘slow to learn’ disciples:
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 18 3 NIV
May we continue to become like little children.
At Camp I observed this about the ‘little’ children that I was amongst, (and to be fair our Seniors would not consider themselves ‘little’ in the slightest - so don't pass this on):
They respond
They stay curious
They are honest
They have soft hearts
They are authentic
They love
They lean in for more
They look for community
They are relentless in energy and joy seeking and questioning
It was a heartwarming and challenging observation. And it was a privilege to worship God alongside them and be ministered to by them. I have a lot to keep learning about being open to ‘responding’.
May we all become more curious and honest, keeping our hearts soft and authentic and our love for Jesus, joyful and open.
Many Blessing Bay Kids Whanau,
Charlotte
PS for those of you that are a part of our Bay Kids Community:
Just a reminder about giving to our Bay Kids World Vision Sponsorship fund. This is an opportunity to be part of an ongoing ‘formational commitment’ of $54, monthly, shared amongst our whole Bay Kids Community. $1 coins count!
Continue to pray our 5 prayers for Gabriel in the Alito Community in Uganda (our children are amazing at this already)
1. That he would know that Jesus loves and knows him.
2. That he would have access to clean drinking water.
3. That he would have 3 good meals a day.
4.That he would be able to learn well at school, especially reading and writing.
And 5. Thanking God for the work of World Vision in Gabriel’s community that we get to be part of supporting.
Charlotte Buxton
Children and Families Pastor
Manawa Ora Trust Team Leader
Bay Vineyard Church
