Navigating Life and Ministry in the Midst of Pandemic

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News

Navigating life and ministry amidst a global pandemic is a challenging task. As we continue walking with our communities through this season of constant change we find ourselves faced with new challenges almost daily. It can be overwhelming sifting through the constant stream of information. To help you find your way through the noise, we’ve put together this index of resources & articles which we’ll continue to update. (Last updated 16/11/21 – 8:30 am) Sharing the Gospel in Times of Crisis The Elephant in the Room – cession|community reflections on being the church Why Christians Should Avoid Alarmism (and what … Read More

Wesleyan Kids: Light Bulb Moment #4 (The Leaders Spirituality)

WMCNZ AdministratorChildrens Ministry, Ministry Resources, News, WesoKids - Lightbulb Moments

One of the challenges for many Sunday School teachers is that they miss out on the feeding provided by the sermon so that they can teach the children. Not a problem you think – I know what the Bible says anyway. But I want you to picture it like a bucket of water. Each week I take a cup of water out of the bucket to water the spiritual lives of the children. At first, I don’t see the level of water going down in my bucket until one day I start to feel spiritually dry myself because I have … Read More

Wesleyan Kids: Lightbulb Moment #3 (Setting Expectations)

WMCNZ AdministratorChildrens Ministry, Ministry Resources, News, WesoKids - Lightbulb Moments

Does this sound familiar? One Sunday Joan is teaching her Sunday School class. She is very laissez-faire with her expectations. The children can wander around and talk during the lesson and don’t need to ask permission to use the bathroom. The following Sunday, Ron comes in to teach the same class. He becomes very frustrated because the children do not sit and listen. The children can not understand why they are in trouble. What is the problem? Some could say that it is because you have different volunteers teaching the same class but that isn’t the issue. The problem is … Read More

Wesleyan Kids: Lightbulb Moment # 2 (Multi Age Sunday School Classes)

WMCNZ AdministratorChildrens Ministry, Ministry Resources, News, WesoKids - Lightbulb Moments

Multi Age Sunday School Classes Small churches regularly have one or maybe two Sunday School classes that provide for a wide range of students. While this has its challenges it can also provide leadership opportunities for the older children. Here are some tips to help you manage the classroom. 1) use the older children to help mentor the younger ones. They can help teach the actions to songs / buddy up with a younger child and be the scribe for an activity/ read the Bible passage / help with craft 2) make sure that some part of each lesson is … Read More

Wesleyan Kids: Lightbulb Moment # 1 (Wrap Up)

WMCNZ AdministratorChildrens Ministry, Ministry Resources, News, WesoKids - Lightbulb Moments

Each week I am going to post a Lightbulb Moment for you to contemplate. These are often insights from my own children’s ministry that I wish I had thought about earlier. Wrap Up How do you know that the children have learnt the lessons that you have been trying to teach them? One form of revision that has worked well for me is having a Celebration Day at the end of the term that relooks at the theme through fun and games. When we had been studying the life of Moses we set up 10 activities to remind the children … Read More

Walking with Those Made Redundant

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, National Secretary, News, Pastoral Care, Redundancy, Unemployment

Redundancy – it’s not a word we like to hear, especially when we are the one being made redundant. Unfortunately it is a word that we will hear more often as the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic play out over coming months.   Many people will turn to their Pastor for support. Some will feel more prepared to offer that support than others. It might help to think of it this way – the provision of pastoral care during employment crises mirrors the general principles for crisis-response pastoral care.   Pastoral Guidelines for Redundancy Support aims to help Pastors … Read More

Digging Deep: Cultivating Wellbeing

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News, Pastoral Care, Self Care

This week marks the end of our first week at level 3 and more than 40 days of Aotearoa’s nationwide lockdown. While it’s good to celebrate our progress through the levels, this week also holds a significant emotional toll for many:   (a) those returning to work in new and unusual circumstances;   (b) those staying at home stuck in ‘Groundhog Day’ – for some they may have had different expectations of Level 3   (c) Essential workers are carrying a heavy load (d) Many parents are feeling the stretch of supervising education at home while often having to manage … Read More

Coping with Transition: A Conversation with Richelle Webb

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News, Pastoral Care, Self Care

The effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been far-reaching, forcing people across the globe into sudden and dramatic changes in the way they live. Everything from our work, how we access healthcare, how we shop and consume food, how we learn and experience education, to how we interact with our friends and family has been altered.   How do we cope with change when it is suddenly thrust upon us?   Rev Rob Reynolds, Wesleyan minister and Director of SIM New Zealand spoke with Richelle Webb, partner with cession|community and Wesleyan missionary serving through SIM, about how some of … Read More

Resources for the journey

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, National Secretary, News, Stewardship

One of the many things I love about being a Minister in the WMCNZ is that we all support each other. When we face challenges in our ministry there are always others willing to share their God-given gifts, skills, abilities, knowledge and wisdom. I’ve been privileged to see that play out in a special way as we minister during the current challenging time as we’ve all had to find new ways to minister to the people God has entrusted to us in his church.     Stewardship of Resources & People available on the Covid-19 Local Church Resources page Stewardship … Read More

Caring for Youth & Children in the Midst of a Crisis

WMCNZ AdministratorCOVID-19, Ministry Resources, News, Pastoral Care, Youth Ministry

Connecting with our children and young people in meaningful ways that speak to their physical, spiritual and emotional needs can be challenging in the best of circumstances. During this season of Rāhui/Lockdown, we find ourselves wading in unfamiliar waters as we respond to new challenges and concerns, as our children and young people wrestle with the realities of life in lockdown.   ARISE Church brought in Richard Black to talk to their team about navigating life with our kids and teens as we walk through the Covid-19 crisis. This excellent webinar has been made freely available and is an invaluable … Read More