The Franciscan Youth Children Ministry is a program set up to meet the needs of children from 4 to 15 years of age. A study has been made and it has been found out that our Parishes have a lot of children who are not fully involved in the church activities and thus are at a risk of being moved around their faith at a verge of the mushrooming churches around our area and therefore could easily get converted to other beliefs. The only solution to this is to engage fully our children in church affairs and thus have a ministry which will help keep the young in church and help them discover more of Jesus in their lives.
The Ministry focuses on children’s spirituality through Sunday school, Bible study, Retreats and Children’s Mass as well as their social life through different leisure activities.
The Ministry’s major aim is not only to reach out to the spiritual needs of the children but also to meet their physical and emotional needs. This not only brings them up as God fearing children but also helps them grow as good and responsible citizens.
The children programs undertaken focus on interactive teachings more especially during Sunday school, where children are encouraged to express themselves through word sharing and testimonies. To this therefore, Biblical principles are taught using simple everyday life experiences so that the children can grasp the word of God easily.
The Children’s Mass which is every third Sunday of the Mass is focused on and used to expose the children to the art of worship and praise. Sunday’s teachings are visited as a quick reminder to the children, with a move on into learning more about worship. Different priests/preachers come on different occasions to minister to the children and bring to them joy and a wide range of testimonies on how children have continued to grow in spirit and have set good examples in the church.
We seldom use Christian music DVDs and CDs in our teachings as well as objects, emphasizing the importance of worshipping God and creating an atmosphere of God’s praise and worship. Children in a way are encouraged to express themselves in this environment.
Mission
As Franciscan Youth, we value children and place a high priority on beginning their journey to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Our mission is to collaborate with parents to raise children who love and serve God with all their hearts thus nurturing them into a loving, serving relationship with God.
Our Goal
Our goal is to lead children to the Lord, nurturing them through biblical and other church traditional teachings while inculcating learning through bible study, role play activities, music, dance and poetry. Remember Jesus in Mark’s Gospel says ‘Let the children come to me. Do not stop them; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.’ Therefore Meeting children where they are and moving them to where God wants them to be” is the full purpose of the Ministry!
Our aim and vision:
The Children’s Ministry aims at providing Christian spiritual guidance to all children in our Parishes so that they can grow to become what God wants them to be and fulfill their destinies in Christ Jesus.
As an organization we envision developing a young generation that will spread the Gospel far and wide as instruments of peace.
Objectives
v To boost outreach to children and their families.
v To encourage advocacy for children and ensure they are not left behind.
v To help the church at all levels recognize the importance of ministering to the children.
v To promote a spirit of evangelism amongst the young.
Activities:
We provide programs that are:
- Family-focused – meeting parents where they are to equip and partner together in moving their family where God wants them to be
- Bible-centered – moving our children along no matter where they are on their spiritual journey
- Child-targeted – meeting our children’s needs in a safe and caring environment by being the best we can be in our service for God using creative methods and relevant programs
- Fun-filled – meeting and moving children through the use of creative methods using relevant programs that the children can’t wait to attend.
Through Sunday school, the children are taught Biblical principles using simple everyday life experiences so that the children can grasp the word of God easily. This done using the “Children‘s Worship Bulletin” which is produced every Sunday and every child is availed with a copy. This bulletin contains the theme and the three readings of the Sunday, word search and cross word puzzles, as well as painting pictures.
The children therefore feature regularly in Sunday Liturgy (Mass), presenting plays, songs and procession dances. Youfra has piloted this ministry with the Bright Doves of St. Francis which has a composition of young gifted singers on whose base we intend to develop a Children’s Choir (i.e. St. Francis Children’s choir). This will not only boost our senior choirs but also helps these young ones grow knowing the liturgy.
In holidays, we organize activities for the children, such as; retreats, writing competitions based on scriptures, music festivals, day outings, and visits to neighboring churches where children lead in the liturgy, to Christian communities, hospitals, Baby’s homes, Orphanages as well as Prisons where the children often donate gifts as a sign of charity.
Leadership structure
Like any other ministry, the Children’s Ministry has a committee of leaders comprising of the following:
- Ministry Coordinator
- Sunday School Coordinator
- Welfare/ Hospitality Leader
- Children’s Choir Leader
Our Approach
The Bright Doves are taking a lead in this Ministry due to their experience with children for the last seven years but are working in conjunction with the other Youfra coordinators and the different leaders at the Sub Parish levels like catechists not mentioning other leaders who coordinate different programs for the children such as the Sunday school program. The activities of the Ministry are all decentralized to the different Sub Parishes and this has given room for inclusive participation of all children at all levels.
Contact
Youfra Ministry Coordinator
Kyomukama Jackline
kyomjacky@yahoo.com
youfrauganda 