Sian Morgan has become the latest person to join our network of Children and Youth Workers, as we seek to double the number of children and young people worshipping in our churches by 2030.
Sian previously worked as a Calling Young Disciples Mission Enabler as well as in other roles working with children and young people outside of the Diocese.
The network of Children and Youth Workers across the Diocese will play an important role in helping us meet our priorities as we continue to grow as Kingdom People. They will reach out to and support families in the local community, engaging children and young people through a variety of activities and helping to make new disciples.
Sian will be working across both the Church of Ascension in Wall Heath and St Mary’s in Kingswinford, leading on work with children, families, and young people.
Having worked as a ‘Mission Enabler’ in the Calling Young Disciples team, Sian knows how to engage children, families, and young people. She said: “Firstly it’s about putting on an event for the children in the community and then also sharing Jesus with them, asking for their reflections and allowing them to think that through, intentionally making disciples.”
Going forwards Sian will be leading on Sunday worship for children and young people attending these churches and revamping a monthly child-friendly new worshipping community meeting on a Sunday afternoon called ‘Jigsaw’.
New Worshipping Communities recognise that traditional services are not always accessible to everyone and therefore seek to offer a range of expressions of church and alternative services that best meet each individual community's needs. As a diocese we hope to have 100 of these established by 2030.
Sian will also be continuing to build on the success of their new holiday club, the after school club they run called ‘Church club’ which takes place fortnightly on a Tuesday at nearby The Church of Ascension primary school and their ‘Mainly Music’ pre-school groups which take place at both churches, one on Mondays and one on Thursdays, and involves half an hour of singing, then coffee, cake and play time.
Sian said: “At Mainly Music we sing Godly songs and talk about Jesus with the families. It is a popular group – always busy.”
Talking about her appointment Sian said: “I’m most looking forward to building on the links that we’ve already got and the new links we’ve made over the last 12 months, and really welcoming families in and increasing the number of children and youth attending every week, not necessarily on a Sunday but at more appropriate events and activities for children and seeing how it grows.”
There is funding available for Children and Youth Workers available for churches through the Healthier Churches Fund. If you would like to explore whether this is something your parish can access, contact diocesan Children and Youth Adviser, Simon Hill in the first instance.