Romans 1:12 ‘When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.’
Kia Ora Bay Kids Whanau,
LIVE CAMP REFLECTIONS
If you read up about this generation, Generation Alpha, those children born between 2010 and 2024, and named so because they are the beginning of many new social dynamics; you’ll notice some of these common themes: That this generation is the first to be fully immersed online, that it’s the most diverse, that they are the first to live in the most "unconventional" homes, they are the most globally accessible group, and the first of many more. “Generation Alpha is also considered to be Generation Hope – hope of a more adaptable, connected, diverse, and empowered generation to lead the world's future. This hope of a future in Alpha's hands must be nurtured now.” https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/generation-alpha-generation-hope
And in response to these themes and general characteristics, we are encouraged to teach them beyond ‘parroted’ Google knowledge towards transformational knowledge, mentoring passionate hearts and personal experiences with Jesus. Helping them “grow through personal connections, service in practice, and faith that becomes profound through devotion, comprehensive through compassion, and mighty through witness.”. They hunger for real community amidst growing up with a constant sense of an accessible online presence.
So, I wanted to use this space to share five things that I noticed about our Team Bay Seniors when we were away together for LIVE Camp. Amidst the tiredness, the crazy noise, and all the busy organisation, as well as the overwhelming reminders of my not so young age, it was a privilege to be part of this experience with these amazing kids. What I noticed gives me hope for this next generation. I want to keep noticing.
Kids have a different amount of energy. And for this reason, I am not ashamed to be called ‘The Merch Church’ by Ollie from Engage. Those little smurf blue beanies were both super cool and super helpful. An array of little blue heads could easily be seen bobbing around from great distances and this made it super easy to count and to locate all our crew as they covered great distances across all of El Rancho.
2. Kids don't build up to things. They come at them. They simply embrace them at full speed or they don't. I really admire this, it may be an art form that I’ve accidentally outgrown. Kids will enthusiastically get into the worship time, just like they got excited about breakfast, and supper, and tribal wars charts, and rock climbing, and prayer ministry, or not. They participate whole heartedly when it comes to chasing each other, eating pizza from a car, singing ‘Let it go’ and ministering to one another, or not. There's no guile, no complexity, no over thinking, and no filters. They are present. They are in. And it’s beautiful.
3. Kids relish freedom. Any little bit they can snaffle. They snack recklessly, they make multiple excessive hot chocolates, they worship boldy and vulnerably without holding back, they lavish love on their friends, they seek God independently by themselves at an optional Prayer Chapel at 7am in the morning, and they choose to follow Jesus in community, having an innate sense of belonging and joy.
4. Kids think that prayer is perfectly normal. So normal in fact that they just pray, then they ask for prayer, then they eagerly pray for one another, and then they go on and pray for unknown others. And they just keep doing it. It’s remarkable and humbling and encouraging and glorious to watch, even more so to join in with. And I think I noticed that in a way, it's no big deal for them, it’s simply normal, it has become their familiar culture, their expectation, their ordinary way of following Jesus.
Kids hear from God. They experience the Holy Spirit. We widely and graciously use the Vineyard saying, “there’s no junior Holy Spirit” as we encourage our kids and make space for them to know and feel and learn. But I think more than our permission and our clarified understanding, they're just reaching out for the Holy Spirit anyway and they're hungry and they know whose they are, and it’s poured out on them in such gentle ways.
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. (Psalm 78 v4)
So, with all that in mind, in Bay Kids, amongst all our growing generations we will continue to lay down the formational foundations of Belonging, Prayer, Worship, Biblical Literacy, Scripture Memorization and Mission and Justice; Knowing that in this, with grateful thanks to God, we are already noticing beautiful fruit, beautiful community, and beautiful hope.
Arohanui,
Charlotte