Peter’s Progress – 20 June 2014

“Suffer little children to come unto me” is an old translation of a well-known verse. Unfortunately, sometimes this is the case.
I went on a really challenging course last week on “Keeping Children Safe” run by Soul Action at Grace Family Church in Umhlanga. Phil Bowyer ran an excellent workshop on holistic child growth, which also included things that can create barriers to growth. The main outcome was to get organisations to think through children’s well-being and also how to protect them.
Phil deftly led us through a brilliant participatory process to look at issues of physical, emotional, mental, sexual and spiritual abuse. Heavy stuff.
Neglect of children was also flagged as a form of abuse. We grappled with ways in which organisations or churches act (or fail to act) to protect children. We ruthlessly examined assumptions we make about religious leaders and staff or volunteers who work with our children. We even looked at religious beliefs or practices that might potentially put our children at risk. Why is it that most churches tend to focus on the needs of adults more than children?
Why do we pour way more resources into adults compared to children (thinking of staffing, training, equipment, buildings and budgets)?
What’s with this – given how wonderfully open children are on the one hand and how vulnerable or at risk on the other?!
“Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and people “(Luke 2v52). From a little baby, through childhood and into adulthood, Jesus grew into the fullness of his personhood, his humanity, his social relationships and his relationship with the Father. I want the same for my children and the children who call church their home. I want the kind of holistic growth God has in mind and that was manifestly complete in Jesus. And I want nothing to harm, impede or stunt the fullness of this growth.
I have a lot more thinking to do. There is homework to do before a follow-up session in September. What are your thoughts on the well-being of our children?