Workshop Selection – there will be an opportunity for you to participate in three workshops.
The panel discussion will be presented as a plenary at the end for everyone

1. Learn How to Make VBS exciting and welcoming!
Join us in presenting God’s Word in fun ways, where your students will learn about the gospel, God’s good news. Children  will want to come and hear God’s Word, to learn more about our wonderful Lord. Learn how to build excitement within your church and how to plan tell your friends and neighbours so they can join you on your adventure.  Come and explore and share in simple ways to create a fabulous VBS in your town/city. 
Presenter: Kerrie Fulton

2. Taking Care of our Children
We will look at the many aspects that go into creating a safe, fun, learning environment for our children as they take part in various programs of Children’s Ministry be it Messy Church, Vacation Bible Camp or Sunday School. We will look at screening, privacy and behavioural issues as well as ministering to children with special needs all while keeping the children we work with safe and healthy. This will be a workshop that will help volunteers and staff at all levels understand and implement safe practices protecting both the young people and the volunteers.
Presenter: Laura Walton

3. Church Speak: Communicating with church leadership to make children’s ministry a priority
Let me guess. Your art supplies are a box of broken donated pieces of crayon from a grandmother, your Children's Ministry room (if you have a room) doubles as storage for the Men’s Breakfast, your budget has not increased in years and, when you present to vestry everyone looks at their watch. Let’s talk about how to get children’s ministry up on the priority list of your parish.
Presenter: The Rev. Dawn Leger

4.  Building A Team
Are you working alone to meet the needs of children in your church?  How can you encourage and inspire others to join you?  Find out how to start to build a team in Children’s Ministry in your church.  Come and learn what will help you to draw people alongside you.
Presenter: Janet Earle

5. Six Kids, Sixty Kids, Kids Who Climb On Rocks
This workshop will explore an innovative way to approach Children's Ministry using a Workshop Rotation Model of teaching.  Workshop Rotation can be used in parishes with six children or six hundred children. Workshop Rotation is especially useful for parishes with "single digit" Sunday School programs communities where volunteers are difficult to recruit, where attendance is infrequent, and for those with limited time and space to devote to children's programming.  Workshop Rotation plays on the gifts and abilities of volunteers and respects the different learning styles of children.  Come see if Workshop Rotation is the right fit to strengthen or kick-start your program.
Presenter: Jessica Pratezina

6. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Choosing Curriculum Resources for Children’s Ministries
 How do you choose good curriculum resources for your congregation?  There are a multitude of choices available, ranging from free internet offerings through traditional resources to high-tech, multi-media options.  In this practical workshop, we will identify some important considerations when choosing faithful, affordable, and effective resources for your children’s ministries.  Participants will be challenged to think about their vision for children’s ministries, and to describe their congregation’s context and expectations.  Then, using actual examples from various sources, participants will learn how to evaluate curriculum resources for their church.
Presenter: Jackie Nunns

7. Making the Connection to Christ-centred Character, at church, home and school...
This session presents a particular teaching method that focuses on building children's ability to make connections between the Two Great Commandments, the Fruits of the Spirit and stories that children encounter in every day life. Come and learn about this easy to use strategy, which can be incorporated into any existing Church School program and how it uplifts spiritual formation through story telling.
Presenters: Jessica Pratezina, Wanda Costinak, The Rev. Dr. Catherine Keating

8.  Having  A Blast  With Children's Ministry ...          
The Word of God is life-changing, but if you're audience is asleep, who will hear it?  Kid's church leaders have the best job in the world because we not only get to share the love of Christ, but we get to have a blast doing it!  In this class we will talk about all the creative, exciting and wacky ways we can celebrate Jesus.  We will talk about how to bring stories and lessons alive to children on any budget.  We will discuss the wonderful array of tools at our disposal from puppets to green-sceen videos and even dabble with Time Machines!  It's my dedication that the leaders should be having as much fun teaching as the children are learning!  Presenter Kevin Neville

Panel Discussion
Should we integrate children into the corporate worship of the church once a month, or should they stay in for the beginning of the service every week, or should children always remain separate from the adult service? Should the children come in for communion once a month, every week, or never? Should we integrate worship music into our children's ministry? If so, should we use contemporary worship music or hymns?
Is there one right answer?
Children's ministry is more of an art than a science.. This panel discussion will give us the opportunity to discuss a small number of the infinite variety of options available to us as we engage our children in worship. Our hope is that as we all share our ideas and experiences, we will be inspired to find new ways to integrate our children into congregational worship, and new ways to integrate worship into our children's ministry.
Panel Moderator: Jenn Scuse


Presenters

Kerrie Fulton, Director of Children's and Youth Ministry, Church of the Messiah (COTM)
As the Director of Children’s Ministry, Kerrie is responsible for developing the thriving children’s and youth ministry and finding ways for children to contribute to worship. She also works in an outdoor education setting working with inner city children utilizing experiential learning. Kerrie has worked with children since she was 13 as day camp leader; coached softball; Girl Guides of Canada and taught Sunday school and youth group for over 8 years. She is also one of the founders of the Centre for Excellence in Christian Education.  Kerrie thinks children are THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!

Laura Walton, Children's Ministry Network Coordinator at Anglican Diocese of Toronto,
Family & Individual Counsellor at Walton Counselling Services and Youth Minister at All Saints’ Collingwood. Laura has been a volunteer with the Diocese for the last 12 years in many capacities and a strong advocate for Children’s Ministry. She works with congregations to resource, rebuild, reformat and support Children’s Ministry in times of assessment and transition. She also is currently working on creating a strong resource network of those people and congregations interested in and working with young people’s ministry.

The Rev. Dawn Leger, Youth and Children’s Ministry Co-ordinator at Trinity Aurora and Youth Co-ordinator for York-Simcoe.
In her ministry Dawn+ works with children from birth to 18 years and their families. This is her second year at Trinity and has been working with her leadership to build youth and children’s ministry in the parish.

Janet Earle, Children’s Minister, St. Paul’s Bloor Street
Janet has been leading Children’s Ministry at St. Paul ’s Bloor Street for 6 years.  She oversees a team of 60 volunteers who have fun serving a growing family community.  Creating a welcoming experience for children and valuing children in the church family are her passions.  Janet’s background includes chemical engineering plus staying at home to raise three children.  She served for many years as a lay leader at St. Paul ’s and in Community Bible Study Canada.  Her prayer is for a church with a vision for children central to its core and mission.

Jessica Pratezina, Children and Family Ministries Coordinator, Little Trinity Anglican Church in Toronto, Ontario and member of the Centre for Excellence in Christian Education.
Jessica is the co-author (with the Rev. Lisa Vander Leek) of Big Picture, an innovative Workshop Rotation Model of children's Christian education, which provides students with a foundation in exegetical method.  She studied Child and Youth Work at Centennial College in Toronto where she interned at both the Hincks-Dellcrest Treatment Centre and Humber River Regional Hospital in outpatient child and adolescent psychiatric assessment. Her interests include Biblical hermeneutics, childhood spirituality and character education, children's mental health, and children's literature.  It is her hope that children will experience Jesus as the God of Love.  

Wanda Costinak, Church School Leader, St Johns York Mills (SJYM)
Wanda has been teaching Sunday school on and off since she was an early teen. While living and ministering with her husband (an ordained minister) in Nelson, BC, Wanda taught Sunday school for five years using a variety of curricula to meet the needs of the ever-changing class. She also taught the K-7 music program at Nelson's St. Joseph School, an independent Catholic School. Wanda has come to appreciate the many changes children experience as they grow and develop, and desires to help children love Jesus in the big things and the small, and to give them a song in their hearts that will get them through the tough times and the good. Presently she works with children ages 7 and up.

Jennifer Scuse, Children's, Youth and Family Pastor at St Paul's-On-The-Hill Anglican Church, Pickering.
Ever since she started helping in the nursery at the age of 10 Jennifer has had a passion for helping children and youth to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Jennifer has had the honour of working with various Youth and Children's ministries, including St Ninian's Anglican Church in Scarborough, Iris Ministries in Mozambique, and Folly's End Christian Center in Croydon England. Her experience, both within the Anglican Church and within other denominations, gives her an interesting perspective about the variety that can be found within the Body Of Christ.

Jackie Nunns, Instructor of Christian Education at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, Resource support for Augsburg Fortress Canada/Anglican Book Centre Jackie has been involved in Christian education with children most of her life.  She has been a volunteer teacher and superintendent, a staff person responsible for Christian education in two large ELCIC churches, and a presenter and workshop leader in various settings.  She has an MA in Theology from Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, and her related research explored the challenges of Adult Christian Education in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC). She has met people across Canada who care about children’s faith formation, and understands well the challenges facing congregations.  She lives in Kitchener and attends Mount Zion Lutheran Church in Waterloo.

The Rev. W. Tay Moss, Incumbent, Church of the Messiah (COTM)
Tay is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and then Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University, Tay is a native of the United States and came to Canada with his wife, Betsy, they now have a young son, Henry who was born in Toronto. He spent his first two years in Canada as the Associate Priest at The Church of St. Mary Magdalene. Tay has a strong background in digital media as well as Clinical Pastoral Care (hospital chaplaincy). His professional interests include liturgy, mission-based church, and contemplative spirituality. An Associate of the Order of the Holy Cross, he maintains his connection to that community. Tay serves the Diocese of Toronto as part of both the Fresh Expressions Working Group (which oversees new church plants) and the Back to Church Sunday Planning Team.  Tay is one of the founders of the Centre for Excellence in Christian Education.

The Rev. Dr. Catherine Keating, St Johns York Mills (SJYM)
Catherine was ordained a permanent deacon raised up in the parish of St. Johns York Mills (SJYM) in  October  2006. Catherine is a retired educator, having taught for the North York Board of Education, York University and the University of Toronto and served as administrator in the York Region District School Board as well as an education officer for the Ministry of Education, Ontario. She has a doctorate in education from the University of Toronto, OISE. Her ministry includes pastoral care for shut-ins and seniors in residences and care facilities. Catherine is also an Associate of the Sisters of St. John the Divine. Most recently, Catherine has been working on the Centre for Excellence in Christian Education – CECE - a resource centre to serve those who minister to children and youth. The centre is housed at SJYM and is the sponsor for this conference – Making it Easier to Serve.

Kevin Neville
Kevin Neville is the Children's Pastor at St. John's Anglican church in Richmond Hill, On.  Working in full time ministry over the past 15 years his passion remains sharing how to have a life-changing relationship with Jesus…and have a blast along the way!  Born and raised in Waterdown, On, Kevin started his ministry performing drama and mime both on the street, in local churches and on the mission field.  He went on to receive his training from Elim Bible Institute in Lima, N.Y., a Master's Degree in Education from Regent University in Virginia Beach as well as graduating from film school at the Palm Beach Film School.  With help from his wife, Christie and his three children, he seeks to find fun, creative and effective ways of sharing the love of Christ to children and youth in a way that excites both students and teachers alike!