Walking with Faith: Ministry with Children
By Christina Berry
As Children's Ministry staff at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Christina provides programs and services for children and their families in the congregation and the community. Christina is in the process of becoming an inquirer for ministry in the Presbyterian Church , USA. She frequently serves as a consultant and trainer to other churches.

"It is an overwhelming experience to fall into the hands of the living God, to be invaded to the depths of one's being by His presence, to be, without warning, wholly uprooted from all earth-born securities and assurances, and to be blown by a tempest of unbelievable power which leaves one's old proud self utterly, utterly defenseless."
Thomas R. Kelly
A Testament of Devotion

After nearly thirty years of working with children, as a volunteer in schools, as a Sunday School teacher, as a camp director, as a therapist, and now in Children's Ministry, I have just understood what I'm doing. I'm getting ready.

The labyrinth was the first step. More and more churches are providing labyrinth experiences for adults, offering a chance to deepen one's spiritual expression through walking the labyrinth. It was clear that the children needed more awareness of prayer as a spiritual practice - what better teaching tool than a labyrinth, made of masking tape stuck to the tile floor? But then, how would we use it? We had to learn about contemplative prayer. We were getting ready to walk toward the center.

We practiced silent prayer, breath prayer, body prayer, "out loud" prayer. We began to gather around the communion table, to light candles and share our prayers, sometimes spoken, sometimes silent. Sometimes our prayers took longer than any other activities, even crowding out snacks, or crafts. "Will it come true, what I ask God for?" Nicole asked me. "God always hears our prayers," I said. "Sometimes God says yes; sometimes God says no; and sometimes God says wait, but God is always listening to us and loving us." Nicole nodded, then said, "I'm going to pray inside my head." She was ready to talk to God.

Then came September 11. While no one can be prepared for such a devastating tragedy, we were ready to pray. I gave the children polished river stones before they walked the labyrinth. I told them about the practice of leaving the stones at the center, as a way of leaving their burdens with God. I told them that the stones grow warm in our hands, just as God's love surrounds and warms us, even when our hearts feel cold as stone. We walked the labyrinth singing "Spirit of the Living God." We walked the labyrinth in silence. We walked it as a group, and in pairs, and alone. When I suggested that it was time for a snack, the children said, "Oh, may we pray some more?"

I shared these experiences with a friend, who said, "You are opening the door to eternity for them." Now I see that we were opening that door for each other, walking together toward the center in a shared spiritual journey that has only begun, for me as well as for them. Our nurture in faith is a mutual effort, in which they prepare me to open my heart, and I walk beside them to see where they will lead.

When I was a therapist with children and families, one of my favorite role models, Dr. Carl Whitaker, remarked at a workshop that if we weren't learning from our clients and progressing in our own growth as a result of our work with families, we should throw in the towel. He meant, of course, that the process of nurturing growth in therapy should be as valuable to the therapist as it is to the client. The same is true in ministry with children.

Together, we are opening the doors to eternity. God invites us to move closer to the center, in prayer, in fellowship, in study, in the faith community. When we are ready, when we are courageous enough to let a little child take us by the hand and lead us to the center, God will show us the path. Yes, we are teaching, we are modeling faith, we are sharing our Christian stories, but most of all, we are getting ready. If we are going to be authentically involved in ministry with children, we are going to be opening doors to eternity. And if we open those doors, God will help us to be ready to walk through. And we will "fall into the hands of a living God." That's what our work is really all about.

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