Children, teachers learn to worship God with joy and sincerity

      Taiwan Church News

      3049 Edition

      August 2~8, 2010

                                   

       

      Children, teachers learn to worship God with joy and sincerity

       

      Reported by Chen Wei-chien

      Written by Lydia Ma



       



      Taiwan Christian Association of Children and Youth Outreach held a summer 
seminar for 

      church leaders this summer on the topic of creative children ministries. 
The association has 

      been promoting MEBIG – a strategy for children’s ministries – and 
conducting seminars in 

      Taiwan for the past 3 years.

       



      This year’s MEBIG theme is “Child Counseling”, hosted by Pastor Uchigoshi 
Gonbei from 

      Sapporo, Japan, and includes 3 seminars. Pastor Gonbei and his wife are 
also the creators 

      of MEBIG. The seminars will be held between end of July and beginning of 
August. The first 

      seminar took place in Hsinchu from July 29~31, 2010.

       



      According to Rev. Lee Sung-en from An-Shun Presbyterian Church, who is 
also a staff of 

      Taiwan Christian Association of Children and Youth Outreach, MEBIG is 
different from 

      traditional Sunday Schools because it emphasizes on joyful worship and 
play. 

       



      Unlike Sunday Schools held at most churches that rely on stories to draw 
children’s attention, 

      MEBIG uses games as ice-breakers, fast activities to help children focus, 
intimate 

      discipleship to draw children to God, and companionship to guide children 
to worship in spirit 

      and in truth.

       



      Lee said organizers realized 6 years ago that merely hosting seminars for 
adults wasn’t 

      enough and added a children’s camp to the seminars. As result, a camp for 
elementary school 

      children is now held in conjunction with the adults training seminars. 
This change provided 

      adults with hands-on training right after their classes.

       



      Another noteworthy characteristic of MEBIG as a teaching method is its 
emphasis on 

      companionship or discipleship. Organizers insist that any child 
registering for this camp must 

      be accompanied by a teacher or counselor from his church who will attend 
the adults’ seminar. 

       



      The purpose of this requirement is to emphasize the camp is not a daycare 
and help both 

      adults and children to continue to foster intimate relationships after 
the camp ends once they 

      return to their own churches.

       



      MEBIG programs have been promoted throughout Taiwanese churches for 13 
years now. This 

      year’s MEBIG workshop in Hsinchu drew approximately 50 teachers and more 
than 100 

      children, including Christians from other denominations.

       

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