Assembly '97
News
Home page
Documents
When small is large
"Just because we are smaller, doesn’t mean we have less faith," the children of KUCA-A told Assembly this afternoon.
In word, drawings and song they told other Assembly participants of how they had journeyed together "to discover about belonging, believing and behaving as children and adults in the Uniting church as we move with God’s Spirit."
Their presence at future Assemblies was assured when a proposal regarding children’s participation was passsed. Children (who, Assembly was reminded, "already participate in other decision-making councils of the church like synods") would also be consulted about how they should participate in Assemblies in future.
KUCA-A told Assembly they had enjoyed leading ‘Drop Everything and Pray’ sessions, meeting people, flying kites and rock climbing.
"It seems like we have two worlds," they said. "One is a world of fun and the other is a world of sadness. The world of fun is the picture of rock climbing and the world of sadness is the picture of the stolen generation."
The children had one notable reservation about meeting President, John Mavor: "We seriously wanted to know what he himself, and NOT everyone else thought about us voting in Assembly – and he answered the question for everyone else and NOT himself," they said.
On "believing" the children said, "Most of us think in a different way but it does not mean that we can’t be friends with each other or with Jesus."
They said they believed God’s spirit was moving them, as children, to "help more adults learn how important we are for the church to grow." On "behaving" the children said, the story of Pig in the Pond helped them understand more about the Uniting Church --"where we fit in and where God fits in."
"We all have got to behave in the same way as Jesus, but we can do it in different ways. Just like the animals all did the same as the pig, but all the other animals jumped in in a different way."
After a "long, long time" of using consensus, KUCA-A decided they would discuss Christian education during their time together – telling Assembly that it "should be about God, the Bible, Jesus … but in a fun way".