Recently, I've found myself reflecting on my early church experiences as a child within the Community of Christ. Most of it was spent at the Ferntree Gully Congregation, sitting at the back pew with kids my own age, perhaps only half listening to what was being said, but very much enjoying the people I was with.
We had regular Sunday School classes after worship, and we always had to present what we learnt in front of the adults after class before we had morning tea. I remember taking baptismal classes with Jeniece Roy and attending branch and children's camps at Kallara. None of those moments seemed especially significant at the time, but the experiences together created a sense of belonging to a community of people outside of those I was a related to. Those experience—the retelling of bible stories, listening to the adults’ testimonies, witnessing sacraments—all nurtured my curiosity towards God and modelled what it looked like to be a follower of Jesus.
When I became a parent, I came to terms with the fact that my daughters’ church experience would look very different from mine, and for a while I quietly mourned that difference. Not because anything had gone wrong, but because church itself had changed.
As that grief settled, I found myself wrestling with a deeper question: How important was it really for my daughters to grow up knowing the stories, values and community that had shaped me? I'll be honest, there was a temptation to simply accept that church had changed. Maybe it was enough to enjoy the ministries I was involved in and be content with the girls attending a few camps each year. But the more I reflected, the more I realised just how much the stories of Jesus had given me a language for faith, a foundation to lean on through life's difficulties, and a vision of Christianity centred on compassion, belonging and hope. Looking back, I realised those gifts hadn't come from a single lesson or camp experience. They had been nurtured through the steady rhythm of hearing and singing the sacred stories again and again, and by watching faith lived out by the people around me.
Our children are constantly influenced by voices and images around them: friends, social media, advertising and popular culture. While I can't shield my daughters from all of it, if I didn't intentionally create opportunities for them to encounter the stories and teachings of Jesus, other voices would inevitably shape their understanding of what Christianity is. Some of those voices may not reflect the life and message of Jesus that has shaped my own faith, and I want my daughters to experience that message for themselves. It was this realisation that prompted me to intentionally consider how I can best invest in their spiritual formation.
This year, that intention found a practical expression when Kass invited me to partner with her in facilitating a second cohort of “Of Water and Spirit” children's classes. While Of Water and Spirit is Community of Christ's baptismal preparation resource for children, we used it as an introduction to the Christian story and life within Community of Christ. Baptism was never the expectation, only an invitation to explore faith and explore our church culture together.
When Kass suggested running the program as a hybrid of online and in-person classes, I honestly questioned whether I had the capacity to be able to commit. Could the other families commit? Would the children engage? Were we trying to do too much? As I wrestled with those questions, I found myself returning these verses of our Mission Prayer, Help me be fully awake and ready to respond, grant me the courage to risk something new. We could easily have let those unanswered questions stop us before we began. Instead, we chose a start date and trusted the rest would unfold. As the weeks passed, parents, carers, ministers and volunteers each contributed in different ways, creating an experience far greater for the kids than either of us could have achieved alone.
Together, the 9 children who participated explored stories including Zacchaeus the tax collector, the Good Samaritan, and Jesus feeding the five thousand. They discovered that the Bible is more than a single book, it's a library of writings collected over generations, and learned how to explore it using books, chapters and verses. We explored the purpose of the sacraments, the ways different priesthood officers serve our community, Community of Christ's Enduring Principles, church history, and how God continues to speak to us today.
Perhaps even more importantly, they built friendships. They asked thoughtful questions. They grew in confidence. Week after week, they logged into Zoom each Friday night and arrived on Sunday morning at Frankston church excited to see one another again.
Looking back, what I didn't expect was how much my own faith would be renewed in the process. It has been one of the most uplifting and spiritually rewarding experiences I've had in a long time.
While this session of Of Water and Spirit classes has now come to an end, I hope it is only the first chapter in these children's faith journeys. At one of our in-person classes, one child asked the question, "What’s next after these classes end?" For me, that question was one of the greatest signs of success. They weren't ready for it to end; they wanted to keep learning, asking questions and being together.
We're already beginning to imagine what children's ministry in Melbourne might look like next. I know I can't recreate the childhood church experiences I had. Every generation is invited to discover new ways of sharing the timeless story of Jesus. While we don't yet know exactly what comes next, we do know this: children's ministry takes a community, and it is far too important not to keep investing in.
Finally, thank you to everyone who made these classes possible. To the parents and carers who made time each week to help children log on, worked through the homework activities, and encouraged them along the way, the classes simply wouldn't have happened without your commitment. Thank you to the Frankston Congregation, and especially Trudy Land, for supporting our in-person gatherings. Thank you to Calee Loughran and Tamara Slocombe for assisting and co-facilitating with the Sunday classes. To our youth helper Millie Ferrett, the big sister of the group, whose enthusiasm and friendship helped the children feel seen, encouraged and connected. And a special thank you to Kass Unger, whose leadership of the Friday evening online classes, preparation of home resources packs, and support towards the other leaders made the entire program possible. It truly took a community to bring Of Water and Spirit classes to life, and I am deeply grateful that my daughters and I could be part of the journey.
Emma Ghazarian
