Let the children keep coming…
Cathedral Newsletter – 22 January 2026
Cathedral Kids, Advent 2024
Dear friends, here are some of Jesus’ most famous words: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Jesus was indignant when his disciples discouraged parents from bringing their kids to him. He was more than willing to bless these little ones! (Mark 10:13-16).
As I said in a sermon last year…How important is ministry to children!
Whether it’s as a Kids’ Church or youth leader or a Scripture teacher… Grandparents praying for their grandkids, or reading Bible stories. Most importantly, parents raising your children to know and trust Jesus. That task must not just be delegated to Kids’Church volunteers or scripture teachers or chaplains – top job that they do. Parents must take the lead at home! (E.g. Ephesians 6:4)
Jesus says, we must all welcome the little ones in his name. And that applies at church.
So at the start of a new year, I write about children’s ministry at St Andrew’s Cathedral.
My wife, Karyn, and a small number of dedicated volunteers, supported by others mainly at 10:30am, have worked hard at a fresh welcome to children at the Cathedral… adding the permanent kid-friendly family zone; starting a creche program downstairs… In 4 years, Kids’ Church has grown from attendance of 2 to 12-14 each Sunday!
Many say how much you love seeing young families back in attendance. And Cathedral Kids will start again in 2026 on Sunday 8 February, when the Choir also returns.
But our 4-5 weekly (or fortnightly) volunteers have shouldered a very heavy burden.
To consolidate and grow our ministry to children, we all need to play our part.
Most directly we need additional eligible creche and Sunday School helpers and leaders.
For creche, we would love a weekly volunteer, or a couple of fortnightly volunteers, perhaps from one of our other congregations. We would also like suitable others to volunteer once or twice per term. You just need to be able to care for and play with children 0-3. It is an advantage – but not essential – if you can read a simple Bible story and say a simple prayer aloud. Or maybe sing a simple kids’ song you know.
For Kids’ Church, we’d love at least another leader, trainee, or helper, either weekly or fortnightly. (Another option could be doing a block for one school term.) Curriculum is provided and tasks are shared. Likewise, having one parent or other suitable adult present each week, as an extra ‘crowd control’ helper, would make things much less stressful for our team, even though these people would only be needed once or twice per term.
We are grateful for 6-8 who have served this way in the last year or two - many of whom are student ministers, lay canons, or their family members.
But we need to grow the children’s ministry volunteer base, especially with some existing leaders no longer available,
The formal requirements are simple, although they take a bit of effort. You must have a valid Working With Children Check. And you must complete Safe Ministry Training(5-6 hours for the starter essentuals, and 2.5-3.5 hours every three years for the refresher, with a choice between in person or online. And there is a Safe Ministry Checkquestionnaire to complete if you voilunteer for the first time.
There is even Chinese language Safe Ministry training in person in Mandarin and Cantonese. (甚至还有用普通话和粤语进行的中文安全事工面授培训).
It would be good for our general ministry environment if other people also did this course, since we have many vulnerable folk arrive and sometimes worship with us at the Cathedral. From 2026 onwards, it is compulsory in our Diocese for all Parish Councillors, and in our case, members of Chapter (the Cathedral’s governing body) to complete this course, so they all have a sense of what’s needed for a safe ministry environment.
The heart requirements are just as important: a love for children, a care for others, a sense of responsibility, and a willingness to receive advice and work as part of a team.
You could be single or married or single again. You could be younger or older. You don’t have to be a parent, although I think current parents should step up. And you don’t have to have enormous knowledge or some great teaching gift or magic rapport with kids.
If you have questions or want to make an expression of interest in any aspect of children’s ministry, please email Karyn.
At CMS Summer School, the preacher shared Proverbs 17:6: “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” And he talked of the crowning glory of intergenerational ministry.
There is so much to do, and I haven’t even started talking about the absence of any ministry to high school youth (beyond the choristers) yet.
So even if you do not think you are suitable or available to volunteer in one of the ways mentioned above, could you do this?
Go and talk to families who attend the Cathedral – including the children, though it’s right to do this in the presence or vicinity of their parents. Show some personal interest. Make them welcome.
But most of all, commit to praying on a regular basis for our ministries to children.
Heavenly Father, your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ encouraged people to bring their children to him. So we pray for the children’s ministries of our church: for Cathedral Kids’ Church and creche; for School SRE (‘Scripture’) at Ultimo Public School and elsewhere, and for the Cathedral School’s chaplaincy, Christian studies classes and lunchtime groups. Strengthen teachers and leaders with great patience and love for our young people; and give them faithfulness and clarity in teaching your Word. By your Holy Spirit, raise up more helpers, and enable our children to respond with faith to you, and to learn to reach out to their friends in love. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Again, if you have questions or want to make an expression of interest in any aspect of children’s ministry, please email Karyn.
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney