As you will remember from previous letters, the CBWC has committed to making one year regional appointments in the area of Children and Families and we are very excited about how this particular venture is unfolding. You will remember that we began February 1st with the appointment of Mandi Hecht in the Heartland doing many of the things that you will hear about in this newsletter that Dawn Medgett has written below. These are one year contracts that are being staggered with Dawn beginning in May of this year for a year and Pam Borchert and Sue Julien starting in the fall. As you will have seen from Mandi’s letter, these are exciting opportunities. This is an exciting opportunity for churches to learn from some very experienced people who will act as encouragers, sharers of story, facilitators of the cross pollinating of resources and a resounding reaffirmation of this work in our midst with children and families.
I invite you to read carefully Dawn Medgett’s story and the response she has made to these questions. I would invite you to pray for Dawn in her work and commend her to us all as a faithful and encouraging servant of God.
Warmly
In Christ
Jeremy Bell
Interview with Dawn Medgett
What is your role in the CBWC?
I have been contracted in for one year to work 10‐15 hours a week to act as Children and Family
Ministries Coordinator for the Alberta area. My job is to provide leadership, support and encouragement
to churches by helping strengthen existing ministries and developing new initiatives, networks, and
ministries that will aid children and families on their faith journey.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Children’s ministry has been a huge part of my life. I started teaching Sunday School 37 years ago and
continue to find great joy in helping children deepen their experience of God. In 1980 I graduated from
Winnipeg Bible College with a BA in Christian Ministries but I have found that true learning has
happened in the trenches. More than 30 VBS and day camps, numerous mid week children’s programs,
many different churches, hundreds of volunteers, thousands of children, and one very patient and loving
Savior have taught and continue to teach me many lessons of what it means to serve the body of
Christ.
I have been married to my best friend Dayle for 29 years. He has been in full time ministry in our
denomination for 25 years. He is presently serving Westview Baptist in Calgary as Senior pastor where I
am also on staff as part time pastor to children and young families.
We have been blessed with a 16 and a 19 year old daughter.
What does your role as Cfam coordinator for Alberta look like?
I officially started this new position in the beginning of May. In the Alberta area we have 60 churches
which I am in the midst of contacting and finding out how churches are ministering to children and
families. Much of this work has been done by phone but I have also met personally with people from 11
different churches. Out of these contacts doors have been opened for consultations for ministry
assessments, encouragement for leadership development and provision for resources.
I am available to churches to help them assess their strengths and weaknesses in five major areas of
children and family ministries and to dream with them as to what steps they can take to strengthen
these ministries.
How are you finding the current state of Children and Family Ministries in our churches?
Varied. Some of our churches are discouraged and struggling to offer any ministries to children and
families, while others are excited and a passion is evedent as stories are told of what is happening in
these areas. It is exciting to hear of some of the initiatives that are being tried in the whole area of
family ministries.
What do you see in the future for Children and Family Ministries?
We are at an exciting time in history as the place of children’s and family ministry in the church is
reexamined. The bar has been raised as to the caliber of ministry being offered to children. Parents are
expecting quality and we need to be sensitive to this or we will be left behind.
The whole area of Family Ministries will continue to become more central in church life. Churches will
take seriously their mandate to equip and support families to minister to their own children. Churches
will celebrate intergenerational worship and service.
The challenge has also been laid that we need to be focusing outside our church walls and what it means
to be ministering to children and families in our communities. I sense that churches are wanting to take
seriously their calling to minister to their unchurched neighbours and will be addressing this issue more
seriously.