Case Study: TLG Journey Makers

In 2005 the KidzKlub movement came to Bradford with the aim of introducing children and families to the Christian faith by running fun Saturday morning clubs and visiting homes. By 2010 the project was beginning to show signs of struggle, both financially and with people resource, and so the team began to explore and transition into primary schools ministry. After being involved on a volunteer basis as a teenager in 2005, in 2013 I became leader of the project with huge vision to see it grow and reach more children. I wanted to facilitate more churches to be able to connect with their local primary schools and reach out to children and families in this way: providing a perfect balance between a whole load of fun, and being able to explore and discover principles of the Christian faith.

I first felt the beginnings of an overwhelming sense of calling as I stepped back into a church I hadn’t been a part of for years. This church was the home of KidzKlub in Bradford and stood in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the city; it was fairly empty, dimly lit, without heating and the roof leaked. Being back here was frustrating; I was angry at God that this vision to reach out to children and families across Bradford wasn’t thriving when I felt it should be.

Almost overnight God revealed to me his heart for children and how much he desires the best for them, and for them to know him as a loving father. Suddenly I had vision, not only for the children and families of Bradford, but for those living in different cities, villages and communities all over this country. My heart is to see them thrive, to enjoy exploring and journeying through life, and for them to have the opportunity to get to know a God who loves them limitlessly and will be with them through whatever life throws at them.

I really believe that after-school clubs and home visiting can be the vehicle that joins the dots between school, church and those in our communities, ensuring healthy positive relationships are developed and lives are transformed.

As I began to lead the project into new growth, TLG were thinking about how else they could develop discussions about a potential merger, and in January 2016 we decided to merge the two charities and create TLG Journey Makers: we would be doing the same work with the same vision but just with a new name and support of a much bigger organisation.

The aim of Journey Makers is to empower churches to reach out to those children and families that may never come through the doors of church on a Sunday morning, providing practical support through the home visits, and a way for children to explore the Christian faith through the after-school clubs. By training and resourcing church teams to run our after-school clubs and home visiting we want to provide consistent and positive role models who journey with children as they explore ideas of God, faith, purpose and identity. By combining our after-school clubs and home visiting scheme we not only give churches a way to come alongside children and explore some of life’s biggest questions, but also a way to build relationships with the whole family, and introduce them to the wider support network of the church.

An example of this mixture of pastoral support and practical help can be seen with the Ingleton family. For a couple of years Tyler came to our after-school club, enjoying a mixture of fun and faith exploration. For the same length of time we have also been visiting his family at home. In times of crisis we have been there to connect the family to the local foodbank and CAP debt centre. We are currently standing with them through legal difficulties, while secretly organising a hamper of Christmas food and presents to bless them with. This is just one of many examples of how the Journey Makers programme can make an impact to the lives of children and families living in your area.

In the last year we have enjoyed 215 hours of after-school clubs, taken part in over 5,000 individual home visits, connected 40 families to different service providers and explored over 4,000 big questions with our children! Through the relationships built with our partner churches our Journey Makers children have attended church holiday clubs, enjoyed day trips out and even helped out on community social action projects. Parents have taken part in church family fun days, attended alpha courses and whole families have come to know Jesus. Visit tlg.org.uk/journeymakers and see how we could help you on your journey!

Rachel Dawson is the leader of TLG Journey Makers.

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