This past Saturday, Spokane127 was thrilled to provide our Trauma Training for Children’s Ministry Settings to the team at Christ the Redeemer church. There were about 20 people in attendance and we had a good time going over the training and discussing it together.
CTR church has a huge heart for foster care and adoption and a disproportionate number of the kids in their congregation have a background that includes trauma. While the certified foster parents and adoptive parents have received trauma training, the volunteers for children’s services (both for Sunday mornings and mid-week youth group) needed a basic understanding of where these kids were coming from. Pastor Andrew and his team wisely thought a training like this would provide a good base-line understanding and we were happy to provide it.
Here’s a bit more about that training:
Trauma Training gives children’s ministry volunteers a context to serve kids from hard places.
If we’re asking churches to welcome kids into their homes, we better be ready to welcome them into our Sunday School rooms and Youth Groups! Spokane127 fulfills this need by offering trauma training aimed at church staff members and volunteers serving children throughout the week.
According to a study by the National Survey of Children’s Health, nearly half of all kids in the United States have experienced one or more traumatic events. As a result, parents and caregivers alike need to utilize new strategies to provide comprehensive care in ways that build trust, facilitate connection, and allow children to thrive. Spokane127 has a 90-minute course designed to equip church staff, children’s ministry teams, and volunteers to engage well and meet the needs of kids that have experienced past trauma. The videos and content cover basic physiological and behavioral responses to trauma as well as simple but effective ways to help kids at church feel safe and succeed.
Topics covered in this Trauma Training course:
- Understanding Childhood Trauma
- Recognizing Trauma Related Behavior
- Trust Based Relational Intervention™
- Providing Trauma Informed Care
The training is roughly 90 minutes long and split into 4 sections, each 15 – 20 minutes. Pastor Andrew had this to say about the experience: “This training has helped our ministry volunteers be more equipped with insight, compassion, and practical tools to minister to the students in our ministries. I believe, with this kind of training, more people will be equipped to bring these precious children into their churches, homes, and everyday life.”