August 8, 2010
Reported by Chen Wei-chien
Written by Lydia Ma

Taiwan Christian Association of Children and Youth Outreach held a summer seminar for church leaders this summer on the topic of creative children ministries. The association has been promoting MEBIG – a strategy for children's ministries – and conducting seminars in Taiwan for the past 3 years.

This year's MEBIG theme is "Child Counseling," hosted by Pastor Uchigoshi Gonbei from Sapporo, Japan, and includes 3 seminars. Pastor Gonbei and his wife are also the creators of MEBIG. The seminars will be held between end of July and beginning of August. The first seminar took place in Hsinchu from July 2931, 2010.

According to Rev. Lee Sung-en from An-Shun Presbyterian Church, who is also a staff of Taiwan Christian Association of Children and Youth Outreach, MEBIG is different from traditional Sunday Schools because it emphasizes on joyful worship and play.

Unlike Sunday Schools held at most churches that rely on stories to draw children's attention, MEBIG uses games as ice-breakers, fast activities to help children focus, intimate discipleship to draw children to God, and companionship to guide children to worship in spirit and in truth.

Lee said organizers realized 6 years ago that merely hosting seminars for adults wasn't enough and added a children's camp to the seminars. As result, a camp for elementary school children is now held in conjunction with the adults training seminars. This change provided adults with hands-on training right after their classes.

Another noteworthy characteristic of MEBIG as a teaching method is its emphasis on companionship or discipleship. Organizers insist that any child registering for this camp must be accompanied by a teacher or counselor from his church who will attend the adults' seminar.

The purpose of this requirement is to emphasize the camp is not a daycare and help both adults and children to continue to foster intimate relationships after the camp ends once they return to their own churches.

MEBIG programs have been promoted throughout Taiwanese churches for 13 years now. This year's MEBIG workshop in Hsinchu drew approximately 50 teachers and more than 100 children, including Christians from other denominations.

Taiwan Church News