When I was a kid, my brothers and I asked our parents if we could build a treehouse in our backyard. The brothers spent most of our time in the wooded acres around our house, dreaming of transforming those woods into a home base for our many adventures.
My father upped the ante by designing a huge, sturdy, and covered platform that we could build together. A lot of blood, sweat, and time was poured into this treehouse. It was so impressive that we even disassembled it and took it with us when we moved to Connecticut. I can still vividly remember all the games, stories, imagination, and joy we had together on, in, around, and on top of that treehouse.
An intentional space designed for children can spark creativity, imagination, and formation. This is the conversation that UBC's young families have begun as we are dreaming of rebooting our children’s space.
Under the leadership of Ken Tipton and Deb McElgin, the families held their first exploratory session, focusing on these changes' implications. Simply put, we want to provide a fun and engaging space for our children to be excited about inviting their friends.
Centered around the theme of the church’s oak trees, the children’s branch's existing language, the upstairs space could become the kid’s treehouse. The multipurpose room could have interactive areas for play and learning and a gathering space for lessons.
The space conversation is part of a redesign of the children’s ministry, focusing on empowering parents to lead, energizing children to participate, and emphasizing outreach for growth.
The details of how this all will begin to take shape will happen through three small groups within the initiative: Design (what this will look like), Implementation (physical installation), and Empowerment (equipping program volunteers and inspiring outreach).
If you are a parent or grandparent within UBC, we’d love for you to be a part of developing this project. Sign up for one of the small groups by emailing Deb (deb@ubc-br.org).