This recent school holiday programme at Kingston Community Church (KCC) was bursting with life—60 kids, 16 leaders, and 5 helpers came together for a week focused on connection while having fun: connecting with the community, and connecting the community with Jesus.
The KCC eldership was thrilled to see leaders emerging from within the church family, including the Lifeline youth group, and even from among the children who once attended the holiday programme who are now stepping up to help as leaders. These young leaders were given both opportunity and responsibility—the first stages of KCC’s leadership pathway—in a safe and supportive environment. From this, the church has already identified potential future leaders in wider church life.
One of those developing leaders is Rebecca Treanor, who took the lead in this ministry as part of her internship programme.
“Sharing the gospel—specifically creation, fall, redemption, reconciliation—for each of the stories on each day was a priority for me in writing the curriculum,” says Rebecca. “And making sure we were including that in each of the different Bible stories we were teaching... so making sure we were covering the gospel each time we opened the Bible with the kids.”
"Last year’s theme was animals, and this year’s theme was under the sea." Rebecca explains, “I picked Bible stories that fit that—Jonah, Jesus calling his disciples to be fishers of men...”
“What did I do differently this time? To be honest this time I developed the talks a bit more—I think kids know quite a bit, more than we actually give them credit for.”
Rebecca says her internship studies have shaped her approach. “The first semester we spent time looking at the gospel, and that has really informed how I’ve structured the Bible talks.”
“The process of writing the curriculum has been in my own reflection, and we meet up as a team for school holiday programme before we launch. And I ask Kerry (Kerry Rickard is one of the KCC elders and Discipleship Pastor) what he thinks and he helps go over my talks and give feedback.”
Kerry says it’s been a joy to watch Rebecca grow in confidence—not just in running a programme, but in shaping an opportunity for children to see, hear, and experience God’s love.
“Her creativity and heart shone through, and I personally enjoyed serving alongside and under her across the School Holiday Programme. She was able to help in building team and refining her own leadership—the next step stages in our leadership pathway at KCC.”
Rebecca reflects, “This process has helped me grow and develop as a leader. I just love working with kids, and think that through this process God has been showing me what I can do and what I can grow in and that has been awesome.”
“The Holy Spirit convicted me to step out in faith to grow in my leadership, and these steps were encouraged by Kerry and the KCC elders. I had come through the holiday programme as a child, and then as a leader at the programme when I was in youth group.”
For Rebecca, one of the highlights was seeing how the kids responded. “It’s really amazing seeing the kids’ faces and the questions afterwards—most of these kids are from the community and it’s amazing to see their hunger for God. Most of the time they don’t sit still, but with the talks they always do. On the last day I had a chat with this little boy about God’s name and who Jesus is, and that was really cool to see how he’s asking deep questions at such a young age.”
The feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive. One parent shared, “A huge thank you for your wonderful holiday program. Scarlett had an absolute blast and hasn’t stopped talking about it! It’s definitely sparked an interest in her children's Bible, which is so lovely to see.”
The team also appreciated the use of the NZ Rally Wind & Wheels Trailer during the week—a resource that helped make the programme even more engaging.
