Getting the Mix just right...
Our ethos and our values lie at the heart of all that CURBS is and does.
OUR ETHOS
CURBS is more than simply a tool or a resource to be dropped into an urban church struggling with its children’s work. Underlying the Project is way of thinking which challenges traditional approaches to working with children. Within CURBS, children are seen as ‘flames to be fanned’ rather than as ‘jugs to be filled’. CURBS is about a different way of working with children - one which starts in the child’s world, is about earning the right to be heard, is about building relationships, and is about working holistically. To this end, the ethos underlying CURBS marries up three important strands of thought and practice:
Spirituality: CURBS takes seriously and works with the belief that children are made in the image of God and therefore have an inborn spirituality. Within CURBS we are constantly looking for ways in which churches can be encouraged to explore and nurture this spirituality.
Developmental processes: CURBS values the insights to be gained from understanding child development, and believes that we need to integrate these insights into the way we work with children.
Urban context: CURBS recognises that urban life presents challenges that are rich and unique, and we are constantly exploring how we can understand, value and connect with these distinctive aspects.
OUR VALUES
Believing that all children are created in God’s image, CURBS starts in the world of the urban child and, through positive relationships, seeks to build bridges which will enable them to experience God’s loving care.
To this end, we hold the following values:
Spirituality: Recognising and nurturing the ‘God spark’ in all children.
Children: Learning from children, and, like Jesus, celebrating their energy, creativity and value.
Urban: Joining with children in the joys and struggles of urban life.
Relationships: Putting relationship at the heart of our understanding, learning and growth.