casX 2016 was a huge success facilitating 42 children for six days. The title of the conference was ‘Called & Chosen’. Throughout the conference, we unpacked the significance of understanding how special each of the children is beyond their ability to play, sing, write a song, etc.
To date, this is probably the most significant conference where the lives of many children have been impacted.
As I teach at the London School of Theology (LST), we invited some of our LST students to come and assist us with some of the classes. They were part of our 2016 casX Team. As part of our report, we thought it would be good for the two of them to share their experience.
Jemimah writes:
In the summer of 2016, I volunteered at the children’s music and worship school called ‘CASX: Called and Chosen.’ It was an incredible experience, and I would love to do it again. I taught singing to several children aged 7 to 17. I also shadowed Carl and Diana Stanbridge (Regular teachers for casX) whilst they taught in a band clinic where the children would be placed into bands, and we would help them learn and play a few worship songs for the final showcase at the end of the week. I also helped to disciple the children in the daily activities of the week at CASX, which was very special. For example, teaching some of the girls to use table manners at all mealtimes seems like a simple task, but it was a very encouraging experience.
A team of around 10 of us volunteered on the course, and it was incredible to work with such supportive, spiritually mature and encouraging people. We worked well together as a team, and there was great communication between each team member.
It was a privilege to partake in a small part of each of the children’s lives for that week; many of the girls would ask questions and show their interest in a certain subject and were very well-behaved.
One particular story of development springs to mind where one young girl had to sing a song that her songwriting group had written, but as the group stood up to perform, she began to get tearful and afraid at the thought of going up to the stage and singing alone, so I asked if she’d like me to sing with her and she agreed, so we held hands and sang the song together. She was so afraid at the beginning, but after a while, she was glad she had stepped out of her comfort zone, this also enabled her to sing a solo in the showcase at the end of the week, and it was so special to journey with her at that time. Overall, the children grew so much in musicality, spiritual maturity, friendship and care towards one another, it was incredible to see these transformations take place.
There were a plethora of classes for the children, from singing lessons to art in worship! I felt that the children had an opportunity to push themselves, learn new instruments, and experience God in new and exciting ways, which enabled their character to grow throughout the week. The lecturers were incredibly gifted and invested in the lives of the children. They were all really interesting to chat with and gain experience from, as I would be interested in going into some of the pathways they have taken in life with jobs and opportunities.
Finally, I learned a lot throughout the week. One instance was teaching singing for the first time, which was incredible and amusing. It also pushed me as a leader! I would like to teach children singing after I graduate from my studies. I also learnt from the children to let loose in worship. One child started a conga in one of the evening sessions, and all the adults joined in, which was great fun! I also learnt a lot about the older girls and how self-conscious they sometimes felt in worship and performing, which took me back to when I was their age. This taught me to invest in them and encourage them. I think I could have invested a little more in the older girls, but one night there were some ‘boy’ issues, so I had the opportunity to chat through some issues one young girl was experiencing and tell her a little of my story. I also learnt that God wants us to be children before Him. He loves it when we approach Him with open arms, expectancy, honesty and holding nothing back. I feel that God equipped me to act as a young role model for the girls, which was an incredible opportunity for encouragement and blessing.
