How do you get a generation of young people without church connections to engage with Bible truths and the hope that Jesus offers? As some churches are discovering, thanks to your support, Soul Children could be the answer!
Soul Children is a community choir concept from Norway which introduces children and young people to faith through singing music they can relate to. Christian musician Chip Kendall brought the concept to the UK and Soul Children UK is now an SU National Mission Partner.
I first heard about Soul Children in 2019 through a friend,’ recalls Rachel Harris, Children and Youth Co-ordinator at Buckshaw Village Church. ‘He was so excited! I less so – I was already so busy, and Soul Children felt too glitzy for our little church. But God changed my mind and finding a venue and volunteers happened so swiftly that I felt he was blessing this new venture.
‘We did a term of singing and loved it. Then lockdown came!’
But the choir kept going and currently has 25 children and young people aged 8 to 16. Rachel observes, ‘I love that Soul Children works in any context, for children of a wide range of ages and singing abilities, and whether or not they have a church background. While we have a musician co-leading the choir at Buckshaw, choir leaders don’t need to be musical as Soul Children provides the option of karaoke-style tracks to sing along to. And, while the songs are the glue that hold everything together, we also include dance and games for variety.
"Soul children felt a little too glitzy for our church but…"
Soul Children and Revealing Jesus
‘As a Faith Guide, I welcome how well Soul Children works with children at different stages of faith, all within the one group! The music makes the connection, the lyrics help children explore faith, and they can respond by worshipping God through the song rather than just performing it.
‘It also helps grow faith; each half term we learn one song really well. The faith-based lyrics are thought-provoking, and we get the children to reflect on what the words mean to them and how they might help them make sense of this complex world. The older children help lead those discussions (with supervision) because explaining the lyrics to the younger ones really helps them to think through what they believe too.’
The Soul Children group has gone so well that Rachel is hoping to encourage new choirs in the area in partnership with Blackburn Diocese. She’s now such a passionate advocate for Soul Children that she has become a Trustee on the Soul Children UK charity board.
‘Soul Children helps put faith in the hearts of children and not just their heads,’ Rachel says. ‘They carry on singing and reflecting on the songs all week.
‘One time, we were reflecting on a song called “We are the light”; it talks of Jesus being the light of the world, but also that we can be light too. We asked the children how could both of those things be true? One ten-year-old girl started bobbing up and down with excitement and blurted out, “He’s in me, so I’m the light because he’s shining through me!”
‘Being part of our Soul Children group had enabled her to understand that profound gospel truth. It was a moment that made my own heart sing with joy!’
Want to be part of this?
Chip Kendall, founder of Soul Children in the UK, says, ‘We currently have eight Soul Children choirs with more in the works, and we’d love to set up even more choirs across the country.'
Read more Connecting You stories
This story was featured in our supporter magazine, Connecting You. Subscribe to the print or digital edition for free, and keep up to date with what God's doing through Scripture Union.