Tell us about yourself: 

My name is Esther Wood, I live in Glasgow, Scotland and along with my family attend the Parkhead Church of the Nazarene, in the East End of Glasgow. I grew up in a Christian home and attended the Erskine Church of the Nazarene until I married Richard in 2002. We have 2 children, our daughter, Lily-Ruth (8) and our son Ashley (7). I have been involved in Children’s Ministry from the age of 14, teaching Sunday School classes and midweek Kid’s Clubs. This quickly grew into organising weeklong Kid’s programmes on the British Isles North District for Mission Trips, Summer Camps and District Holidays. I have also been involved, in a variety of ways, in training and equipping other children’s workers on the District.

I have over 20 years of experience working with children and their families in Primary Schools. Working as part of the school leadership team, for over ten years, I was responsible for guiding and mentoring school staff. While teaching students who faced financial, health and educational barriers, I was able to implement holistic solutions not only for the children, but for parents and families as well.

I am deeply passionate about supporting holistic child development and fully believe that children are valuable parts of the body of Christ that make meaningful contributions to their churches and communities.

 

Tell us about your role:

My full job title is ‘Global Holistic Child Development Coordinator’ and this means that I have the privilege of supporting the Global and Regional Nazarene Compassionate Ministries teams, that run Child Development Centres, around the globe. These centres emerge from the needs identified by local congregations within their local communities. Building local partnerships and securing sponsorship funding is another area that I support. Centres don’t only focus on meeting the immediate physical, intellectual, emotional, and relational needs of the children but most importantly meeting their spiritual needs, knowing that when children are transformed and discipled effectively, they can transform their families and eventually their communities.

 

What is a highlight you have experienced being part of the Region? 

I am so grateful to be part of the Nazarene network, my local church, district and region. Over the years, I have been able to travel to other countries on mission or even just on holiday and there is always a welcoming Nazarene arm waiting for you. We have also had the joy of welcoming people into our home, most recently, a Ukrainian young person joined us for a couple of years and became a lasting part of our family even after moving out.

 

How can we pray for you?

As I step into this new role, I am reminded of the realities of the world we live in and the significant need for wisdom, resources, and partnership to fulfil God’s calling in Micah 6:8, to act justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

I would appreciate prayer for:

  • Wisdom when making difficult decisions around projects and priorities.
  • Understanding of local contexts and cultural differences.
  • My family, as we navigate this season of transition and adaptation together.