I Will Follow You

What a great privilege we have to serve in children's ministry. I know some days though, it feels not like a privilege, but more like a challenge. Your lesson may not have gone as planned, the child that you really wanted to hear the message wasn't there, or you have too many things going on in your own life that you feel discouraged.  

This video was sent to me last week and it really encouraged me. Take some time to watch it now:

 

 

I will follow you - Chris Tomlin - Childrens Ministry from lovehopenpray on GodTube.

 This is what happens when children follow after Jesus. Pray for those those children that you come into contact with on a weekly basis. Pray that they will follow Jesus and be a light in the darkness. 

Whenever you feel discouraged, stop, take a breath, pray and ask God to give you a new focus on the situation. Remember this video and the pictures of the children following after Jesus. Isn't that our goal? 

Hiding God's Word in Our Hearts

Why do we focus on memory verses? Why do we make little charts and hand out prizes when children memorize parts of Scripture? Why is it so important? 

"I have hidden your word in my heart so that I won't sin against you."
{Psalm 119:11 NIRV}

I have been thinking about this a lot this past week. I am going to be encouraging the Grade 2-4 children in Kidztown to memorize Psalm 23 to be able to quote it from the front on a Sunday morning. 

But why? 

From when I was younger to college to now, I have been encouraged to memorize Scripture. I always saw it as hard work. I'm not good at memorizing things. I find that I can only remember part of the verse and then I have to look it up anyways to read the rest of it. 

 "A good man says good things. These come from the good that is put away in his heart. An evil man says evil things. These come from the evil that is put away in his heart. Their mouths say everything that is in their hearts." 

{Luke 6:45 NIRV} 

Your heart determines what you say and who you are. A good man says good things, but an evil man says evil things. If I have Scripture in my heart, then I will naturally speak the things of God. I will be able to encourage people around me with the words of God from His Word. Why wouldn't I want this?

In one of my travels around the internet this week, I found this great article on childrensministry.com. The author talks about the importance of memorizing Scripture, especially in this day in age of iPhones, iPads and the internet. It is so easy to look up a verse quickly on biblegateway.com. 

I love this quote from Phil Vischer (the creator of Veggie Tales and "What's in the Bible?"): "I don't think the verse says, 'Thy Word have I hid in my iPad,' " says Vischer. "God's Word transforms us when it's internalized. Until kids are born with [memory] card slots in their heads, this means they need to internalize God's Word the old fashioned way-by learning it." (found in the article on childrensministry.com)  

The point of memorizing isn't to look up a verse at lightening speed. When we memorize Scripture, it transforms us. 

So how?  

  When you are encouraging the children in your class to memorize a verse, explain the verse to them. Talk about the meaning behind what they are memorizing. Instead of just having words in their minds, help them have the understanding behind the verse.

I will be memorizing or re-memorizing Psalm 23 along with the children in Kidztown. I want to encourage you to find a verse, a passage, or if you are really ambitious, a whole book of the Bible and memorize. Meditate on it day and night and let it transform you. 


Read the article from childrensministry.com here. 

Being Faithful

Last week, I talked about going out of your own way in 2012. 
  
  Going out of your own way in love, in understanding, in time, and in prayer. 

 Sometimes that's difficult to do. 

How do we know that what we're doing is making any difference at all in a child's life? What about the ones that are staring off into space, thinking about who knows what as you share the Bible? 

What about the ones that spout off the information that you are asking for? Are they really getting it? Or are they just telling you what they know that you want to hear?   

Sometimes it's frustrating, wondering if you are even making a difference.

Be Faithful. 

  This week as you prepare your lesson for Sunday morning or Tuesday night, or even if this is one of your weeks off, keep in mind the children in your class. Prepare to engage in conversation during the Bible time, during a craft or even as you wait for a parent to pick up their child. 

You never know the impact that you are making in a child's life. 

Lori shared this with me last week in an email and I thought it was fitting for all of us to read.   

A Tribute to Mrs. Blackburn @ aneverydaymama.com

 

2012.

In our leader's meeting this past Sunday, we went through four passages of Scripture and discovered some goals for children's ministry in those passages. 

 Out of those four passages of Scripture, we then combined all the goals into one simple goal that we are setting before us for 2012 in our children's ministry. 

Going out of your own way
in love,
in understanding,
time,
and in prayer.

 Going out of our own way? What does that have to do with children's ministry? 

  Our own way. We are busy people. We have families, jobs, school, friends, activities, and our responsibilities at church. There is curriculum to look after, team members to talk with and bounce ideas off of, classrooms to set up, craft supplies to get ready. 

  Going out of our own way. Looking towards the interest of others. Putting aside our busy schedules and preparing our lesson. Going away from our lesson plans, and really listening to the child who wants our attention. 

 In love. Loving the child who is sometimes difficult. Looking out for the child who is shy and getting to know them. Dropping a note off in the mail for the child who was missing from our class. 

In understanding. When planning the lesson, going into the shoes of those you are teaching and seeing how they would understand the lesson. Planning different activities so that all learning styles are being reached. Talking to the parent and getting their advice on how to effectively reach the child that just doesn't seem to be paying attention. 

Time. Spending the time preparing our lesson before Sunday morning or Tuesday night. Taking the time to talk to a child on what is going on in their life at home or school. Spending the time getting your classroom ready for a special lesson. 

In prayer. Praying for each child in your class. Lifting up family members who are on your children's hearts. Listening to their prayer requests and then actually spending time in prayer. Telling the children that you prayed for them that week. Praying for the parents to have wisdom in raising their children. 

  Going out of your own way. 

I pray that this year, all of us will go out of our way and be listening to God's voice in how He wants to use 2012 for the children in our church. 

We only have a short time with these children, so let's use this time wisely and effectively.      

 Want to spend some time in the Scripture? These are the passages that we looked at on Sunday. 

Psalm 78:1-8

Matthew 18:1-6

Matthew 18:10-14

1 Thessalonians 2:3-8  

Focusing in

  I love Christmas. 

 

I love the anticipation leading up to Christmas Day. I love decorating. I love when it snows as I'm listening to Christmas music. I love eating all the delicious Christmas baking. I love watching Christmas music. I love getting together with family and friends. I love shopping in the busy mall (I'm not crazy!). I love going with my family and cutting down our Christmas tree. I love snuggling up on the couch under a blanket while Christmas lights twinkle around me. 

 Sometimes though, Christmas seems like a disappointment. I find that I have so many ideas floating around in my head of things I want to do, cookies I want to bake, parties I want to throw, experiences that I want to take part of, and the list could go on and on. Christmas can feel stressful, busy, and overwhelming.

 Anybody else feel that way? 

This Christmas I found a piece of art on the internet that I have up on my fireplace mantle. It makes me stop and remember, that although all those things that I listed up above are nice, that's not what Christmas is all about. 

Christmas is about our Wonderful Counselor. Our Mighty God. Our Everlasting Father. Our Prince of Peace. 

  Downstairs in the Kidztown room, I have a verse posted on our Christmas bulletin board that I think captures Christmas beautifully. 

In these next few weeks leading up to Christmas Day, I want to challenge you, along with myself, to really focus in on this amazing story of redeeming love.

A Brief History

  Yesterday at church, I was able to listen to Dave MacFarlane as he was talking and answering questions in the second part of the morning. At one point, he started talking about the history of the church and Sunday school.

  via

  It got me thinking about some of my classes at Briercrest. I always found the history of children's ministry fascinating. In school you learn how our country was started, which then brings into perspective why our country is run the way it is or why we have certain traditions.
  The same is with the history of children's ministry. I believe that it has importance on how we function today.

via

  Take some time and click on the links below to read about the history of Sunday school and children's ministry.
  
 After you have read some of the background, come back here and comment below on something that was interesting to you. 

  ministry-to-children.com

   christianitytoday.com

  kidsministryleaders.blogspot.com

  Click here for: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

 * Please note: Just because I shared some of these sites, does not necessarily mean that I share their same opinion of Sunday school. I shared these links because I found the history interesting. If you agree or don't agree regarding the views on Sunday school, please feel free to comment below or come talk to me!

Baby dedication

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." 

Proverbs 22:6 

   On Sunday we, as a church family, had the privilege of standing before Jason and Faith and agreeing together that we would help them raise their beautiful little girl in the way of the Lord. 
  I never knew how powerful it was for the parents to see all of us get out of our seats and stand up before them, until we dedicated our son. We know that we have full support from our families and our close friends, but to see the church family standing before us with Pastor John holding Gavin, brought tears to my eyes.  

  I know full well that not every person in the church will have a personal impact in Gavin's life, but it was the picture, the symbol, of everyone standing together, that was most meaningful to me. 

  So I'm left here on a Tuesday, wondering what is next for Claire.
 
    The nursery volunteers will care for her next week when she is crying in the nursery. The people who are in the toddlers will read stories from a children's Bible to her. The ladies in TinyTown will encourage and teach her that God loves her. The leaders in Kidztown will teach her stories from God's Word and show her how she can see God in her life. The teachers in Sunday school will encourage her to store verses from the Bible in her heart for when she needs encouragement in the future. The leaders from KidzClub will show enthusaism when she invites her friends on Tuesday nights so that they will also hear about the Lord. 

  Looking at the number of babies and young children that are in our church, it can be overwhelming when it seems like we don't have enough leaders or volunteers or that our spaces aren't big enough to contain everyone. When I look at these families though, it is encouraging that they are choosing this church to worship every Sunday morning and Tuesday night. Why is that? It's not because we have a fancy children's ministry area, or because we have a high tech Kidztown, or because our kid's worship is out of this world, it's because the children see people who love them, who care for them, and who want to see the Word of God take shape in their lives. 

  That is what is next for Claire. That is what is next for all the babies that were born this year, for the unborn, for the ones in toddlers and the ones beyond. They have a church family who loves them and who wants to see them grow and thrive.