Bargain Shopping for Ministry.

I am known as a bargain shopper.  I love looking for inexpensive things that I can use for ministry.  But bargain shopping is not a quick prospect.  It takes time and patience to find those elusive deals. However, I can send you in the direction of a couple places that I have used over the years and they have amazing deals...if you watch for them.

First off, let me direct you to a department store that you might not have thought about before for ministry.  Kohls is a phenomenal place to check for bargains.  Especially in the toy area.  I have, on more than one occasion, found items that were formally $50 marked down to less than $10 and then because of a special promotion they are running end up getting the item for $5 or less.  Granted, you have to keep your eyes out for these deals, but they are there and a quick check in their clearance area each time you are in the store can yield amazing buys than can be used for prizes or simply to enhance your play area at church.  It's also a great place if you are looking for clothes to send to a missionary or with a Work and Witness team.  They often have fantastic sales on off season items.  However, if you are sending the items with a mission team, they might be perfectly in season for the place they are going. 

Next up, Ollies.  This store is a great place to find books for your nursery or even Bibles to give away as gifts.  They have all kinds of items in the store, but it is the book section that has come in the most handy for me.  I was recently able to purchase 8 or 9 books there (mostly hardback or board books) for a weekly preschool story time that I lead and the cost was just over $20. If you have an Ollies near you, I highly suggest you check it out.

Online, my favorite website for bargains is Christianbook.com.  They are constantly having big sales and I often can find things that will make great giveaways or just additions to my own library for incredible prices.  Just recently, they had a wide variety of hardback books on sale for $.69 - $1.99 each.  For someone on a rather tight budget, this site is awesome.  And they have lots of things other than just books.  It has everything you would find in any other Christian Bookstore...just usually quite a bit cheaper. 

There are lots of other places and websites I could add to this list, but that's all for this week.  What's your favorite place to shop for ministry?

Prayer Stations

Prayer is something that is easily overlooked when teaching children because they have such a short attention span.  It's not that we do not teach them to pray, but we often do not give them the credit they deserve in their ability to really understand what prayer is.  When given the opportunity, children can often pray very touching and heartfelt prayers.  And they come to the Father without any pretense.  They are simply willing to talk to God...which is, of course, exactly what prayer is.  But, sometimes we all need help focusing our mind and prayer stations are a great way to do just that.

I absolutely love doing prayer stations with children.  The first time I did them, I wondered if they would be able to stay quiet and focused, but they did then and they have ever since at every church I've ever done them at.  There is something about doing stations like these that seems to calm the hearts of all the children and they really enjoy them.

If you've never done prayer stations, let me tell you that they don't have to be elaborate to be effective.  They do take time to prepare though, so give yourself the time necessary to put them together.  When I am looking for new ideas for prayer stations, I generally go to Pinterest.  If you type "prayer stations for kids" in the search bar, you will get tons of ideas.  I am including some pictures of some of the prayer stations I have done at my current church.  Most of these ideas I got from Pinterest.  I'm sorry I don't remember all the sites that Pinterest took me to, but many of my ideas come from Flame: Creative Kid's Ministry and then just made them fit my own group of kids. There is a brief explanation of each station with the pictures, but more detailed explanations are available if you contact me through this blog.

At this station they were to write out on several Popsicle sticks things they were thankful for.  Then they made a poster picture out of the Popsicle sticks.

This station talked about the importance of being forgiven and gave the children the opportunity to ask for forgiveness.

Here the children were to draw a picture of what they wanted to do when they grew up.

This station gave the children the opportunity to discuss the problem of hunger in the world and what they could do to help.

This station focused on praying for healing of the sick and injured.

Here the children built a "house" and gave thanks for their own homes.

I love this station.  The children sit in front of a mirror filled with affirmations as if God were speaking to them. It reminds them that they are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139)

This one gives the children the opportunity to think about what is most important to them...and decide if they would be willing to give that thing up, if God asked it of them.

If you have never done prayer stations with your children at church, I hope you will try them in the future.  They can be a powerful way to teach the children that prayer is so much more encompassing than the few minutes we pray in church.  It has power and God will indeed speak to us, if we let Him. 

Picking Bible Stories...

First, let me apologize for not posting a blog last week.  I was at a Family Camp and the internet was pretty difficult to use.  Hopefully it won't be an issue again any time soon.  Now, on to this week's topic.

One of the things that I most often see in curriculum is that it uses the same few stories over and over.  Whether it is a Vacation Bible School, Sunday School Lessons, or Sunday Morning Curriculum, we often see the same stories.  Daniel and the Lion's Den, Moses and the burning bush or crossing the Red Sea, Abraham and Isaac, Noah and the Ark, Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, etc.  Now, there is nothing wrong with using these stories.  After all, they are popular for a reason.  But, if we are trying to reach our kids in new ways, then perhaps we need to expand our stories as well. After all, if those stories are super familiar to us, there are at least a few kids in your department who feel the same way. 

I love looking for the stories that are rarely told in Children's Church.  We did an entire series on the Judges and the kids loved it.  We turned our Children's Church into a court room and put the Biblical Judges of Othniel, Deborah, Ehud, Gideon, Jephthah, Abimelech, and Samson on trial.  We had a "defense attorney" and a "prosecutor" each week and the kids were the jury who, after hearing all the information, had to decide if the Judge of the Week was a good judge who followed God, or a bad judge who did what they wanted...or perhaps a bit of both.  It was a great way to get other people in the church involved and the kids had to think critically about the Scripture...not just take what they were hearing at face value. By, the way, I'd be glad to send this program to anyone who'd like it.  Just drop me a note.  I wrote it, so I can give it away.  :-)

As you read through the Scripture, look for stories that you find interesting and then bring those stories to your Children's Services.  Have you ever done a lesson from the perspective of Rebekah as she leaves to marry Isaac?  What about Lot?  We hear lots about Abraham, but Lot has an important lesson to teach us as well.  I recently used the story of Lot to convey how the people we surround ourselves with will affect our lives...even if we are not the ones making the poor choices.  There are some amazing stories in Scripture that are often not taught to kids, but easily could be.  Look for those stories because the kids enjoy hearing them and they have lots to teach us.  Don't be afraid to branch out from the "normal" kids' Bible stories.  It can really add a lot to your ministry.   I'd love to hear your ideas too so please let me know what you use as well.

Until next week...

Communicating with Families

Communicating with our Families is something that we all struggle with.  There are lots of ways that people try to connect.  Some are on Facebook, some text, some email, some prefer to have a phone call, and some really like to have something tangible in their hand that they can take home.  All of these are great ways to get information out to families and I would suggest using all of them if you can because no one thing will connect with everyone.  Here are a few of the things that we do at my church to try to keep our families and the church informed of what is going on in our Children's Department.

Newsletters
Each month we put out a one page (front and back) newsletter that briefly highlights upcoming activities and includes a calendar of events for the next month or two so that our families can easily have all the dates in one place and can put them on their calendars.


Family Files
We have a literal file box at our sign in table with a file for every family.  We put any type of paper communication (like our newsletter) that might be necessary for them in it.  It is also an easy place to put a Sunday School paper that was left accidentally (or barrette, or toy) or any type form that might have been asked for by the family.  Putting these items in the file is much easier than trying to track everyone down in between services. And since the Families know where the files are, it is easy to simply say, "Jenny left her hair bow today. I put it in your family file."  It's also a good way for us to keep families from falling through the cracks.  If I put a newsletter in a Family File on the first Sunday of the month, and it is still there at the end of the month, if it had not been done already, that is a good reminder to send them a note and let them know they have been missed.

Facebook
We are in a world where nearly everyone is online and most of those people are on Facebook.  So an easy place to connect with your parents is there.  We have a Facebook page just for our Children's Ministry.  This are great because you can remind people about upcoming events, post pictures (with permission), and generally let the families know what it going on in the Children's Department.  SIDE NOTE:  This is not to communicate or promote events to the children, but with their parents.  You have to be 13 to have a Facebook page.  I know that some kids have Facebook, but in order to get an account, they or their parents had to lie to set it up.  That is not something that I want to encourage so I do not respond to Friend Requests of those that I know are younger than 13.

As I said, there are lots of ways to connect with our families.  Written notes, email, text messages, bulletin boards, bulletin announcements, and even tweets can be a great way to keep in touch.  Find out what is the best tool for your families and then don't be shy about using those connections. 

Connections

It is easy, when one works in Children's Ministry, to be isolated.  In general, the Children's Department is often at the far end, far side or the basement of the church building.  Many times this is so that there is not a sound issue (either the kids disrupting the service in sanctuary or vice versa), or so that security is better for the children.  But, even if your area is not at the far reaches of the church building, you can easily feel like you are not connected to the rest of the church.

Because you are not in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, you may not know all the adults.  I can't tell you the number of conversations I've had with people over the years where they have tried to help me remember who someone is by telling me where they sit in the sanctuary.  This, of course, is at best hit or miss since I am not in the sanctuary most of the time.  Or perhaps, you miss an announcement because it isn't in the bulletin, but was verbally announced during a service.  And, of course, you generally have no idea what has happened in the main sanctuary on any given Sunday, so you can easily feel out of the loop when someone comes up to you and starts talking to you about the music, testimonies, or sermon that was given.  They usually genuinely do not realize that you have no idea what they are talking about since, after all you were at church, but you were leading Children's Church at the same time.

Being isolated is somewhat part of the job, but we need to do our best to keep it at a minimum if we want our ministries to be effective.  So, here are some ideas of how to stay "in the loop."

Keep in contact with your Pastor:  This is something that it seems should go without saying, but it is super easy to get disconnected from your Pastor and that is a recipe for disaster.  You always need to be on the same page as the rest of the leadership in your church and that begins with your Pastor.  Talk to him or her and make sure he/she is aware of what is going on in your department and make sure you are staying within the focus he/she is trying to bring to the rest of the church.
 
Staff Meetings:  Most churches have weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly staff meetings.  Use these times to keep up to date.  Make sure you know what is happening in other ministries of the church and make sure they know what is happening in your ministry.  For me, there is nothing much more embarrassing than having a parent ask me a question about something happening at church, and I didn't even know the thing they are talking about existed.  So, make sure you take good notes in your
staff meeting so that you can be up to date with all the church happenings.

Have a Support Team:  For one of the classes I took recently, I had to set up a congregational support team.  Basically it was four people who would help evaluate my effectiveness and training as well as support me in prayer.  But they have become so much more than that to me.  These four women are my "go to people" when I need prayer, when I need a brutally honest evaluation of a project, they celebrate with me when something exciting happens in ministry, or since three of them are not in my Children's Department, sometimes they fill me in about something that happened in a worship service I did not get to attend.  I am always comfortable asking them questions or getting feedback from them.  These women are so amazing and they help me more than I can say. 

Other Children's Pastors or Directors:
Unless you are in an extremely rural area, it is probably safe to assume that there are other Children's Pastors or Children's Directors around where you minister.  Try to get together with them from time to time.  You don't all have to be from the same denomination to support one another.  In my current area, all the Children's Pastors/Directors are invited to meet at Panera Bread about once a month.  We come from various denominations and we don't all always get to go, but it's an awesome time of fellowship for those who can attend.  We share about upcoming events or programs, discuss ways to deal with problems that may have come up, and just generally encourage one another.  If that type of gathering isn't an option for you, go about making a connection with at least one other Children's Minister in your area...even if it is simply a phone call to check in once in a while.  The support of others in your field of ministry is really something you can not do without.

Isolation is a tool the devil can use to try to defeat us in our ministries.  I hope these ideas help you to find ways to avoid that pitfall.

Pick-Me-Ups: A Service Idea

One of the things that we want to instill in our children is how to serve.  But sometimes learning to serve others can be a bit scary at first.  This is a great way to help your children connect with serving without the fear that so often accompanies something new.  I call them "Pick-Me-Ups" and they are a fun way for the children in your department to call on those who might be shut-in, ill, or simply in need of a smile and bring them something that will brighten their day.

The way the program works is that for about three Sundays, we set up a table in our foyer at church with three gifts to choose from.  Each gift is about $5 in cost to put together.  Usually Gift #1 one is a little basket that has a variety of hard candies, Gift #2 is a stack of 2 or 3 puzzle books along with pencils and pens, and Gift #3 varies.  This last time, the third contained items for a power outage (Candle, matches, small flashlight, notepad, pens, etc), but a stuffed animal is also a popular gift.  Along with the gifts at the table are note cards and envelopes.  Then on the designated day (usually the Saturday after the last Sunday of sign ups) the Pick-Me-Ups are delivered by the children.

This is how the process works:

                I know that Mrs. Nimoy has been recuperating from a surgery.  I take a card and fill it out for Mrs. Nimoy from me.  I put Mrs. Nimoy's name on the card and tell the child at the table which gift I want sent to her.  The child fills out our Pick-Me-Up Order sheet with the information and writes the gift number on the back of the card in pencil.  Then on the specified day, the children will deliver the gift and my card to Mrs. Nimoy..

I have done this in three churches and it is always something both the kids and those that receive the gifts enjoy.  We usually split the children into teams of 4 or less (plus preferably two adults per team to go with the children...no deliveries are made by children alone) so that multiple deliveries can be done at the same time.  They have a great time delivering the gifts to those on their list and are given the opportunity to visit with people that they may or may not know.   It's not a scary way for them to connect with those they deliver to, because they have a reason to be there. Since they are bringing a surprise to the person getting the delivery, the children are excited to give it to them.


Because you are purchasing the gifts and cards, there is a cost involved with this activity, but if you will place a donation jar at the table with the gifts, many people will put a little money in it to cover the cost. Though we do not charge for the Pick-Me-Ups, I have found that people are more willing to send them if they can donate at least part of the cost.  We also put a small amount in our budget to offset whatever might not be covered by the donations. 

If you are interested in doing this at your church and have questions or would like to see the forms we use for this activity, simply leave a comment with your email and I'll get back with you as quick as I can.

Have a great week everyone!

Prayer Mail

One thing that can easily happen in children's ministry is that we can get separated from the rest of the church body.  Especially when it comes to the senior adults and others who may not have children currently in the department.  If the children are not in the sanctuary, those two demographics of the church simply may not have contact with them.  This week we are talking about one way to keep the Children's department connected to the rest of the church. 

Today I want to talk about PRAYER MAIL. You may already be familiar with this concept, but if not, it's easy to do, costs very little to start up, and the rewards are far reaching.  Prayer Mail is a way to connect the children to those outside the children's department by giving the people in your church the opportunity to pray for the children. The first thing you want to do is start a Children's Prayer Team.  The easiest way is to take a sign up sheet to all of the adult Sunday School classes and explain what you are doing.  Generally I will go into the classes and say something like the following:
     "We are starting a Children's Prayer Team and we would like to give you the opportunity to be a part of it.  If you sign up, please know you are agreeing to do two things.  First, you will receive a list of prayer requests in the children's handwriting each week.  Please make a point to pray over those requests and praises at some point during the week.  Second, we would ask that you keep the children's requests confidential.  They are told that no one outside the prayer team will ever see them and we would like you to help us honor that promise."

You will notice that I make a point of mentioning the confidentiality of the prayer requests.  This is important because when children know that no one outside the prayer team will see the requests, they are more free to write what is really on their heart.  I have found over the years that children will write things that they have difficulty saying.  In fact, several years ago I was even been made aware of one abuse situation through the prayer mail requests and was able to contact CPS.  If you would come across such a notification, obviously you must take action, but do not include such requests in the copied lists that are handed out.  Perhaps simply put in a note to pray for such and such a child, but do not give details. 

 The picture on the left shows our prayer mail slips.  As you can see, they are pretty simple.  During our prayer song each week, the children are given the opportunity to fill out a slip if they would like to do so. The children can write their name, but do not have to.  They circle whether it is a prayer request or a praise and then write out their request or praise.  We have adults at the Prayer Mail table that will help those who have difficulty writing.  After they are done, the children fold the request and put it in the mailbox.  The one above was made by a teenager in my church in Missouri, but you can also use a regular mailbox.  In my current church, we have a simple plastic mailbox with the words PRAYER MAIL on the side.

Each week I take out the slips, read through them, and add any clarifications that might be needed so that the words or request can be better understood.  Occasionally, many of the children will be praying for someone they know, but is not known by those on the prayer team.  If that is the case, I might add a note that says, "Bobby is a classmate" or "Jenny is on the local basketball team."  I will also make note if a word or phrase is difficult to make out.  For those I include a "Translation" on the paper.   Then I copy all the requests (usually 3 to a page like shown), fold them, and staple each set so that no one outside the intended prayer team member can accidentally read them.  Our secretary prints off labels for me of everyone on the team.  Then, I distribute them to the different Sunday School classes each week so that the Team can pick up their lists.  If you make labels, I would encourage you to put dates on them so that if someone is absent one week and picks up two the next, they know which list is the most current.

Prayer Mail has been a great way to connect many generations at our church.  It gives our older adults and those without children a way to learn about what is affecting the children in our church and it gives those who are already helping in the department the opportunity to better understand the things that weigh on the minds of the children in our services.  And it reminds us all to pray for our children...and that is a huge benefit for everyone.

Until next week!