Making Memorable Moments...

Every time we put together a service, we want to make what we are doing memorable for those in our congregation.  Whether it is a child, a teen, or an adult, the goal is the same.  We want the lesson we are teaching to stick with those who are hearing it.  And more than likely it won't be the whole lesson they remember, but it's very possible that one moment will stick.  So we have to make as many memorable moments in our lessons as we can.  Now, there is no sure fire way of doing that.  After all, we have all prepared lessons that we thought were going to be awesome only to see them fall flat, or taken a lesson that we were not sure would work and see people really respond to it.  So, there isn't a foolproof way to make memorable moments, but there are a few things that when incorporated generally help.  And though, we usually deal primarily with children, they can be helpful for any age group.

1) Don't just read...make the lesson fun.
I know, this seems like a no brainer, but how many times have you seen someone stand up in front of a group and then just simply read a lesson.  Or perhaps the teacher doesn't have much inflection in their voice.  These are things we have to work hard not to do.  Now, I'm not saying you can never read something.  Sometimes there might be a brief passage that you want to quote properly and so reading it is appropriate, but just standing and reading for an entire lesson simply isn't memorable.  Move, smile, change your voice, change your inflection.  The lesson should feel like you are chatting with a friend, not performing and essay. If what your teaching is fun, there is a great chance that it is also memorable.

2) Incorporate more than one of the senses. 
The more senses involved in a lesson, the better someone will remember what is being taught.  Is your Scripture focused on the woman with a jar of oil?  Perhaps you can bring in some oil and let the kids touch it.  Will you be learning about John the Baptist?  Bringing in some wild honey for the kids to taste will bring the lesson to life.  Will you be talking about faith the size of mustard seed?  You can buy small containers of mustard seeds at nearly any grocery store.  The kids will love seeing how small they really are.  Don't be afraid to use multiple senses in your lesson.  The more you use, the better they will remember what they are being taught.

3) Teach the point through many avenues
Let's say that your lesson focuses on caring for each other as Christ cares for us.  Your game could be a cooperation game where the team has to work together in order to win.  There could be an activity where the kids all have to complete a task (such as throwing a ball into a basket), but give each group a problem they have to overcome in order to complete the task (like making one of them pretend to have two broken arms, or blindfolding one).  They will have to figure out a way to help the person who has the challenge so that they all can finish the task.  You could even choose songs for the day that focus on how God cares for us such as Jonathan Shelton's "Counting on God" or Group Music's "His Great Love."  All these things together add to and build up the teaching time where you will bring out the Scripture of the day and help continually focus the listeners attention on what the lesson is...which will lead to more opportunities for memorable moments.

It takes a lot of planning an preparation to bring about memorable moments, but it's worth it.  Why?  Because God often brings those memorable moments back to our minds just when we need them most and they help us draw ever closer to Him. 

Until next week... 

Don't Miss The Moments

One thing about ministry that we often don't realize until you are in the thick of it, is that the things that others get excited about being a part of, we sometimes feel like we missed.  Let me explain what I mean.

If you think about it nearly all of the big events of the church involve some sort of Children's Ministry.  Easter has egg hunts and special services which include services for the children.  Christmas generally includes a children's program of some sort and various parties and events to celebrate the Savior's birth.  Summer, for most people, includes a vacation or some sort of leisure time.  But for Children's workers the programming actually increases and so do the events (Camps, Water Wednesdays, etc).  And all these things take extra planning and preparation on our parts.

Now, don't misunderstand me,  I am not in any way complaining.  I adore being a Children's Pastor, but it hit me this week that sometimes we get so involved with the prep and the planning that we sometimes feel like we missed getting to be a part of the "event."  Then I read something a friend put on Facebook and it nearly brought me to tears.  It was beautiful and it put into words things I felt, but didn't even realize I had been feeling.  I want to share her words with you.

Her name is Jennifer Coffman and she was writing this after a large Easter Event at her church:

I like to write. I write a lot, more than I talk (this may be hard for some of you to believe). I write lots of things that no one ever reads.

Every Easter, I long to write something brilliant, some tangible evidence of this intangible essence inside me. And every Easter, the words escape me. I think it's because every Easter, I expect to have THE MOMENT - that moment that opens my eyes, changes my walk, brings me to my knees. Every Easter, I yearn to experience it in a brand new way: to mourn on Friday, rejoice on Sunday, and wonder in between on the miraculous grace of God. 

And every Easter, I'm disappointed. Because I "work" for the church (and I use that term loosely), this weekend is always busy. By the end of the weekend, I'm usually spent - and wondering how I missed THE MOMENT yet again. 

Today . . .
I didn't spend time wondering.
I didn't meditate on miracles.
I didn't contemplate grace.

What I did do was talk to hundreds (literally hundreds!) of people. I welcomed them into kingdom life. I smiled at children and attached wristbands and answered questions and smiled some more. That's so far outside of my comfort zone . . . I cannot even begin to explain it. 

Maybe . . . just maybe . . . instead of wondering about God, I experienced Him.
And maybe instead of meditating on miracles, I witnessed them.
Maybe instead of contemplating grace, I practiced it.

Could it be that THE MOMENT of Easter is beyond words? Could it be that mere words are not adequate to describe this wonder? Could it be that the eternal hope of this most holy week is, in fact, so holy that it can only be experienced . . . and not explained? 

I think I just had THE MOMENT.
‪#‎experienceEaster‬

As we all take a breath after the last few days, which I'm certain were very busy, I hope you look back on all the things you did, all the plans you made, and all the people you touched and are able to realize that we were a part of something special.  And while "The Moment" might be different for each of us...take time to experience "The Moment" God gave you to experience Easter.