You are not alone.

I really do not know who reads this blog, but I know there are people from many parts of the world.  I don't know who you are or where you live, but I want you to know that you are not alone.  We who work with children are a much larger group than perhaps you even realize.  This week I want to encourage you to connect with at least one other children's worker near you.  Go for coffee, send a text, or maybe chat over a walk in a park.  It doesn't really matter what you do, but take the time to connect.  We are an easily isolated group, but isolation isn't good, so branch out.  Check with your denomination.  Are there any conferences or workshops you can attend this year that will connect you with other Children's Pastors/Directors/Volunteers from your denomination? Or perhaps a non-denominational conference will be in your area soon. Check it out if you can.

What brings this to my mind?  Well, this week I am in Lenexa, Kansas attending the IGNITE Conference which is the only national Children's Leadership Convention for the Church of the Nazarene (my denomination).  Being here reminds me of how important being able to connect with other like minded children's workers is.  This week will be filled with workshops, church services, and fun times that will help us with our respective ministries.  However, for me, the most impactful time at conferences like these are the times that are unscheduled.  When we just get to chat, connect, laugh, and encourage one another.  I enjoy the worship services and the workshops, but sometimes what I long for is simply the chance to connect with other Children's Pastors.  It refreshes my soul and touches my heart in ways nothing else really can.

But here is why I bring this up.  I generally don't realize how much I needed to connect with other Children's Pastors until I get to a conference like this one.  And when I arrive, it hits me how isolated I have been.  Isolation is not good. But it is something that we can easily fall into.  So my advice to you is to be intentional about connecting.  You will be amazed how much it can change your ministry and nourish your soul.

Until next week!

Fun Family Ideas

In Family Ministry, we are always looking for fun ways to connect our families to each other and that can be a challenge in this busy day and age.  But below are a couple fun things that I have done that are not expensive, offer a cool way to connect, and are specifically for families (as opposed to just dropping off the kids).

Family Picnic
If your city has a park, and most do, this is an easy way to connect your families. Pick a day and do a Family Picnic.  Have each family bring their own lunches and then pick a spot and eat together.  You can rent a shelter house, but it's not really necessary if there is a place with an outdoor picnic area.  After they eat, either the kids can play on the park playground while the parents chat, or your can plan some fun games to do as a group.  Because each family brings their own lunch, there is really no cost involved for this event, and except for the games (if you choose to plan them) there is very little prep.  It's truly a win/win activity.  Lots of fun without adding a lot of work to your schedule.

Family Game Night
There are a few ways you can do this.  The first, is to set out a lot of table type games and allow the families to play these with refreshments, music, and perhaps some fun videos.  Easy, and not really any different than they could do at home, however, not all families take the time to play games at home. Plus it gives families opportunities to connect with other families in a laid back pleasant atmosphere which is always a good thing.

The second way, is to provide family vs. family games and give out prizes to the winners.  To do this, each family is a team and the teams compete against each other in games such as "Name that Tune", "Jeopardy", "Concentration", or "Family Feud".  Admittedly, these games can be very time consuming to plan and put together, so make sure you have plenty of time to prepare.  You will have to come up with the questions or puzzles for each game and that can be work intensive, however it is worth noting that there is a Family Feud Card game that can be purchased and has tons of questions and answers already done.  When I create these games, I try to do it in such a way that neither the parents or the children could win without the help of the other.  So, for example, when we play Name That Tune, not only will I include music from the parent's growing up years, but also music that we sing only in Children's Church...that way they have to work together.  We also have a game where we give each team a random assortment of objects and ask them to create something with them.  This year we gave each team objects that included, a piece of rectangular cloth, a small box of colored clay, a variety of lengths of yarn, rocks, beads, pipe cleaners, and a few other things and asked them to come up with a diorama of something that they did as a family.  I am always amazed at how creative the results of this activity are.  It was truly awesome to see!  As for the prizes, they are always something that promotes another time of family activity.  Perhaps a board game, a puzzle, a family movie, or even the components for them to make cookies as a family.   

The third way to do this, is to create life size versions of games such as LIFE or Candyland and let the families play with each person being their own game piece. This would also be rather work intensive, and while I have yet to try this, I have no doubt that it would be an awesome memory for the families who participated. I mean, who wouldn't love to play a life size version of a favorite game?

We who work in Children's Ministry are often cut off from the other parts of the church simply because we are with the children so much.  Both of these activities promote times of fun with the whole family and also allows them to interact with other families. Plus it gives us the opportunity to be with the family as a unit instead of just with the children.  And if we really want to minister to the whole family, we have to find ways to connect with the whole family...and these are good ways to do just that.  

Until next week! 

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.