It’s summer time and that means lots of summer activities with your children’s ministry. Water games, VBS, and much more can make for an exhausting couple of months. In the midst of all of your planning and executing, remember to take some time to refuel so that you don’t end up like my washing machine.  Before you add something to your already busy schedule, ask yourself questions like ‘what or who is suffering if I add this to my plate?’

In order to get my washing machine back to working order, I had to first ask a friend to come and look at it, then order a part and take a break from washing clothes until the part came in the mail. Before you start going strong throughout your busy summer, take time out to plan for some rest. If you know you will have a few crazy weeks, add some time for rest into your schedule either the week before or the week after (maybe even both if you are lucky!).

The important thing to remember is that when you are overloaded, you just can’t work effectively. Avoid burnout by making time for rest!

And when you preview, did you know that you get access to material for ALL ages?  Yep.  Babies through senior adults.  AND did you know that all those age groups are studying the same biblical concepts each week?  Pretty awesome.

But that’s not all!  We also want to announce that Bible Studies for Life: Kids will feature a Large Group Worship package that is available separately.  Think that sounds awesome?  We’re giving away 5 right here on the blog and there are lots of ways to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#4 Organization is Your Best Friend

Do you have piles of resources in the corners of your office?  Are you stepping over glue sticks, markers, and scissors to get to your computer? Are you no longer sure what the top of your desk looks like? Do those who vacuum the floors in your church stand at your door and shake their head?  If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions… you might need to take heed to this piece of advice, “Organization is Your Best Friend!”

“Stuff” is part of our work.  It takes more “stuff” to pull off Kids Ministry than any other ministry in the church.  You don’t go to a preschool Bible study class and sit in folding chairs and listen to a lecturing teacher… children need resources to create art projects that help to reinforce biblical content.  It’s just who we are.  But, there’s nothing less inviting or less respected than a Kids Ministry that seems to be disorganized and chaotic. And… the truth is… perception can be reality.

I know it’s difficult and I know it’s often a product of our work but it looks bad, it gives off the wrong impression, and at the end of the day… folks will be quick to make snap judgments about your ministry when they see a disorganized “hot mess.”

I’m a big proponent of organization. I can spend a month’s salary in The Container Store if I’m not careful. I love putting everything away, making sure it’s all in the proper place; ready for quick retrieval (alphabetized, shelved by color or size).  Organized file cabinets (physical and electronic) are things I day-dream about (weird… I know).  And, I realize that if I’m not careful I can violate Principle #3 by being too organized… but I also know that an organized ministry is an inviting ministry.

People don’t want to be a part of something that’s chaotic. People don’t want to join a disorganized team. People can be reluctant (especially visitors) to leave their children in the care of a disorganized, haphazard, maybe even potentially dangerous Kids Ministry.

So…… GET ORGANIZED!  Take some time this spring to clean up, put away, and spruce up your ministry area. If that’s just not your thing… enlist someone who enjoys that type work (if they’re already serving in Kids Ministry chances are they’ve anxiously  been waiting for the opportunity) and let ‘em go at it.

Truth:  Organization Is Your Best Friend!  (Why didn’t somebody tell me that earlier?)

PS: While I’ve spent a good bit of this post talking about the physical organization of your ministry… most all these thoughts can be easily equate to the “organizational chart” of your ministry. Join me next time and I’ll share my thoughts on “Giving away your Ministry!”

King encourages that just as children approached Jesus in Mark 10:13-16, the same is true for leaders and volunteers in your church’s children’s ministry. Children naturally gravitate toward those people who are investing in their lives.

“You are being like Jesus to those children,” King states. “Because to a lot of the children you are serving and ministering to, you’re the only Jesus they’re ever going to see.”

King explored lessons about children from Mark 10 at this leadership training event. He encourages that the children’s reactions to Jesus in this passage reveals three specific things about their character to keep in mind in your children’s ministry.

First, children are into people not power. They instinctively understand that life is about people, not attaining power in this world. This truth further reveals how we should all live as Christ-followers: recognizing that the kingdom of God is all about people.

Second, children are about innocence and not influence. King emphasizes that children are naturally honest, often telling the truth with brutal honesty that many adults would shy away from or tiptoe around.

Lastly, children are empty and not yet established. King describes children as canvasses that have yet to be painted. By serving in children’s ministry, we’re helping fill their minds and hearts. King encourages filling them with such things as the Gospel, mercy, compassion, and patience.

As King summarizes, “They’re going to be filled with something. Let’s fill them with the Word of God.”

Preview this video and other free leadership training sessions at ministrygrid.com.

Ministry Grid is a subscription-based, online leadership development platform for pastors, staff, and volunteers that is unmatched in scope of content, customization, and simplicity. You’ll find more than 1,000 video sessions on topics, ranging from parking ministry to polity, with more added continually. You can even upload your own content, turn off unwanted content, and put your church’s own logo and skin on the site. An intuitive Learning Management System makes assigning courses and tracking your people’s progress a snap. It’s training made simple. Coming Summer 2013. 

Finally, a Bible study curriculum preteens can call their own – available as a digital download! Now that all 8 volumes of FLYTE have released in print, we are making these same great volumes available as digital downloads this summer (Volume 1 is releasing June 1. Volumes 2-8 will be available by August 1.) Each volume will be released as a digital leader kit, containing all the great FLYTE videos plus the leader guide, learner magazine, and teacher helps all in PDF format. You won’t miss a thing, all for the same great price as the print edition, $89.95 per volume!

You will be able to manage your digital curriculum and leaders with ease. Once you purchase the digital FLYTE products, you’ll have access to My Curriculum Manager, where you’ll be able to:

• Access your digital curriculum files.
• Share digital materials with leaders. Anytime. Anywhere.
• Spread out work: assign multiple administrators.
• Schedule lessons with built-in calendar to keep leaders on track.

We are also releasing an eReader version of the FLYTE Leader Guides for the convenience of your leaders request an ePub format. Each leader guide will be released on the same schedule as the leader kit. Available separately for the same great price as the leader guide, $4.95 per issue.

Each volume of FLYTE has:

• 13 simple to execute sessions
• Fresh video content
• Sound Bible study
• Life application
• Parent letters

Each FLYTE leader kit includes a leader guide, learner magazine, DVD, and CD-ROM. There are video segments for every session. The segments include Bible study backgrounds, music videos, real life scenarios, and more. There are visually appealing teacher helps for every session, fellowship ideas, and kickoff event suggestions to make preparation fast and easy. The result is a “real-life” curriculum that today’s preteens identify with, in language that respects and protects this very unique age group. So if you’re teaching preteens this year, take FLYTE!

If you ask preteens, they would tell you they’re not “in between” anything. They are facing puberty, drugs, sex, acceptance, and self-esteem issues every day. FLYTE is a curriculum that’s all theirs, one that speaks to what they’re dealing with right now – not what’s past or in their future.

Preteen experts — namely, preteens themselves — weighed in on the energy, movement, and excitement of FLYTE during its development so that key biblical concepts are not only grasped, but applied, to issues like eating disorders, puberty, sex, bullying, emotions, family relationships, and more. FLYTE is undated so if you see a topic your preteens aren’t ready to tackle, simply skip that session and come back to it later.

Today’s preteens stay on the move; if we’re not reaching them, someone or something else will.  So if you’re teaching preteens this year, take FLYTE!

I prefer that title because this service can be so much more than an opportunity to announce the birth of a child! I worry sometimes that parents participate in a dedication service because they get caught up in the excitement of showing off their new little one. What my hope for that young family is that this will be a celebration of life but also a time of solemn commitment where the parents pledge to be and do all they can to raise that child and help her to be all God wants her to be.

This day can also be a great reminder to your church congregation of their responsibility of surrounding that new family. A time, where we as church members realize that we’re to come alongside and mentor, support, and advise when we can and assist in teaching and guiding their children.

There are so many great ways to celebrate this commitment.  I’ve seen:

• Services where all families with babies born during the past year were committed on one day;
• Services where each child is celebrated and dedicated on his own unique Sunday;
• Services on Saturday night;
• Parent Brunches;
• Older siblings dedicated, who for various reasons had not participated in a service before;
• and so much more!

Here are four resources from pastors who have unique ways that their churches have performed this service.

If you have a special way you celebrate this service in your ministry, please share a comment with us! Although it may be too late for this year’s Mother’s Day, you might give someone a great idea for a future date!

Blessings, friends!

http://www.lifeway.com/Article/pastors-baby-dedication-resources

Tomorrow at noon, we’ll be hosting a FREE webcast with some great pastors and speakers and our own vice president, Eric Geiger.

After the webcast, we will provide all three video segments for you to share these eye-opening truths with your leaders:

Connecting the Unconnected by Pete Wilson
Strengthening Families by Ron Edmondson
Disciple People with Wisdom by Ronnie Floyd
You will also receive free downloads of the first two six-session studies:

Pressure Points
When Relationships Collide
Plus, if you’d like to review free copies of the six-session studies for your Small Groups, simply provide your mailing address when signing up for the webcast.

REGISTER NOW!

Do you organize a special Mother’s Day project for your kiddos to create at church for Mother’s Day?  Why or why not?  If you have a link to a fun Mother’s Day craft, please feel free to share it in the comments section!

Here are 4 easy (preschool-friendly) Mother’s Day projects you can prepare for this coming week:

1. This handprint bouquet from Trendy Treehouse is adorable and super easy!

2.  Here’s another way to say Happy Mother’s Day with a flower from Preschool Playbook. Each petal represents something the child loves about his or her mom!

3. This easy peasy color-your-own-picture from Bitsy Creations. Click through to download the full-size sheet.

4. Wayway Girls’ Crafts has step-by-step instructions for this “I love you because…” book for moms!

BONUS IDEA!  If you or a church member has a hydrangea bush or any other type of flowering plant and can spare enough blooms, have enough for each child to hand to his/her mommy!

In Kids Ministry it’s easy to get wrapped up in all the programming that is involved and get your eyes off what’s really important.  Weekly Bible study, Kids Worship, Kids Praise Teams, VBS, Camp, Preschool worship care, Mid-Week programs (not to mention child-care that we are called on to provide in support of the other ministries in our churches) can be overwhelming.  Making sure they are all staffed and running smoothly can cause one to forget who the programs are for, the people!

Invest in people (the kids, the leaders, the parents) and allow the programs, policies, and procedures to minister to the people.  Don’t be so busy with the work that you forget to love the people. At the end of the day it’s really not how many programs you have or even how good your policies are… it’s all about relationships and showing God’s love to the people who are part of your ministry.

Remember, it’s ministry to kids and not programs for kids. The programs are part of the ministry but if you run off the people for the sake of the program you’ll have nothing.

This is the third installment.  Check out the first post, “Take Care of Yourself” and last Monday’s post, “Know What You Believe.”

Earlier this year, our team here at LifeWay decided we wanted to add a little excitement to our floor. That sounded like the perfect project for Pam and me, so we started a project that would take us much longer to finish than we ever imagined, but the result was worth all the patience it took for us to see this project come to life.

Here’s how Pam and I like to start….with a clean slate.

However, that is not how it was for this project. I’m sure many of you also have to work with what you are giving, and that was certainly the case with this project. We had some great book shelves, but we had a lot of random stuff on them. Our first objective was to get some great artwork on the walls. If you’ve seen our LifeWay Kids catalog, you might recognize the art.

Next we decided on a pretty strict color pallet, tangerine, surf, grass green, and black & white. We then decided to take all the random stuff on the shelves and paint it all with chalkboard paint. Take this Ship’s Wheel from a previous year of CentriKid Camps.

Or this globe…

There are a lot more super random objects. See if you can spy the following:

- Bobble head

- Skateboard

- Football

- Trophy

- Viewfinder

- Clock

- Bowling Pin

If you want to take on a similar project here’s a few tools we found really helpful:

- Chalkboard spray paint

- Chalkboard Paint

- Goodwill

- A good dose of patience

Here’s a few pictures of the finished space:

If you’re looking for some great artwork, we’d be glad to send you the image for our catalog cover. We mounted ours on foam board, but there are lots of ways to utilize it. Just leave a comment here, and we’ll connect with you.