Posts Tagged ‘Kids’

Posted on March 8, 2010 - by rfrank

The Facebook message I will never delete

This morning I came into the church office after pushing hard this weekend.

Yesterday we launched a new worship venue for the kids in my church. For as long as I remember, we have had two kid’s church services at my church – one for ages 3 through K and one for grades 1-6. We have been wanting to break the kids into smaller groups and become more specialized in our approach and teaching. We created a new service for the Kindergartners through the second graders. We have been working on this for a few months, but last week we pushed hard installing the sound and video equipment and working through a long list of “last minute” to-dos.

This morning I received a Facebook message from Shelli, one of our faithful volunteers in the bus ministry. Shelli is committed and has a heart of gold for kids. When I read her message, I choked up. I read it to our church staff this morning. I have changed the child’s name, but here is the message:

After church Sunday a little voice from the back of the van said, “Miss Shelli.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Thank you for taking me to the kindergarten class today, I had the best time there.”

Five year olds don’t always remember to say thank you and this just touched my heart. Jesse is not in school yet. She is often neglected in many other ways as well. She lives among addicts and yet somehow she is happy, smart, and doesnt realize when she goes without the things that every little girl should have. She loves church! If you asked her why, she would say its fun, but I would say she loves it because 1) it’s usually the only time she leaves the trailer park in week, 2) it’s the only age appropriate learning opportunity she gets, and 3) it’s the only stable, regularly occuring event that she has in her life. It breaks my heart. I could go on and on….

I just wanted to share this with you to let you know that for one little girl…the best thing in her life, just got a little bit better yesterday.

Thank you for all that you do for these children.

These are the stories that every children’s pastor wants to hear. I don’t think Shelli knew how much of an encouragement her message was to this guy. I think I have enough fuel in my tank to go another 10 years now!

Don’t forget the importance of what you do! Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Posted on February 1, 2010 - by rfrank

American Idol and Children’s Ministry

Season 9 of American Idol is underway. Thousands of people are lining the streets of cities like Dallas and Chicago for their once-in-a-lifetime shot at an American Idol audition. This show has taken off like mad and has thousands of would-be stars giving it their all for that lucky golden ticket and a shot at fame. They range from awesome to awful and from fabulous to foul.

Over the next few days, I’m going to share some leadership tips that we can all learn from watching American Idol.

Idol Lesson #1: Everyone wants to be a somebody. A high-point in the season for many viewers are the first few shows of each season when thousands of high-hoped contestants are shocked to discover they don’t have what it takes to be the next star. They line up a mile long and a mile deep to get their chance to be the next American Idol only to be told they don’t have what it takes.

Everyone wants to be a somebody. This is a basic need that everyone has. Ready for the good news? Everyone can be someone in Christ! What a prime opportunity we have to share this with people when they are little – in children’s ministry! Do your kids know that they are special? Not because of what they do, but because of who they are in Christ?

Idol Lesson #2: Everyone wants face time with the leader. Tens of thousands line up hoping to show their goods. What a lot of TV viewers don’t realize is that less than 100 are actually permitted to stand in front of Simon, Randy, Kara and the guest judge. Those 100, as well as their other thousand-plus competitors, actually begin their audition process over a week prior, auditioning before several other layers of judges. They each want face to face time with the judges – the Supreme Court of reality TV.

Your volunteers, your kids, your parents, your staff share this in common: they want face to face time with you. Are you giving it to them? Unfortunately, you don’t have the option of picking and choosing on this one. After all, pastoral work is about people. Giving your people face to face time is vital to your ministry. When is the last time you stepped into every classroom at the church to spend a few minutes talking to your leaders? Have you been getting on your knees to talk to the kids that call you their pastor?

There you go – the first two lessons from American Idol that I’ve been thinking on. I’ll post the next two in a few days. Oh, in case you are wondering, I won’t be making any connections between children’s ministry and Pants on the Ground. Don’t even ask.

Posted on January 27, 2010 - by rfrank

Have you seen Kidscreen?

This morning I was reading the ScriptureShorts.com newsletter and learned about Kidscreen.  www.kidscreen.com is a great resource on what’s new and what’s coming in the world of preschool and children’s media. They study kid culture with a magnifying glass and report on hot products, technology, and media impacting kids. You can subscribe to their tweets, their daily newsletter and their magazine to keep in the know for children’s ministry.

They also host an annual kids entertainment event called the Kidscreen Summit that represents 1400+ attendees, more than 725 companies and 300+ buyers and investors.

This is definitely a place to keep on your radar.

Posted on January 26, 2010 - by rfrank

Kaleidoscopes and Kid’s Ministry

The kaleidoscope is perhaps the most well known of all optical toys. It was invented by Sir David Brewster (a Scottish scientist) in 1816. He named his invention after some Greek words that mean “the beautiful form watcher”. Brewster’s kaleidoscope was a tube containing loose pieces of colored glass and other pretty objects, reflected by mirrors or glass lenses set at angles, that created patterns when viewed through the end of the tube.

You can learn a lot from a kaleidoscope – even about children’s ministry. Here are five lessons I’ll share with you.

Change things up.
What’s a kaleidoscope if you look in it and never twist the tube and change it up? Your ministry needs to change. In the last 15 years, I have changed the way I do Kid’s Church about 15 times.  Never be resistant to change. You need it.

No two kids are the same.
A kaleidoscope is nothing more than a tube containing loose colored little objects. These different pieces are blended together to create something beautiful. Similarly, no two kids are the same. Everyone looks different, acts different, and learns different. This is one of your greatest tasks – blending a group of kids together and creating an environment where they can all learn and grow.

Children’s ministry is blending.
The coolest part of a kaleidoscope is seeing all those colored pieces blend together. Think of everything you have to blend in children’s ministry. There’s learning styles, behavioral needs, personality differences, social and economic backgrounds, just to name a few. This is cool though because this is how God works – He is in the blending business. God said that one day “every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation” will stand before the Lord (Rev. 5:9).

Kids want to move.
Your kaleidoscope works best when you put it up to your eye and begin to move those small objects around. Sure, you can look through the kaleidoscope without moving the tube and it’s going to be pretty, but it pales compared to what some movement will bring. Your kids want to get up and move. They want to do something. This is why you can ask for a volunteer and every hand will go up even before they know what they have to do. Let them move.

Everything is beautiful when you look through the light.
That kaleidoscope sure isn’t worth looking at in a dark room. You have to look at it through the light. Did you know that every one of those kids in your ministry are beautiful when you look at them through the Light (capital L). They are special people, created in the image of God Himself, and He has a plan for their life.

So, what did I forget? Are there some other ministry lessons you can learn from a kaleidoscope? Tell me what you think!

Posted on January 18, 2010 - by rfrank

Helping Kids Cope with Disaster

My friend Kurt Jarvis emailed me a great article today and told me I could post it on my blog. I think this will help you as you help kids cope with disaster in light of Haiti. I hope you find this helpful.

When global tragedy happens it is not uncommon for Christians to wonder why God allows such things to occur. Children often have the same question. The Bible, God’s Word, can help give us understanding of these situations.

In Luke 13:1-5 we read an account where this very issue of tragedy is discussed. This account is of a time when Pilate had murdered many from Galilee and had used their blood in pagan sacrifices. Jesus answered the questions asked by many if this was God’s punishment by posing a question Himself. He asked those around him “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? … Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them, do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?””

Here are two examples of tragedies, one that was the direct action of a person (Pilate). The other tragedy might have been from a natural disaster such as an earthquake or negligence by those who constructed the tower. In both incidences people died. Jesus clarified that it was wrong to think that these people died because they were worse sinners than others. Jesus also said that when these things happen it should be a wake up call to everyone to consider their own relationship with God.

If we think global disasters are God’s judgment on people we are going against the very words of Jesus. Earthquakes happen because this is the way the earth was created; they are part of nature and what makes life. Scripture does not support that they are events triggered by God against certain nations or people. It is part of nature, part of life and part of death. Jesus calmed the storm when he was in the boat with His disciples but Jesus did not end storms forever. Storms, earthquakes and tsunamis are all part of nature. (more…)

Posted on November 23, 2009 - by rfrank

Weekend Write-Up

I love Sundays! Yesterday was no exception. Here’s a quick review of my day.

• 7:30 am – I picked Evan Doyle up at his house and we stopped at the gas station for coffee. We’ve been doing this for several years.
• 8:15 am – The early service. We started earlier than normal (8:25). Big church starts at 8:15 but for some reason we never start the early children’s church on time! We did “the normal” (songs, prayer time, and all that good stuff). I taught a Thanksgiving lesson on the 10 Lepers and we played the Twinkie Rush. Kids love the Twinkie Rush!
• 9:45 am – Sunday School started. Beth and Luci showed up at church and I walked Luci to her Sunday School class where she was greeted by Mrs. Janet. I gave her a smooch (Luci, not Mrs. Janet) and Beth and I headed to our Sunday School class. Yesterday was the last lesson in my series on the book of Revelation. I started this verse-by-verse series in May. We did 10 minutes of prayer and share time, 20 minutes on the lesson, and 15 minutes asking review questions from the book. I pulled out my Eggspert game from the resource room – the big kids loved it!
• 10:45 am – The bus kids showed up with a bunch of new church kids for round 2 of kids church. We did everything the same as the first service, except for the pastor ran over and I had to stretch the clock. Been there, done that?
• 12:45 pm – We made it home for lunch!
• 4:30 pm – We had our annual praise dinner at the church. It was well attended.
• 6:00 pm – Our praise service included great worship, special music, and testimonies. The auditorium was packed. I also baptized a 10-year-old in my ministry. What an ending to a great day!

So, enough from me. How was your weekend?

Posted on October 27, 2009 - by rfrank

Trophies and spiritual milestones

Kids love awards. I remember as a child cherishing the few trophies that I had received in coaches pitch and little league. Those were about the only trophies I ever received for sports – I’ve never been the athletic one in my family. My dad, on the other hand, has more trophies than I can count. His basketball number is retired at Indiana Wesleyan University and he still holds NCCAA records to this day.

Sunday night at church we honored 14 Sparks with Awana awards. You should have seen the glow on each of these kids faces. They were grinning ear to ear as they were publicly recognized for their hard work in Awana. Kids love awards.

Yesterday in staff meeting my pastor was talking about how proud those kids were to be recognized and how excited they were to receive their awards. He asked a good question, “Why do kids have to go to the world to get their awards?” which led to some good discussion points.

Kids love awards. Heck, we all do. I love getting a raise every January. I love the bonus points that I accumulate on my credit card. I love it that after I buy six coffees I get the seventh free at the gas station in town. Back to kids – it’s too bad that, more often then not, to get an award, they have to play sports or be musical. I wonder if we are missing something here.

Kids love motivation and rewards just like the rest of us. I wonder if church leaders and parents would be smart to start recognizing kids more for spiritual milestones and growth. It might raise the spiritual temperature of your ministry – that’s what I’m thinking at least.

Posted on September 22, 2009 - by rfrank

Tuesday Talk: Jerry Meadows

Tuesday Talk is a weekly feature on my blog. Each week, I interview one children’s ministry expert and ask for their answer to a question. Check back every Tuesday for a new interview.

This week on Tuesday Talk:
Jerry Meadows answers the question, “How can children be involved in world-wide missions?”

Traditionally, there has been one mission question and one answer: “Whom shall I send?” “Here am I, send me”.  We must broaden the idea of missions involvement and make sure every believer, regardless of age, has a strategic answer to, “how are you involved in missions?”.  Here’s 5 avenues of involvement you can pave with your own creativity.

1. Prayer: An 11 year old boy in the Dominican Republic who is wheel chair bound due to severe scoliosis and brittle bone disease rolled up to his caregiver and declared that he wanted to die. His life would never be worthwhile. His caregiver put her face near his and said, “you can help change nations if you learn to pray. Can I teach you?” He has become a mighty warrior and is involved in missions.  We must challenge our children with the same passion.

2. Correspondence: Through emails, skype, blogging…your children can learn about culture, felt needs, and real life around the world in real time.

3. Gift in Kind: When your kids give some thing to meet a legitimate need they will be energized to do more. I’m convinced that kids despise cute projects with grandiose tag lines. What they really want is to meet a need.

4. Offering: Yep, good ol’ cash. Challenge them to give their own money not their parents. When they relate to the project you will see 5^th graders willing to give their birthday cash and 2^nd graders ready to do neighborhood chores to earn money.

5. Visits: Encourage your missionaries to come and share their personal stories. Consider children/family mission trips and involve your whole ministry as senders.

Jerry Meadows has served the local church for over 20 years. He is the Global Outreach Director for CURE International and coordinates with CURE’s Spiritual Directors doing children’s evangelism in 10 countries. His family (wife, Michelle and daughter, Chelsea) live in Mechanicsburg PA and have served on many short term mission trips. He enjoys speaking engagements, golfing and vacation time in Northern Michigan.

Posted on September 18, 2009 - by rfrank

Freebie Friday: LifeChurch.tv OPEN

Freebie Friday is a weekly feature here on my blog.  Every Friday, I’ll post about a new freebie you can find online or near you!

This week in Freebie Friday:
LifeChurch.tv OPEN

LifeChurch.tv has always set the standard high for digital interaction in churches. They were one of the first churches to use the internet as a live broadcast medium for a church service. They’ve introduced fantastic tools such as YouVersion to the web for anyone to use at absolutely no charge. They’ve even got a service to resource churches- LifeChurch.tv OPEN.

A few weeks ago, Kendra Golden of the LifeChurch.tv Content Development Team introduced me to OPEN. OPEN was born out of a passion to see as many life changed as possible over as wide an area as possible. LifeChurch.tv makes some pretty sweet curriculum for their kids’ ministry, but in large part they were making it and then it was sitting “on the shelf”. So they’ve taken all of the children’s ministry curriculum and posted it on OPEN. Free.

Four years worth of preschool curriculum including videos, storybooks, lesson plans, and activity pages are available. For elementary kids, their weekend curriculum comes in 3-5 week series, and is a full hour of a video-driven program. They’ve also got KONNECT, a mid-week elementary discipleship program that is a two-hour program that goes through the stories of the Bible in a small group format with a game, a hands-on craft, and snack to reinforce the Bible story presented in a short video. Best yet, you can even visit lifekids.tv to provide follow up resources to kids and their parents.

And did I mention, it’s all free? You’ll probably want to mention it to your fellow staff members- the youth and adult programs from LifeChurch are up there too. Next time you need a change in your program, check out LifeChurch.tv OPEN to get a free series. You can’t beat that.