...blogwise, anyway.
Thanks to Emerging Kids for still reading. You've prompted me to write a post today. :-)
Well, lots is going on here at CLPC. Sunday mornings are trucking along as always. We added a new prayer tent to our children's worship room. The kids are psyched about it, and it's been well received by adults who use the room for prayer, as well. Basically, it's just fabric clipped to the ceiling with binder clips, but inside the tent is a pillow, a long scarflike piece of material and 2 Glade flickering un-candles. I actually don't know the name of them, but they are an air freshener designed to look like a candle. I just took out the air freshener, and voila, we've got candles that won't break fire codes.
For Palm Sunday, we rolled out the red carpet for Jesus (literally a long piece of red butcher paper) and the kids wrote out what they would give Jesus if he came walking/riding into CLPC. My favorite response was a map of Houston, but other touching responses were a place to stay, clean clothes, and fireworks.
KidsInC has been really hitting the books hard this year, so we took March off to just have fun. We had a rodeo party (a big thing in Texas), an ice cream seder, and are prepping for a Spring Fling which translates to a pool party next week. KidsInCers are also planning a party for the preschoolers on March 30. They'll wear their pjs to church and play games, etc. The tweeners are having so much fun planning it, and the preschool SS classes can't wait to wear their pjs to church! Actually, I think the teachers are the most excited about wearing their pjs, surprisingly.
The other buzz around here is that we've decided to do some things in place of a weeklong VBS this year. You all remember my previous posts about VBS, I'm sure, but I actually sat down with my team, and we all decided that this new format would meet our goals much better. I'll post about it as soon as I get the word out to the congregation. It's pretty hush hush right now (aside from the circulating rumors). We're meeting next week to finalize things, and I'm very excited.
More soon.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Propaganda or promise?
I saw this postcard entry on Post Secret. It reminded me to examine my own ministry for empty propaganda. I generally try to avoid Cheeseville, but this postcard made me think about how much propaganda I see in kids' ministry materials/supplies and how it creeps into our classrooms innocuously.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Baptism brainstorming
We're finishing up a rotation about Jesus' baptism this week, and on the last Sunday of the month, I try to have a special reflection lesson for all the elementary kids together. I had wanted to do an intergenerational baptism lesson, but our education system here is divided. Adult Ed has different elders and committee members, so they have their own thing going on that weekend.
Anyone have any ideas for refecting upon baptism itself or Jesus' baptism? Keep in mind that the kids have talked about symbolism and have done some tactile lessons with water during the rotation lessons. One of our pastors is willing to come talk to the kids, and we're hoping to view baptism from a different perspective. Another thing to keep in mind is that while we are a Presbyterian church and baptize babies, there is a strong Baptist undercurrent here in the South, so many of the families have chosen to wait until their kids feel ready to be baptized. Therefore, we want to be cognizant and respectful of that decision.
So any ideas?
Anyone have any ideas for refecting upon baptism itself or Jesus' baptism? Keep in mind that the kids have talked about symbolism and have done some tactile lessons with water during the rotation lessons. One of our pastors is willing to come talk to the kids, and we're hoping to view baptism from a different perspective. Another thing to keep in mind is that while we are a Presbyterian church and baptize babies, there is a strong Baptist undercurrent here in the South, so many of the families have chosen to wait until their kids feel ready to be baptized. Therefore, we want to be cognizant and respectful of that decision.
So any ideas?
Table talk
For almost a year now, our kids have had more leadership opportunities in worship. In fact, the 4pm Christmas Eve service was solely children led--no pageants, no showmanship, just worship. Because we teach about worship in Children's Worship, the kids have become not only comfortable leading worship but enthusiastic about helping lead it(The first Sunday of the month, kids help lead in the main worship service).
Our pastors have been strong supporters of this new vision for children in worship, giving them instruction, encouragement, and strong leadership roles. One such role was to say the prayer before and after communiion. The child leading (usually a 4th or 5th grader) stands directly next to the pastor, and while he/she doesn't actually pass out or even touch the elements, he/she is a part of the ritual. We've discussed communion at length, and these kids understand what and whom they are praying for.
Like I said, we've been doing this for a year now, and we've received much positive feedback from the congregants and parents; however, this past week, we received an email from an elder expressing her concern for the kids standing at the table. She said that it was "distasteful" for an unconfirmed child to be speaking at the table. Keep in mind that the pastor was presiding over the sacrament; the child's role was to say the prayer. Elders passed out the elements.
So what do you think? Where do we draw the line at what is ok and not ok for kids to do in worship? Is there a line? Is the line distinctly different between kids and adults? Who draws that line?
Our pastors have been strong supporters of this new vision for children in worship, giving them instruction, encouragement, and strong leadership roles. One such role was to say the prayer before and after communiion. The child leading (usually a 4th or 5th grader) stands directly next to the pastor, and while he/she doesn't actually pass out or even touch the elements, he/she is a part of the ritual. We've discussed communion at length, and these kids understand what and whom they are praying for.
Like I said, we've been doing this for a year now, and we've received much positive feedback from the congregants and parents; however, this past week, we received an email from an elder expressing her concern for the kids standing at the table. She said that it was "distasteful" for an unconfirmed child to be speaking at the table. Keep in mind that the pastor was presiding over the sacrament; the child's role was to say the prayer. Elders passed out the elements.
So what do you think? Where do we draw the line at what is ok and not ok for kids to do in worship? Is there a line? Is the line distinctly different between kids and adults? Who draws that line?
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Emerging from silence
I've been away from blogging for awhile, not necessarily because of writer's block, but more because the web is an intimidating thing. Everything that I've wanted to write about has been silenced by the fact that blogging lacks anonymity. In a previous post, I asked the question: Do you feel that you can be completely honest on your blog, or do you find yourself holding back? I got a lot of feedback on that one, and truthfully, it scared me a little.
I'm not really good at holding back. I'm one of those "out there" free spirited types, who finds herself struggling with ministry. It's not ministry as a whole that I struggle with. I grew up as the kid of children's ministers, so I've been involved since birth. It's moreso that I struggle with how my personality fits in with "The Church." I'm direct, honest, a feminist, and I don't have any problem questioning things. Plus, I'm a mama lion when it comes to the kids I serve, so I'll confront anyone who treats them as unvalued. In some way, I'm always stirring up controversy, and while I'm well loved at the church, I also find myself well challenged. That said, I spend a significant amount of time listening for guidance from the Holy Spirit and collaborating with pastors, so the decisions I make are not random. Still they're often challenged.
I have a lot of friends who consider themselves to be Atheist, though many of them grew up in the church. They are consistently surprised that I am a Christian, stating that I embody the opposite of what Christianity preaches. To them, Christians are judgmental, fake, pushy, closed minded bullies who, I suspect, have hurt them deeply. It saddens me to have to defend my faith in this way, to defend myself and my fellow believers. I find myself saying, "No, we aren't all like that. No, really, give us a chance," but I found that these disclaimers only made things worse. Now I just listen. I listen and reflect. Are we this way? Am I this way? Who have I hurt? Am I teaching the kids to be this way, unknowingly? Do I speak Christianese, forming an exclsive little club?
And then I go to blog and find that I only want to post the good things for fear of appearing negative or fearing what people might think. And so I just quit. I silenced myself, my voice. But doesn't this just perpetuate that horrible view of Christianity? That we are fake? If I never post about the negatives, the struggles, the challenges, doubts and pains of ministry, am I being real? And more importantly, am I missing out on hearing other real voices out there? Sadly, I'm more real with my Atheist friends than I am with the Christian ones because I, too, feel I'll be judged.
One person made an excellent comment to my original question. He/she said find a real life person to share these things with. But to me, my felllow bloggers are real life people, and connecting with them online is the same to me. And truthfully, I don't think that people I talk to in person are any more real with me than they would be online. There's still a holding back pattern.
Aren't we called to be real? Yes, we are accountable for what we say online, but aren't we accountable also for what we say aloud or hold in our hearts? Ultimately, we're accountable for all to God, the one who knows us for who we really are and loves us anyway. So why can't we share that humility, that imperfection, the real person saved only through grace with everyone?
The real question is: Will I do that? I'm still struggling with it. For now, at least I broke my silence.
I'm not really good at holding back. I'm one of those "out there" free spirited types, who finds herself struggling with ministry. It's not ministry as a whole that I struggle with. I grew up as the kid of children's ministers, so I've been involved since birth. It's moreso that I struggle with how my personality fits in with "The Church." I'm direct, honest, a feminist, and I don't have any problem questioning things. Plus, I'm a mama lion when it comes to the kids I serve, so I'll confront anyone who treats them as unvalued. In some way, I'm always stirring up controversy, and while I'm well loved at the church, I also find myself well challenged. That said, I spend a significant amount of time listening for guidance from the Holy Spirit and collaborating with pastors, so the decisions I make are not random. Still they're often challenged.
I have a lot of friends who consider themselves to be Atheist, though many of them grew up in the church. They are consistently surprised that I am a Christian, stating that I embody the opposite of what Christianity preaches. To them, Christians are judgmental, fake, pushy, closed minded bullies who, I suspect, have hurt them deeply. It saddens me to have to defend my faith in this way, to defend myself and my fellow believers. I find myself saying, "No, we aren't all like that. No, really, give us a chance," but I found that these disclaimers only made things worse. Now I just listen. I listen and reflect. Are we this way? Am I this way? Who have I hurt? Am I teaching the kids to be this way, unknowingly? Do I speak Christianese, forming an exclsive little club?
And then I go to blog and find that I only want to post the good things for fear of appearing negative or fearing what people might think. And so I just quit. I silenced myself, my voice. But doesn't this just perpetuate that horrible view of Christianity? That we are fake? If I never post about the negatives, the struggles, the challenges, doubts and pains of ministry, am I being real? And more importantly, am I missing out on hearing other real voices out there? Sadly, I'm more real with my Atheist friends than I am with the Christian ones because I, too, feel I'll be judged.
One person made an excellent comment to my original question. He/she said find a real life person to share these things with. But to me, my felllow bloggers are real life people, and connecting with them online is the same to me. And truthfully, I don't think that people I talk to in person are any more real with me than they would be online. There's still a holding back pattern.
Aren't we called to be real? Yes, we are accountable for what we say online, but aren't we accountable also for what we say aloud or hold in our hearts? Ultimately, we're accountable for all to God, the one who knows us for who we really are and loves us anyway. So why can't we share that humility, that imperfection, the real person saved only through grace with everyone?
The real question is: Will I do that? I'm still struggling with it. For now, at least I broke my silence.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Fear Not Festival
Ok, I've been a terrible blogger, but a lot has happened since August. We officially kicked off the new children's worship format, so kids are learning all about what worship is and are having the kids put together their own worship service using the main worship services (and sermon themes) as a guideline. Plus, the first Sunday of the month, the kids are in the main service and are helping lead it. They were timid at first but are now scrambling to sign up for spots.
Also the KidsInCers (preteens) have been learning about spiritual gifts and have been putting their gifts into practice throughout the church. Most recently, we learned about serving, and we trick or treated for canned goods for the local food pantry. That was a blast.
Fifth graders have been busy helping teach Sunday School once a month to the little kids. And they served lemonade to the adults after SS.
Personally, I have now officially run a marathon and am thinking about training for another one.
And that brings me to the title of my post--the Fear Not Festival. We're having a carnival type of atmosphere downstairs with crafts and games, etc, but upstairs is the main attraction. Each room upstairs is a different interactive Bible story. Kids will sit in a huge boat as it rocks and shakes with thunder and lightning in the background and then will watch the sunrise as the disciple tells them about how Jesus calmed the storm. Kids will crawl into a giant pit while they hear about Joseph being abandoned by his brothers. They will also hear the story of the resurrection firsthand from Mary in our version of a cemetery and will wind through the wheat fields to hear about Ruth's journey into a new land.
We're very excited, and I will post pictures soon.
Also the KidsInCers (preteens) have been learning about spiritual gifts and have been putting their gifts into practice throughout the church. Most recently, we learned about serving, and we trick or treated for canned goods for the local food pantry. That was a blast.
Fifth graders have been busy helping teach Sunday School once a month to the little kids. And they served lemonade to the adults after SS.
Personally, I have now officially run a marathon and am thinking about training for another one.
And that brings me to the title of my post--the Fear Not Festival. We're having a carnival type of atmosphere downstairs with crafts and games, etc, but upstairs is the main attraction. Each room upstairs is a different interactive Bible story. Kids will sit in a huge boat as it rocks and shakes with thunder and lightning in the background and then will watch the sunrise as the disciple tells them about how Jesus calmed the storm. Kids will crawl into a giant pit while they hear about Joseph being abandoned by his brothers. They will also hear the story of the resurrection firsthand from Mary in our version of a cemetery and will wind through the wheat fields to hear about Ruth's journey into a new land.
We're very excited, and I will post pictures soon.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Ach! Sorry!
I've been a terrible blogger recently, but life has actually kept me very busy. I'm in the process of moving, training for a marathon, helping my grandma transition into assisted living, attending reunions with friends, and finally spending a week on planning leave.
The good news, though, is that I have a good vision for the CLPC kids this fall. As I mentioned in a previous post, the theme of our Back to School Weekend is CLPC's Amazing Race (Hebrews 12). For the first time, we've all sort of embraced that theme in our different areas, and I can finally see silos start to come down as we work toward a common goal together. Praise God!
It's been pretty easy for me to grasp this theme since I'm training for a race myself (a coincidence, actually). And as I've learned in my training, I need to focus as much on the miles I've run already as I do on the ones ahead. The same thing goes in ministry this fall. I sent a letter out to volunteers reminding them of the great strides we made at CLPC this last year together, and just writing the letter made me excited about what's to come.
I've got to pace myself, though, as I have a tendency to rush toward the future in everything I do (including running 26.2 miles). And God has really been showing me that I've still got to slow down and focus on training this semester--training of volunteers, parents and kids.
So here's the plan in a nutshell:
Ok back to my planning (and another cup of coffee).
The good news, though, is that I have a good vision for the CLPC kids this fall. As I mentioned in a previous post, the theme of our Back to School Weekend is CLPC's Amazing Race (Hebrews 12). For the first time, we've all sort of embraced that theme in our different areas, and I can finally see silos start to come down as we work toward a common goal together. Praise God!
It's been pretty easy for me to grasp this theme since I'm training for a race myself (a coincidence, actually). And as I've learned in my training, I need to focus as much on the miles I've run already as I do on the ones ahead. The same thing goes in ministry this fall. I sent a letter out to volunteers reminding them of the great strides we made at CLPC this last year together, and just writing the letter made me excited about what's to come.
I've got to pace myself, though, as I have a tendency to rush toward the future in everything I do (including running 26.2 miles). And God has really been showing me that I've still got to slow down and focus on training this semester--training of volunteers, parents and kids.
So here's the plan in a nutshell:
- Like the adults, our preteen group will be doing a unit on Spiritual Gifts this fall. I've been writing the curriculum all week, and I'm soooo ready to implement it. The best part is that once the kids sort of find the gifts they enjoy and are comfortable with (I like this way of looking at giftings rather than labeling kids and putting them into a box), we're going to give them an opportunity to use them. I plan to pull out kids from Sunday School classes occasionally and help them learn to PLAN what we're doing in CM. For example, I'll pull out the hospitality/encouragement group and work with them on how to make kids feel loved and welcomed in SS and worship. They'll help come up with ideas and then carry them out with help from adults who have the same giftings.
- I've scheduled 3 different types of trainings for volunteers: email, face to face, and teacher talks (get together at a kid friendly restaurant and, with a guided table topic, discuss ways to help each other in ministry).
- I've also scheduled a parent appreciation Sunday where the kids will put together some sort of video and there will be refreshments, etc. I'm sneaky, though, and I plan to use this event to encourage parents to sign up to volunteer.
- Coupling with adult ed to have some panel discussions on ADHD, Asperger's, etc. We have several child psychologists in the congregation and families whose lives are touched with these learning differences, and it's time we tap into those resources.
- I've divided my team up into 2 groups: CFM discipleship and CFM special events, in order to utilize their gifts more effectively.
Ok back to my planning (and another cup of coffee).
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
BTSW 2007
I can't believe it's almost Fall and time for planning the big Back to School Weekend. Last year, we had a safari theme, but this year, it's the Amazing Race type of thing, and we are giving ministry areas different countries. BTSW is an all church event, kind of like a volunteer fair/outreach event. Each ministry sets up a booth with a game or something and uses that opportunity to give people the chance to know more about what we have to offer and/or to sign up to volunteer. During the worship services, we spend time praying for teachers/administrators/cm teachers and professionals/homeschoolers/students. It's a pretty big deal. Here's my CFM team blog post about it. We do our meetings virtually for the most part because of crazy schedules. To my readers from around the world--please let me know of any ideas you have to make your country's representation more authentic. Our area is only doing 4, but most of the major countries of the world will be assigned (and some smaller ones, as well). Keep in mind that it's for all ages (I just post about elementary and under) and that some of the ministry areas do something more solemn like a prayer wall or a missions project.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
For some reason, blogger won't let me put a title on this one. This is why I need to switch to wordpress. Sigh, perhaps by fall. I'm such a slacker.
Anyway, I'll make my own title: SUPER SLOPPY SUMMERS REVEALED
I guess I never really explained SSS to anyone, so here goes. SSS was the spawn of a brainstorming session between a friend (youth director at a previous church) and me. I was the CE director, and we were trying to come up with a way for the kids to have fun and a way to connect the jr highers with the preteens (3rd-5th grade). I already had KidsInC going at that church (same preteen group you read about on this blog, only different church), and we had a big sib/little sib program going. The jr highers would pick a tweener, send them secret pal type notes, and then there was a big reveal at a campout type of retreat. The big sibs then would take the role of mentoring the little sibs, teaching them all about youth group and then finally mentoring them as the 5th graders graduated into 6th grade. This way, the kids already had a friend in the group, and the transition was smoother.
Well, we were planning the campout, and as campouts do, things got sloppy in our planning (sloppy in a good way), and then we thought, what if we did an entire summer of this? So we put our heads together, I came up with the name (I think) and then we went crazy planning, and we invited jr highers in for their input bc everyone knows that jr highers love to get little kids messy. The first SSS had a theme: Peer Pressure, and we let the jr highers take the role of counselors.
Counselors would have colored bandanas, and the kids would be placed in color groups. Each group did an ice breaker to start and also had to make up a cheer for their team, and then they rotated from mess to mess, with each mess reinforcing the theme for that day. We even had a movie station outside for clips to emphasize the theme (yes, we had a license).
SSS day came, and we had TONS of kids. I can't emphasize the amount of kids well--TONS! Think megachurch kids on a little church budget. We had strategically set it outside in view from the street so that neighboring kids would come, and they did. It became way too much for our little church to handle with only 2 staff and a sprinkling of youth volunteers and with the fact that I left shortly thereafter, so we didn't do a second one, but the memory lingered, and I think that after I left the current CE director did a smaller version of it.
Older and wiser, I've tweaked this one, and I also work at a much larger church with more volunteers. Sadly, the youth are very busy with their own activities and a bit removed, so I haven't gotten to get the involvement that I wanted. It's such an integral part of it. So what I did this summer was make the 5th graders (upcoming 6th graders) counselors with an adult leader, and that has worked pretty well.
At CLPC, we have SSS every Wednesday night, at the same time as KidsInC. Really, it IS KidsinC; we just change the name for summer. It's 1 1/2 hours divided as such: pizza time and table topics, small group icebreaker, small group challenge (groups compete against each other), large group activity (groups disband for a bit) and then small group discussion time and snack(leaders are given discussion questions based upon the theme) and finally hose down--their favorite.
I looked at Summer Camp curriculum by Standard Publishing for ideas. They didn't have this curriculum when we did SSS a few years ago, and I'm not used to following any curriculum, so I just use it as a base and springboard off. Some of the themes are good (some lacking), and if you need everything spelled out for you, it's a great resource. An incredibly detailed writer, she leaves nothing to the imagination, which is preferable for some people, especially if you've never done anything like this before. I prefer to pick and choose a few activities, tweak them to make them messier or to make a more solid connection to the theme or change the theme all together. Then I add some activities from other books, make them messier, and add some others from my head or pick the brains of the kids. Really, any CM "game" book works if you just add some whipped cream to the supply list or chocolate pudding. Take Duck Duck Splash from my last post--a tweak on an age old game. Let your imagination run wild.
The key is to make sure you have volunteers who don't mind getting kids dirty. I had a couple of volunteer moms who didn't want to put chocolate syrup on the kids so they just drizzled a few drops. This was because they pitied the poor parents who had to wash the clothes (and because they felt girls shouldn't get dirty--sigh, when will this antiquated thinking die?). I tell parents to dress the kids for a mess, and they actually sign medical release forms that have a little note at the bottom about understanding that clothes will get very dirty. So I just walked over, opened up the vat of syrup and poured it on kids with a soundtrack of mass giggles in the background. You also have the option of "no mess kids," outlined in Summer Camp. They wear stickers that say don't get me messed up and shower caps on their heads. I have never had a kid need one.
Another key: goggles. Cheap eye safety. And garbage bags with holes cut out of the top make great ponchos for sending kids home. Parents love them. Just splurge on decent sacks. I bought some from the dollar store, and they were all gathered at the bottom so that when I cut a hole in the top, it made 4 holes. It looked like Charlie Brown's ghost costume from Great Pumpkin.
I think that's about it.
Anyway, I'll make my own title: SUPER SLOPPY SUMMERS REVEALED
I guess I never really explained SSS to anyone, so here goes. SSS was the spawn of a brainstorming session between a friend (youth director at a previous church) and me. I was the CE director, and we were trying to come up with a way for the kids to have fun and a way to connect the jr highers with the preteens (3rd-5th grade). I already had KidsInC going at that church (same preteen group you read about on this blog, only different church), and we had a big sib/little sib program going. The jr highers would pick a tweener, send them secret pal type notes, and then there was a big reveal at a campout type of retreat. The big sibs then would take the role of mentoring the little sibs, teaching them all about youth group and then finally mentoring them as the 5th graders graduated into 6th grade. This way, the kids already had a friend in the group, and the transition was smoother.
Well, we were planning the campout, and as campouts do, things got sloppy in our planning (sloppy in a good way), and then we thought, what if we did an entire summer of this? So we put our heads together, I came up with the name (I think) and then we went crazy planning, and we invited jr highers in for their input bc everyone knows that jr highers love to get little kids messy. The first SSS had a theme: Peer Pressure, and we let the jr highers take the role of counselors.
Counselors would have colored bandanas, and the kids would be placed in color groups. Each group did an ice breaker to start and also had to make up a cheer for their team, and then they rotated from mess to mess, with each mess reinforcing the theme for that day. We even had a movie station outside for clips to emphasize the theme (yes, we had a license).
SSS day came, and we had TONS of kids. I can't emphasize the amount of kids well--TONS! Think megachurch kids on a little church budget. We had strategically set it outside in view from the street so that neighboring kids would come, and they did. It became way too much for our little church to handle with only 2 staff and a sprinkling of youth volunteers and with the fact that I left shortly thereafter, so we didn't do a second one, but the memory lingered, and I think that after I left the current CE director did a smaller version of it.
Older and wiser, I've tweaked this one, and I also work at a much larger church with more volunteers. Sadly, the youth are very busy with their own activities and a bit removed, so I haven't gotten to get the involvement that I wanted. It's such an integral part of it. So what I did this summer was make the 5th graders (upcoming 6th graders) counselors with an adult leader, and that has worked pretty well.
At CLPC, we have SSS every Wednesday night, at the same time as KidsInC. Really, it IS KidsinC; we just change the name for summer. It's 1 1/2 hours divided as such: pizza time and table topics, small group icebreaker, small group challenge (groups compete against each other), large group activity (groups disband for a bit) and then small group discussion time and snack(leaders are given discussion questions based upon the theme) and finally hose down--their favorite.
I looked at Summer Camp curriculum by Standard Publishing for ideas. They didn't have this curriculum when we did SSS a few years ago, and I'm not used to following any curriculum, so I just use it as a base and springboard off. Some of the themes are good (some lacking), and if you need everything spelled out for you, it's a great resource. An incredibly detailed writer, she leaves nothing to the imagination, which is preferable for some people, especially if you've never done anything like this before. I prefer to pick and choose a few activities, tweak them to make them messier or to make a more solid connection to the theme or change the theme all together. Then I add some activities from other books, make them messier, and add some others from my head or pick the brains of the kids. Really, any CM "game" book works if you just add some whipped cream to the supply list or chocolate pudding. Take Duck Duck Splash from my last post--a tweak on an age old game. Let your imagination run wild.
The key is to make sure you have volunteers who don't mind getting kids dirty. I had a couple of volunteer moms who didn't want to put chocolate syrup on the kids so they just drizzled a few drops. This was because they pitied the poor parents who had to wash the clothes (and because they felt girls shouldn't get dirty--sigh, when will this antiquated thinking die?). I tell parents to dress the kids for a mess, and they actually sign medical release forms that have a little note at the bottom about understanding that clothes will get very dirty. So I just walked over, opened up the vat of syrup and poured it on kids with a soundtrack of mass giggles in the background. You also have the option of "no mess kids," outlined in Summer Camp. They wear stickers that say don't get me messed up and shower caps on their heads. I have never had a kid need one.
Another key: goggles. Cheap eye safety. And garbage bags with holes cut out of the top make great ponchos for sending kids home. Parents love them. Just splurge on decent sacks. I bought some from the dollar store, and they were all gathered at the bottom so that when I cut a hole in the top, it made 4 holes. It looked like Charlie Brown's ghost costume from Great Pumpkin.
I think that's about it.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
SSS Summer Picnic
Tonight's Super Sloppy Summers was picnic themed. We ate outside and then had a whipped cream pie eating contest where you had to find the cherry sour in a pie tin of whipped cream without using eyes or hands. We also played blanket volleyball with water balloons, which actually ended up being a very nice lesson in unity and cooperation because it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. We covered the parking lot in sidewalk chalk paint [I love the stuff]. And we played duck duck splash, which is like duck duck goose but with a splash ball--oh, and the mush pot was actually a giant rubbermaid container filled with instant mashed potatoes. That was awesome, and I am sure that you can guess what happened after we were done--mashed potato fight! I just found mashed potatoes near my armpit, actually.
Small group time involved discussing the feeding of the 5,000 and also what Jesus meant by the term bread of life.
So much fun, and parents are telling me that the kids countdown the days until the next one. That's cool to me.
Small group time involved discussing the feeding of the 5,000 and also what Jesus meant by the term bread of life.
So much fun, and parents are telling me that the kids countdown the days until the next one. That's cool to me.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
postsecret
I am a big fan of this site and am thinking of adapting it for use in children's ministry. I pray for each and every secret.
And in keeping with the theme of secrets and confessions, I have to admit that I would like to write on this blog a few more of my frustrations with ministry and even seek advice on what to do about situations at work, but I don't due to a fear of someone at work reading it or any other retribution of writing about them. I am a little more candid than most of my friends (I actually admitted that I hated VBS, and man, the negative feedback I got from that offline--seems you just can't be honest anymore, since being 'negative' is such a sin ). Still, there are things that come up that I just don't write about. Think, though, of the support and help we could give each other as ministry professionals if we could just be totally honest on a blog.
Am I the only one who holds back?
And in keeping with the theme of secrets and confessions, I have to admit that I would like to write on this blog a few more of my frustrations with ministry and even seek advice on what to do about situations at work, but I don't due to a fear of someone at work reading it or any other retribution of writing about them. I am a little more candid than most of my friends (I actually admitted that I hated VBS, and man, the negative feedback I got from that offline--seems you just can't be honest anymore, since being 'negative' is such a sin ). Still, there are things that come up that I just don't write about. Think, though, of the support and help we could give each other as ministry professionals if we could just be totally honest on a blog.
Am I the only one who holds back?
Friday, June 15, 2007
Random Shout Out
I just noticed that I have a lot of knitters who read my blog. Knitters, you have my utmost respect for the patience and artistry that comes with your talent. I sometimes just look at the pictures of the things you make, and it makes me smile.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Note to Self
When having a fundraising hot dog dinner, remember to put a gigantic sign out front that reminds people to only get 2 hot dogs apiece to start. Otherwise, people think it is an all you can eat buffet and will pile 6 hotdogs on their plates.
And another weird question...if you buy an equal number of hot dogs and an equal number of buns (and you know this because you are meticulous about such things), how do you run out of buns and still have hot dogs? Do people just eat buns plain? Are they carb loading or on some anti atkins kick? Is there a bun gremlin just like the sock gremlins? Does it go into another dimension? I wonder these things.
And another weird question...if you buy an equal number of hot dogs and an equal number of buns (and you know this because you are meticulous about such things), how do you run out of buns and still have hot dogs? Do people just eat buns plain? Are they carb loading or on some anti atkins kick? Is there a bun gremlin just like the sock gremlins? Does it go into another dimension? I wonder these things.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Pentecost
Our multigenerational Pentecost celebration was such a blessing. Everyone got into it, and I was very pleased. I planned it with the adult ed person who is really starting to get into reading about different generations, which is a great asset in an adult ed person.
We started out together and listened to the kids and youth read the Pentecost story, which was illustrated (and projected onto the screens) by the KidsInCers. Then we moved upstairs and rotated freely around to stations--making windsocks, making pinwheels, constructing balsa wood airplanes [a very cool station because it was led by an airplane enthusiast and a prominent NASA person], candle making, cupcake decorating [birthday of the church, you know], bubbles etc. We also had a missionary visiting who pilots planes to bring supplies to remote villages in Africa. I guess you can see that we were trying to emphasize the wind and fire imagery of the Holy Spirit. Anyway, it was the coolest thing to see the ages intermingle. At one point, I saw an elderly man in a wheelchair holding up his airplane with a smile that rivaled his neighboring 6 year old seatmate. From the smile, you couldn't tell who the 6 year old was, and the man began telling the boy about his plane, and soon, 2 girls came up, and then a huge crowd was gathered. In fact, the buildings and grounds people were counting to make sure we didn't bust fire code.
Then the crowd broke, and they all headed down the stairs and elevators with wind things in hand and filled the sky with their toys, smiles beaming brighter than the sun.
I stood there, red velvet cupcake in hand [cream cheese icing mustache atop my grin] thinking, yep, this is good. This is very, very good.
We started out together and listened to the kids and youth read the Pentecost story, which was illustrated (and projected onto the screens) by the KidsInCers. Then we moved upstairs and rotated freely around to stations--making windsocks, making pinwheels, constructing balsa wood airplanes [a very cool station because it was led by an airplane enthusiast and a prominent NASA person], candle making, cupcake decorating [birthday of the church, you know], bubbles etc. We also had a missionary visiting who pilots planes to bring supplies to remote villages in Africa. I guess you can see that we were trying to emphasize the wind and fire imagery of the Holy Spirit. Anyway, it was the coolest thing to see the ages intermingle. At one point, I saw an elderly man in a wheelchair holding up his airplane with a smile that rivaled his neighboring 6 year old seatmate. From the smile, you couldn't tell who the 6 year old was, and the man began telling the boy about his plane, and soon, 2 girls came up, and then a huge crowd was gathered. In fact, the buildings and grounds people were counting to make sure we didn't bust fire code.
Then the crowd broke, and they all headed down the stairs and elevators with wind things in hand and filled the sky with their toys, smiles beaming brighter than the sun.
I stood there, red velvet cupcake in hand [cream cheese icing mustache atop my grin] thinking, yep, this is good. This is very, very good.
VBS and burgers
Ok, let me clarify why I hate VBS, but first I need to talk about my favorite burger place.
I don't eat many burgers, especially now that I'm training for a marathon, but when I do, I don't go for McDonalds or the higher class, Fuddruckers. I go to Lucky Burger. The building is shaped like a sombrero and serves up a nice 1/4 lb burger with a side of some of the best fried rice in town. When I go out of town, I search for these sort of places because I like the indigenous, the eclectic, the heterogeneous. I'm just not a happy meal kind of gal.
Now onto VBS. Many years ago, VBS was a different animal. It kind of had the feel of a backyard Bible camp, the closeness of small groups, a distinct personality, and just overall simplistic fun. Perhaps it is just my "neck of the woods," suburban, affluent Houston, TX, but things just aren't the same. Now, VBS is prepackaged, overpriced, and homogeneous to the point that aside from the theme, you can't tell the difference between publishers. One has a chipmunk and a buffalo telling about Jesus, and another has a mouse. It's all the same.
Now don't get me wrong--it runs like a well-oiled machine. When I started this job a year ago, I was told that I didn't have to do anything but walk around and smile, and they were right. Here it is, a year later, and aside from adding a rather large missions component to it, I'm the smiling poster queen, but I hate that. Why don't I do anything about it? It's because at this point, it runs smoothly, it's not broken, per se, and since I am a one staff member team, I've got to pick my battles.
Now to answer Trisha's question-- yes, I am ministering. If you read the rest of my blog, you can see the many, many areas in which we are ministering. I'm busy because I am constantly in prayer, constantly in motion, thinking of ways to minister inside and outside our community and doing all of them. The problem is that VBS is not a ministry to me, at least not in this area. The churches around here call each other in January to find out which publisher each church is using so that they don't duplicate. They also pull out their calendars and fight over weeks because down here, parents want cheap (yes, we charge for VBS down here because the curriculum is so expensive and so are the tshirts and all the little dodads that go with it) babysitting all summer--every week should be filled with a VBS from somewhere, and it is. June is the Baptists, us, the Church of Christ and the Methodists. July is taken by independence day, the Bible church, the other Baptist church, the nondenominational mega church, etc. It is sickening.
And because it is a well oiled machine, it is the most efficient choice to put a cap on the amount of kids who come--200. It means better security, better organization, better planning. It also means that once Suzie and her little friend Betsy and all their little goldilocks friends pay their tuition with checks clipped together to ensure that they are in groups together, the chairperson/s begins having to turn away neighborhood kids, last minute move ins, kids who are outside the flock and sometimes worse turn away reasons--I've seen it all from churches around here, not just ours. That's not ministry to me, but it's the obvious choice when you're doing one of these kits.
I have a volunteer crew of brilliant, creative women and men, and yes, they run the ship so well that it is flawless year after year, but to me, their brilliance and love of the Lord is lost in the midst of (forgive me using the phrase again) Chuck E Church, and the kids get lost in it, too. But my team is only so big, and we are planning unbelievable ministry opportunities all the time, so I can understand why doing something as simple as Group VBS sounds easy and wonderful.
Two years ago, I worked for a church in Bolingbrook, Il that didn't have the funds for one of these VBS to go boxes. We put our heads together and created our own VBS. It was called Bible stories come to life, and the kids became a part of the Bible stories. They crawled into an ark that we made of crates and pallets and heard the story while a friend of mine and I ran around outside holding up rainbows and blue streamers and spraying the window with water and making fake birds fly. Yeah, it was low budget, but the kids loved it, and every one of them could tell you the story afterward. "Yeah, but it's Noah, you say. " Ok, well we also made a life sized ark of the covenant, created a river in the church hallway with rocks and reeds on the side, had the kids carry the ark down the river and into the temple, etc. We had the kids blow trumpets to crumble the wall of Jericho and on another day, had them sit inside the dark well/pit while looking up at the tiny light in the ceiling and hearing the story of Joseph. This was ministry--this was VBS to me, and I even adapted the idea to create the Fear Not Festival last year, which was astounding because of my volunteers' brilliance and artistry. That is my idea of VBS.
Well, I've rambled on enough, and you hopefully understand my point of view now, and if you don't, well, I can't ramble on anymore. It's not that VBS is bad, it's just another happy meal, and next year, maybe we'll do something more.
I don't eat many burgers, especially now that I'm training for a marathon, but when I do, I don't go for McDonalds or the higher class, Fuddruckers. I go to Lucky Burger. The building is shaped like a sombrero and serves up a nice 1/4 lb burger with a side of some of the best fried rice in town. When I go out of town, I search for these sort of places because I like the indigenous, the eclectic, the heterogeneous. I'm just not a happy meal kind of gal.
Now onto VBS. Many years ago, VBS was a different animal. It kind of had the feel of a backyard Bible camp, the closeness of small groups, a distinct personality, and just overall simplistic fun. Perhaps it is just my "neck of the woods," suburban, affluent Houston, TX, but things just aren't the same. Now, VBS is prepackaged, overpriced, and homogeneous to the point that aside from the theme, you can't tell the difference between publishers. One has a chipmunk and a buffalo telling about Jesus, and another has a mouse. It's all the same.
Now don't get me wrong--it runs like a well-oiled machine. When I started this job a year ago, I was told that I didn't have to do anything but walk around and smile, and they were right. Here it is, a year later, and aside from adding a rather large missions component to it, I'm the smiling poster queen, but I hate that. Why don't I do anything about it? It's because at this point, it runs smoothly, it's not broken, per se, and since I am a one staff member team, I've got to pick my battles.
Now to answer Trisha's question-- yes, I am ministering. If you read the rest of my blog, you can see the many, many areas in which we are ministering. I'm busy because I am constantly in prayer, constantly in motion, thinking of ways to minister inside and outside our community and doing all of them. The problem is that VBS is not a ministry to me, at least not in this area. The churches around here call each other in January to find out which publisher each church is using so that they don't duplicate. They also pull out their calendars and fight over weeks because down here, parents want cheap (yes, we charge for VBS down here because the curriculum is so expensive and so are the tshirts and all the little dodads that go with it) babysitting all summer--every week should be filled with a VBS from somewhere, and it is. June is the Baptists, us, the Church of Christ and the Methodists. July is taken by independence day, the Bible church, the other Baptist church, the nondenominational mega church, etc. It is sickening.
And because it is a well oiled machine, it is the most efficient choice to put a cap on the amount of kids who come--200. It means better security, better organization, better planning. It also means that once Suzie and her little friend Betsy and all their little goldilocks friends pay their tuition with checks clipped together to ensure that they are in groups together, the chairperson/s begins having to turn away neighborhood kids, last minute move ins, kids who are outside the flock and sometimes worse turn away reasons--I've seen it all from churches around here, not just ours. That's not ministry to me, but it's the obvious choice when you're doing one of these kits.
I have a volunteer crew of brilliant, creative women and men, and yes, they run the ship so well that it is flawless year after year, but to me, their brilliance and love of the Lord is lost in the midst of (forgive me using the phrase again) Chuck E Church, and the kids get lost in it, too. But my team is only so big, and we are planning unbelievable ministry opportunities all the time, so I can understand why doing something as simple as Group VBS sounds easy and wonderful.
Two years ago, I worked for a church in Bolingbrook, Il that didn't have the funds for one of these VBS to go boxes. We put our heads together and created our own VBS. It was called Bible stories come to life, and the kids became a part of the Bible stories. They crawled into an ark that we made of crates and pallets and heard the story while a friend of mine and I ran around outside holding up rainbows and blue streamers and spraying the window with water and making fake birds fly. Yeah, it was low budget, but the kids loved it, and every one of them could tell you the story afterward. "Yeah, but it's Noah, you say. " Ok, well we also made a life sized ark of the covenant, created a river in the church hallway with rocks and reeds on the side, had the kids carry the ark down the river and into the temple, etc. We had the kids blow trumpets to crumble the wall of Jericho and on another day, had them sit inside the dark well/pit while looking up at the tiny light in the ceiling and hearing the story of Joseph. This was ministry--this was VBS to me, and I even adapted the idea to create the Fear Not Festival last year, which was astounding because of my volunteers' brilliance and artistry. That is my idea of VBS.
Well, I've rambled on enough, and you hopefully understand my point of view now, and if you don't, well, I can't ramble on anymore. It's not that VBS is bad, it's just another happy meal, and next year, maybe we'll do something more.
Friday, May 25, 2007
forever busy
Ok, sorry I've been gone for forever, but I just haven't had time to blog. I'm training for a marathon, and I'm busy planning summer programs and such.
Just finished the last KidsInC for the year and am planning Super Sloppy Summers. The tshirts came in last week, and they are awesome.
Today we decorated for CLPC zoo, and the tshirts came in for them, as well. I'm really excited about this program, and I think the kids will be, too. Also, I'm piloting a new curriculum for the preschoolers.
We've also got VBS underway (secretly, I hate VBS. I'd put it on a post secret postcard, but the public wouldn't care, I don't think, so I'll just say it here--I HATE VBS or at least what it has become), and so that's a time consumer, and then this weekend, we've got this ubercrazy Pentecost celebration going on, which is cool and multigenerational, but man, it is a lot of work.
And then we're constructing an underwater classroom for children's worship, which is a blast. My deco team is outstanding. I couldn't do my job without them.
Add to that some computer problems, and you see why I haven't blogged.
So can you tell I need a vacation? Yeah, I scheduled a little minibreak for New Orleans, but I'm hoping to get out to DC or to CA for at least a week in July. My year anniversary is June 1, and I haven't had a day off yet, other than my Mondays and an occasional holiday.
Anyway, I hope to be a more faithful blogger. Sorry about that.
Just finished the last KidsInC for the year and am planning Super Sloppy Summers. The tshirts came in last week, and they are awesome.
Today we decorated for CLPC zoo, and the tshirts came in for them, as well. I'm really excited about this program, and I think the kids will be, too. Also, I'm piloting a new curriculum for the preschoolers.
We've also got VBS underway (secretly, I hate VBS. I'd put it on a post secret postcard, but the public wouldn't care, I don't think, so I'll just say it here--I HATE VBS or at least what it has become), and so that's a time consumer, and then this weekend, we've got this ubercrazy Pentecost celebration going on, which is cool and multigenerational, but man, it is a lot of work.
And then we're constructing an underwater classroom for children's worship, which is a blast. My deco team is outstanding. I couldn't do my job without them.
Add to that some computer problems, and you see why I haven't blogged.
So can you tell I need a vacation? Yeah, I scheduled a little minibreak for New Orleans, but I'm hoping to get out to DC or to CA for at least a week in July. My year anniversary is June 1, and I haven't had a day off yet, other than my Mondays and an occasional holiday.
Anyway, I hope to be a more faithful blogger. Sorry about that.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
DC area churches
My elder (and VBS chairperson) and her family are moving to the DC area. Anybody know of some churches with great children's ministry out there? They've got a 1st and 4th grader.
They are Presbyterian, but they might look outside Presbyland. Traditional (stand and sit hymn) services are not their style, btw.
They are Presbyterian, but they might look outside Presbyland. Traditional (stand and sit hymn) services are not their style, btw.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Lock-In
Amazing. That's the word for it. Amazing.
I just looked at the pics today and relived all the fun. We had 10 extra kids from the church (those who normally don't come to KidsInC) and about 5 visitors and then our normal crew. Here are the highlights (remember the theme was friendship):
I just looked at the pics today and relived all the fun. We had 10 extra kids from the church (those who normally don't come to KidsInC) and about 5 visitors and then our normal crew. Here are the highlights (remember the theme was friendship):
- Pizza--we always start with pizza
- I shared pictures of my friends and me throughout the years. The kids loved laughing at my 80s hair and grunge look in the 90s. Plus, one of my friends was able to come and help that night, so I was able to share that friendship story, too.
- encouragement bags--they decorated bags and put their names on them, and we put them in a designated area. Throughout the night, people could write notes of encouragement to each other, and then they'd get to open their bag the next morning at breakfast.
- small group time--making fellowship posters about what it takes for a good friendship; discussion of great friends in the Bible and what held their friendship together
- getting acquainted games--they had a lot of fun with these, and they learned a lot about each other. They were designed so that kids had to get out of their cliques and comfort circles and learn more about everyone. Then they had to pick one person they talked to and write an encouragement note to them.
- small group time--snack sculptures (playing with food; we took pictures and voted on them at breakfast); trust drops and some discussions about trust and some "opening up" questions; writing an encoragement note to someone in their group
- partner games--random games to break them up into partners and then doing a trust walk with their partner down to the gym (one is blindfolded); encouragement note to partner
- large group time--run them until they are about to pass out games. My favorite? Go to the Wall. Yell out, "Everyone who loves ______, go to the wall" and they have to run the length of the gym. They love this, and you can keep them running for as long as you need, AND you can tie it in by talking about how we all have different likes and dislikes and even peer pressure (did you run just because you didn't want to stand without your friends?)
- small group time--playing board games together (Friendzee is a great game)
- lights out--we watched movies until they fell asleep
It was great, and the adults were running right along with them. So much fun! One of my favorite parts was that a visitor became really close friends with another girl that night.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Back in action
I've been down with a hardcore virus (me, not the computer) this past week, but I plan to update soon on the KidsInC lockin and summer plans. Just wanted to check in.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
KidsInC tonight
Well, it didn't go as planned, but it was great! (Isn't that always the way?) We just found out that one of our 1st graders has juvenile diabetes, and her sister (a 4th grader) is in KidsInC. Many of the kids had questions, so I pulled off this great school guide from the juvenile diabetes research foundation. It has a complete series of lesson plans, and we worked through bits and pieces of them tonight while they ate pizza (usually we have table talk topics during this time). This took longer than our usual eating time, but it was well worth it to dispel any myths. One great section of the curriculum involves how to treat people with diabetes (like a friend!) and has some role playing exercises.
Then we played a life sized board game that walked the kids through the journey of Christ to the cross. Basically, it consisted of pieces of colored paper and a few props. Kids threw a giant die and moved (in groups) the number of spaces. When they landed on a plain piece of paper, they each just had to put one foot on the square or they had to go back to the beginning (the Jerusalem City Gate). If they landed on a pink paper, they had to follow the directions on the paper (go ahead 3 spaces, for example). Finally, if they landed on one of the place spaces (the temple, the upper room, Garden of Gethsemane, the Sanhedrin place, Pilate's place, Golgotha, and the tomb) they had to answer a question about the life of Christ. If they got it correct, they continued. If they missed it, the team had to stay on that place space until they answered a question correctly. The team to reach the tomb first and answer a series of questions wins.
The kids had a blast, and it actually took almost an hour to play! So we didn't get to do our tenebrae service, but one of the parents brought homemade hot cross buns, and they decorated them with icing crosses and read the last words of Christ, so though not as solemn, it worked.
Then we played a life sized board game that walked the kids through the journey of Christ to the cross. Basically, it consisted of pieces of colored paper and a few props. Kids threw a giant die and moved (in groups) the number of spaces. When they landed on a plain piece of paper, they each just had to put one foot on the square or they had to go back to the beginning (the Jerusalem City Gate). If they landed on a pink paper, they had to follow the directions on the paper (go ahead 3 spaces, for example). Finally, if they landed on one of the place spaces (the temple, the upper room, Garden of Gethsemane, the Sanhedrin place, Pilate's place, Golgotha, and the tomb) they had to answer a question about the life of Christ. If they got it correct, they continued. If they missed it, the team had to stay on that place space until they answered a question correctly. The team to reach the tomb first and answer a series of questions wins.
The kids had a blast, and it actually took almost an hour to play! So we didn't get to do our tenebrae service, but one of the parents brought homemade hot cross buns, and they decorated them with icing crosses and read the last words of Christ, so though not as solemn, it worked.
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