Write your own blog post to share your ministry experience with others.
Just a couple weeks ago a friend mentioned how sad it is that her five year old son has code red drills at school. They practice hiding and staying quiet “in case a bad stranger comes,” he told her. Now our hearts grieve with the families in Newtown.
This Sunday at Prairie Edge CRC a barren tree stood on stage in the worship center. Later that night kids, teens, and adults came together to sing, share a meal, and reflect on the promise of God to send a savior. Does your church offer special programming for Advent?
We tell a lot of stories about persecution in Sunday school. But our North American kids don’t experience the daily persecution faced by Christians in other parts of the world. It is easy to forget their struggle and to think of these stories as ancient history.
We love our kids and want to protect them. We implement policies like team teaching, windows in classrooms, safety screening, video cameras, and more to keep them safe. Is there more that we can do?
I asked Laura Brink, Children’s Ministry Director at Cascade Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, what she has done to encourage and equip her volunteers. Here's her answer.
Scary as they are, Halloween goblins and fictional films aren’t the most frightening things kids and families face today: job losses, foreclosures, abuse, family feuds, and illness. How can we help kids handle the spooky shadows as well as the real turbulence of troubled times?
I’m on a mission to connect with children’s ministry directors, Sunday school coordinators, and teachers to see and hear what God is doing in their midst. I’m hoping to highlight a new idea or best practice each week. Here is a fun one that's easy to implement at any time of the year.
Volunteers are BUSY — it’s getting harder and harder to get everyone together for training and encouragement. Brian Bierenga, the Children & Youth Ministry Coordinator at Brookside CRC, uses weekly email to encourage his youth team. His formula is simple.
It’s been a few weeks now since Sunday school began. You’re getting to know the kids and getting comfortable with the curriculum. Now is just the right time to pause and consider what’s going well, and what could go better.
Calling kids by name sends them the message that they aren’t just one of the crowd, but are known and valued individually (not only by you, but also by God). Use these easy ideas to get to know the kids in your group.
As a busy ministry season kicks off, it’s tempting to skip the face-to-face time with our team. After all, we have bright leaders. We have a slick system for passing out supplies. We’ve chosen material that is easy to use. Why not just pass out the leader’s guide and send everyone off with a smile and a pat on the back?
Now that you’ve had a little break from regular programming, think back on what stands out about last season. Consider sending out two questions this week to all of your leaders/teachers and parents.
Depending on where you live, your VBS program is likely to be somewhere between VERY HOT and UNBEARABLY HOT. Kids and leaders need relief from the heat. Try these ideas to keep everyone cool(er), and happier too.
You might have a slew of new music, books, and photos waiting out there in the cloud for you to access and enjoy... but who are the people in your cloud that will cheer you on and inspire you in ministry this season?
Encouraging parents in their role as faith nurturers doesn’t have to take a lot of time—it can be as easy as getting resources in their hands. Karen DeBoer plans to share resource ideas that families can use at home to talk about faith and read God’s word together.
I’m always looking for ways to incorporate a good children’s storybook Bible into the times I spend with children. Each Bible story is skillfully summarized in kid-friendly language with illustrations that send the imagination soring. I love to pause after each page to wonder a little about the story
Does summer fly by at twice the speed of winter? Before long we'll be kicking off a new season of ministry. Maybe you're already ahead of the game. If not, now's the time to get everything in order for a smooth launch this fall. Here are some things to consider.
Faith formation is a daily reality that doesn’t stop for any season. That’s why I’m excited about the new summer articles on the Nurture blog with great ideas for families to use this summer.
I’m always looking for ways to help kids “remember” their baptism and understand what it means. So I was excited to see the latest board book from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. It’s called At Your Baptism
This is my last blog as the Sunday school Network guide, but you’ll still see me posting comments and even writing guest blogs now and then. That’s because I believe in The Network. I believe we are stronger when we share ideas, encourage one another, and look for
It's always fun to visit other churches and see what they do. One pastor I spoke with this week told me about something unique that his church does for 6th grade Sunday school. The group meets after the worship service and spends the whole time discussing the sermon
Though this somber season seems at odds with the boisterous nature of kids, it can be a meaningful time to talk together about the love, forgiveness, and hope we find in Jesus. Here's an article on how to help kids journey with Jesus through Lent.
After singing the chorus they came to the part that said, “He knows my name”, and the little girl spoke her name loud and clear into the microphone, and passed it on to the next child, who spoke and then passed it to the next. How do you make songs more personal and meaningful to kids?
If your church uses the Young Children and Worship program you may appreciate the wondering approach that Dwell uses to help kids enter imaginatively into God's story.
As Sunday school teachers, we know how critical prayer and preparation are for sharing a great lesson. If you tend to be like me and associate planning with panic and procrastination, try these tips to help you skip the stress.