Let's discuss faith-shaping ministries to kids.
Faith Formation
Karen
Mimi 
Staci
TracyWrite your own blog post to share your ministry experience with others.
Barb has heard many heartbreaking stories over the years. People have told families with a person with a disability, "Sorry - try the church down the road, they might have something for you there" or "Your family can come, but not that child. We don't have anything for him here."
One of the cool parts of the new Dwell curriculum from Faith Alive are the picture cards for each lesson. The teachers post these cards on the walls of the classrooms, adding another story card each week. As the year goes on, these story reminders surround the class.
This Sunday I am taking my camera to church. I will take pictures of the kids singing or working with their teachers. This is a great way to remember the relationships we are building, preserve church memories and build an awareness of the practices of people of faith.
Is there an age when video instruction is appropriate and an age when it is not? Is Sunday School a time when kids ought to dis-engage from the technology that is so pervasive in other parts of our lives? Or are videos a tool that we can and should use to deliver the best instruction possible?
First CRC of Detroit wrote their own kid-friendly version of the Ten Commandments.
All of us in church ministry know that we need to be thinking about Christmas and the Christmas program by now or we’re in big trouble. How can you plan for programs that accomplish what you want while minimizing headaches?
Sunday School teachers need to know when things are working and when they’re not. But even knowing that isn’t enough. Teachers need to have a clear grasp of what the objectives are for the lesson -- what it is that you want your students to be able to do after the lesson.
For 3 weeks, the Sunday School kids have been learning a song from Cambodia called “Now I Know.” The text is a great reminder that we are children of God.
This issue of Nurture addresses questions such as “How do help our kids listen to God’s word?” and “When is a good time to have devotions?” There's also a section with prayer ideas for preschoolers, elementary school agers, and teens.
I often find myself in conversation with other church ministry staff and the topic of curriculum often comes up. We talk about ease of use, how well the activities work, and how the materials help us connect to parents but it is surprising how often the theology of the curriculum does not come up. Theology matters — even to 5-year-olds.
I see them all around — people standing just off the street holding signs for businesses. Once I even saw one dressed like the Statue of Liberty. The world is getting so noisy that we need to have people standing by the street to get our attention.
What time does your Sunday School program meet? Our Sunday School meets for an hour before church. We meet from 9:15 to 10:15 on Sunday morning with worship at 10:30. This time has its pluses and minuses.
As I scramble for volunteers, I look at the church directory and ask myself “Who am I missing?" I continue to be surprised at who God has in store for me to work with in our church education ministry.
My husband and I have been leading the Sunday School program at our church for a while now. We took a few minutes to think about what are some of the most important things for the care and feeding of Sunday School teachers. Here is our list.
We sometimes like to change things up in worship or in church school because we often crave new things but it is good for us to remember that rituals are not just boring routine — they are things that often make us feel.
Sometimes I see art as something to take up some extra time. But it is much, much more than that — it could be the time we spend doing art in Sunday School has the biggest chance for a lasting impact.
While reading a book about creation, one of the first pages in the book had this question: “Who named the animals?” Immediately many of the kids responded by saying “God”. When you’re in Sunday School “God” is a pretty safe answer to most questions, right?
If you’re stuck inside making plans for the next year when you’d really rather be at the beach, remember, the payoff will be there when the teachers and kids show up in a few months
Many of us treat church education like drivers’ training – once you get your license you’re good to go and you never ever have to take one of those classes again. But church education should not be like that. So maybe what we need is a commencement ceremony
The church is much bigger than just our town or country. God’s people live all over this world. By singing songs written by people from other parts of the world we can better understand them, what is important to them, and the challenges they face.
In Sunday School we are usually spilt up by age groups like in schools. There are good reasons for that. As we grow we can learn at age appropriate ways with our peers. But have we been using the school paradigm too much?
One of the wondering questions for the Parable of the Ten Virgins was "I wonder who the foolish virgins were?” A child answered, "I know, it was Jill" (another child in the class). What is the best way to respond?
The three year olds I teach in Sunday school are wonderfully creative and fun but I need to be ready to adjust my lesson on the fly. A few weeks ago the lesson I had prepared began with each child getting a paper figure of a child to represent themselves. Then I handed out the figures ... That’s when things started to go in ways I didn’t plan for.
Everyone dreams of a Sunday school where everyone comes on time, listens attentively, responds appropriately and loves to come every Sunday. Like in Lake Wobegon all the children, teens and adults in Sunday school are above average. Then comes the reality of Sunday
Hi Everyone. My name is Laura Keeley and I am the new guide for the Sunday School network. This is a great opportunity to work with you and to learn from you about Sunday School and other things related to working with children, teens and adults. I want to thank Jolanda Howe for the great work