Jolanda Howe

Thank you, Michelle, for your prayers and your encouraging words! It means so much to us!!

That's awesome, Tim! That's the kind of web of relationships we need to weave around all of our kids!

Very cool new symbol, and thoughtful reasoning.

Interesting ideas, William!

Thanks for sharing that tip, Michelle! I know organizations use Mailchimp, but I didn't realize it could work for churches. Great idea!

Holly Gort, Children's Ministry Director at South Grandville CRC, sent me this great idea for decorating classrooms and celebrating baptisms:

I put posters on the wall with the kids names, baptism dates, and on the bottom it states: Child of God! We celebrate the kids baptism dates like a birthday! Give them a small book called "God Thinks You're Wonderful" by Max Lucado. 

Thanks for sharing, Holly!

Thanks John, I couldn't agree more!

Thanks for all of your articles and insights, Laura! You and your ministry are a gift to the CRC. You do so much to encourage, inspire, and equip church staff members, children's ministry directors, and Sunday school coordinators. I am always challenged and blessed by you!

I just talked to someone about when churches generally do VBS. I've seen a broad range of dates from the beginning of summer, right after the church school season ends all the way to the end of summer, to build momentum for the new season to come. I tend to favor the second approach because it allows your church to build meaningful connections with the community just as you're signing up new kids for the fall kick off of Sunday school and other ministries. What goes into your thinking when you schedule VBS? Why do you choose the date that you do?

Colin, you raise an interesting point! You’re right—the primary place for faith nurture is the home.  And if Sunday school was seen as a replacement for that, we’d have a problem! Let me cast a different vision of Sunday school for you.

I believe that the whole church community has a role to play in shaping the faith of every member, from the newborn baby to person who is 100 +. We live in community so that as iron sharpens iron we can sharpen one another. I am about to become a parent, so this is something I'm thinking a lot about lately. I want my kids to have other adults in their lives who are sharing faith stories with them, who are modeling what it means to belong to Jesus, and who are echoing the things that I teach them at home. I want my kids to be able to draw on my wisdom and experience with God and also the wisdom of others when they have questions and when they face challenges. That can only happen when I immerse them in a nurturing, learning community where they can build relationships and hear God's story.

You might be surprised how many resources our denomination does offer for parents to use at home for passing on faith to their children! Here are some examples: the Kid Connection curriculum offers a section at the back of each lesson that is called "one-on-one-fun" that shows a person how to use that lesson with just one or a few children. That was included specifically so that Kid Connection could be used in smaller churches or at home. It also includes a family magazine that goes home each month with kids that is full of Bible activities to do as a family, and devotional ideas. Another resource called God Loves Me is a set of 52 Bible stories for 2 and 3 year olds. It’s perfect for home. Families can spend each week focusing on one Bible story and using the learning through play activities included with each book. The new Dwell curriculum includes a component called God's Big Story Cards which invites families to explore 165 stories from the Old and New Testament in fun and creative ways. In both theDwell curriculum and the Walk With Me curriculum there are at home devotional books for middle schoolers that invite the participation of families through questions that are geared for discussion. The Synod Faith Formation Committee has also endorsed a resource called Home Grown which is a handbook for Christian parenting. It includes a study guide and video to be used for small group study by parents to talk about how they nurture faith at home and to share best practices. In the next few years other resources will also be coming based on the work of that committee. Other voices in the CRC, like  Robert Keeley (who posted above) have also contributed works like the books, Helping Our Children Grow in Faith and Shaped by Godt hat are aimed at encouraging parents in their role as the primary faith nurturers. 

As Mark Holmen points out in the book Faith Begins at Home, there is a problem when parents outsource the faith nurture of their kids to the church. But that doesn’t mean we should throw away Sunday school! Our role as Sunday school teachers is to walk along side parents as we support and encourage them in the faith nurture of their children. That’s the vision—and with all the resources the CRC offers to help churches in this role, it’s an exciting reality!

Update: Faith Alive is now offering Dwell preview webinars for those who can't make it to one of the events. Check out times and dates here. You can also stay up to date on the launch by following the Dwell Facebook page.

Thanks Ken, but this post was written by Laura Keeley-- she always has lots of insights to offer!