Karen DeBoer

Hi Aleasha,

My name is Karen DeBoer and I work for Faith Formation Ministries as a Creative Resource Developer. Prior to that I worked as part of the editorial team for the Dwell curriculum. Our Faith Formation Ministries team is in the process of considering ways to add to Dwell and it sounds like you may be the person to speak with for some ideas! I'd love to learn more about your experience with it. (We've also been using it at my church for the past several years.) 

I'm also familiar with many of the other curricula available and would be happy to speak with you about others that may work in your setting. Feel free to email me at [email protected].

Finally, here are a few tools that you and your education committee may find helpful in your search for curriculum. The first is a Ten Question Tool for Choosing a Children's Curriculum which breaks the process down into ten great questions. You can read more about it here and you can view a video about it here. You may also want to check out the Recommended Resources page on the Faith Formation Ministries site for some other ideas. 

Hi Kathie, 

I'm Karen DeBoer from Faith Formation Ministries. Although I don't have access to the resource you're searching for, I can suggest another place you might post your question. There is a Facebook page for Church Educators and it's a wonderful place for gathering and sharing ideas and for getting to know others in educational ministry---including those who plan and lead VBS. A Facebook search for 'Church Educators' should get you there. Hope that helps!

Hi Jacob,

I work for Faith Formation Ministries as a Creative Resource Developer.  The blessing of being part of a small church with few children is that it forces folks to consider ways to be more intentionally intergenerational and, as research from the folks at the Fuller Institute has shown, that’s a good thing!

I love the ideas that Caryn has suggested. Here are a few other places/people/curriculum you might want to check out. 

GenOn Ministries has been developing intergenerational resources with a Reformed perspective for churches of all sizes for more than 25 years.  Their LOGOS program is highly respected.

The Church Educators Facebook page is a great place to ask questions and Hope4CE is a great website with ideas---both are connected with the Association for Presbyterian Church Educators.  (Two articles to get you started on the Hope4CE page: The Experiment and Generations in Faith Together.)

Worshipping with Children is a one of the best sites around for supporting families and engaging children in worship.

The Killing Sunday School/Birthing Cross-Gen Worship Facebook page is another helpful site. On it you’ll find many folks in situations that are similar to yours---and many ideas too.

As Caryn mentioned, the WE curriculum is a great option for learning events the whole church can attend. You can watch a church using WE in this video.

Questions? Feel free to email me or any other members of the Faith Formation Ministries team anytime. We'd be happy to have a conversation with you. You’ll find contact information here. 

PS We are looking for congregations to participate in a learning cohort and strengthen existing faith formation practices. You'll find more information on that here.

Hi Joe, 

The best resource I can think of is one that was designed to be a two part workshop that a church would offer on the Lord's Supper. The reason it comes to mind for your situation is because the first workshop is all about baptism and the second workshop connects baptism to the Lord's Supper. It was designed to be something that families would attend together and which would be led by a pastor or elder or other congregational leader. It's called Taste and See and is sold in a downloadable format. Click here to read a sample.   It does require some gathering of supplies but what I love about it is that it's very hands-on and interactive. 

Another idea you might want to check out is Children at the Table which is a resource Tom Bomhof from Fleetwood CRC created as a way to teach children about the Lord's Supper. It's also a 2 part workshop and the first session touches on baptism. It's great too!

Finally, here's a link to "We Baptized Vivian!" an article which contains some ideas from other churches on ways to make baptism a special celebration. 

Hope that helps! 

Hi Drew,

I was a member of the team at Faith Alive that was involved in the creation of the WE intergenerational event series. We are so glad to hear that your congregation was blessed in using them! Although I an unaware of any similar intergenerational resources, I can point you to someone who never fails to inspire me with her ideas for incorporating all ages into worship. Her name is Theresa Cho and she is a Presbyterian minister in California. She freely shares her excellent ideas and experiences at: http://theresaecho.com/intergenerational-worship/ Hope that helps!

At my church we used to fluctuate between 1 and 9 kids each week. I always prepared for 12. Sometimes God surprised me with 15, other weeks God sent 1. The biggest thing I tried to remember was that kids are always taking their cues from me, their leader. So, I tried to teach that one child with the same energy and enthusiasm I would have used with a full house. After all, kids show up ready to hear about God and spend time with you---and you can provide that no matter how many of them there are!!!

Of course, the great thing about having 1 or 2 kids is that you can spend more time in one on one conversation--sharing faith stories, wondering aloud together about how the characters felt, or how and why God did something. You can also take time to get to know your kids on a personal level, praying together and building a relationship that may last a lifetime! Don't be afraid to drop some activities in order to do that. Use the goals listed at the beginning of each 'Step' to frame your conversation.

Something else that's helpful---at the back of each Kid Connection session there is a section called One on One Fun. It's filled with ideas on how to adapt each step when you're working with one or two kids. In your church, Nick, the leaders may find it helpful to check out those ideas as they plan a session so they'll have some options in mind for those weeks when there are really small numbers.

I love this post so much, Jill. Thank you for providing such an authentic and encouraging perspective on faith practices.

Thank you for this important reminder, Anita. 

This is a great list, Staci. Thank you for sharing these ideas.

Thank you for this wise and helpful perspective, Lesli!

This is wonderful. Thank you, Jill!