Family Pick - Coca-Cola 125th Anniversary Collector's Edition Yahtzee Game from USAopoly!

Games are a wonderful "tool" for families and for children's ministries . . . our Family Pick for the next two weeks is games from USAopoly! Today I'm reviewing Coca-Cola 125th Anniversary Collector's Edition Yahtzee - this game includes custom dice featureing classic Coca-Cola icons such as the contour bottle, red disc icon, Arden Square, bell soda glass, tin sign and six-pack, a collectible Coca-Cola Bell glass dice shaker, custom score pad and pencil and is for one or more players ages 8 to adult and is sure to get everyone talking while they have fun playing this classic game with a fun and different "twist"! 

Coca-Cola Yahtzee is a fun game for families to play together . . . play a game and be sure to use the time to intentionally talk with your children/grandchildren about the important things God is doing in their lives and the specific things they are doing to live God's Word in their everyday lives! Use it at church for a family game night or in-between classes on a Sunday morning.

USAopoly is giving me one of these games to give away in a drawing! If you have "liked" or "followed" About the Children's Department using the buttons to the right, you are entered in my drawing which will be on February 4th. If you haven't "liked" or "followed" ATCD yet, take a moment to do so . . . if you "like" and "follow" you'll be in the drawing twice!

Tell your friends and family about our drawing so they can be in the drawing, too! Thank-you USAopoly for sending these games for my review and the drawing!


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products of services mentioned above for free in the hopes I would mention them on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 'Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.'"

Outreach! Vacation Bible School . . . and more!

Okay, so after we consider refocusing our Sunday school to focus on being "outreach ready" what other thing are we probably already doing for "outreach"? Well, in many, if not most, churches in this country Vacation Bible School is the main, if not only, outreach of the church calendar year. This past month of January I've focused on VBS with curriculum reviews, side-by-side comparison charts, how to plan your VBS, train your volunteers and so much more; so it only seems appropriate to consider how VBS can be an effective part of your outreach on this last day of January.


I wrote earlier about developing your goal/vision for your VBS, but when you consider outreach it is absolutely another opportunity to consider this important component. Why are you planning and presenting a VBS? What do you want to see happen as a result of your VBS? Do you want to see children reached with the Good News of Jesus? Do you want to see Christian children remember and understand God's Word so they can take it out the doors of the church and live it in their everyday lives? Are you looking at your VBS as an opportunity to reach out to the community and show or remind the people of who you are and how you would love to make them a part of your church community? Do you have a plan in place to follow-up with the contacts your VBS brings? Do you have a plan for the next "step" after your VBS? What happens when these new people end up with a curiosity about who you are and decide to "check your church out"?


These are all very important questions to consider. VBS gives you the opportunity to reach out to and engage non-church families; be sure you are ready to "put your best foot forward" and use your VBS as a "stepping stone" to reach out to your community and show them you really do care! Don't allow your VBS to be your "end all" . . . when the week is over, your "outreach" is over until next year when you hold VBS again. Use it instead to launch your ministry and build on the contacts it brings you to really "reach out" to your community. For example, do you pay attention to the children who attend your VBS? Do you notice if a child arrives who may by hungry? It is possible there are tangible ways your church could show Jesus' love to that child and his family by opening your food pantry to them. Do you notice if a child arrives in tattered clothing or insufficient shoes? Again, this is another opportunity for you to reach out to this family in truly tangible ways. In John 13:34 Jesus said, "I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other." (NCV) Can the people in your community see you belong to Jesus by the way you show His love to them? Outreach gives you a way to tangibly do so . . . if you are paying attention . . . so pay attention!


Jesus wants us to reach out and show His love to others . . . to those in our communities and in the world. We can start our outreach by re-focusing those things we are already doing so they are intentional and effective at showing our vision, passion, plan and love for others!


Tomorrow we will look at yet another thing you are probably already doing which you could "re-focus" for more effective outreach and later this week we will look at special outreach events!

Outreach! Sunday School . . . and more!

This week we will look at Outreach. When it comes to outreach we all know we should do it . . . and we do want to do it, but deciding what to do and then how and when to do it can be almost overwhelming. I mean, we are all busy . . . in many cases, too busy. Planning an outreach can, and likely will, add another thing to our "plate", so we need to consider some important questions before we move forward with our outreach.


First of all, should we have outreach? Clearly there is a Biblical basis for doing so . . . Jesus Himself told us to "Go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age." (Matthew 28:19,20 NCV) He also told us, "You will be my witnesses—in Jerusalem, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world." (Acts 1:8 NCV) We are supposed to go and make followers of all people in the world . . . this certainly includes the people in our own communities. Since Jesus Himself told us to "Go", clearly there is no questions as to "if" we should have outreach or not.


So, since we know we should have outreach, how do we decide the "how" and "when" of outreach? Before you consider adding additional "outreach" to your calendar, look at what you are already doing and evaluate those things to see what you can do to be more effective and make them a more inviting opportunity to reach out to the people in your community. Today, let's consider two components of your ministry where you have already invested your time, resources and people. 


You may not think of your Sunday school as "outreach", but if your church is inviting and is generating interest from the people in your community, you will have visitors. Is your Sunday School "visitor-friendly"? When a visitor arrives is your children's ministry a place which generates confidence and communicates they are welcome? Are visitors are they greeted by someone who will welcome them and answer their questions when they arrive at your church? Are your children's classes easy to find? Do you have a flyer with all the important information about your children's ministry? When they reach your children's classes is there someone available who can patiently explain your security/sign-in procedure? Do your volunteers wear name-tags or something that makes them easily identifiable? As they "peek" into your classrooms do they see children engaged with caring adults? Are visiting children welcomed by the other children and invited to participate, or are they left on their own?


These are all important questions for you to know the answers to so when a visitor visits, your children's ministry is welcoming. They are also important for you to know the answers to before you plan any big "outreach" event as the goal of that outreach event will be to bring community people into your church. If you have a great outreach event, but then when the visitor visits your church they find an unwelcoming atmosphere, you will have a much more difficult time enfolding them into your church community. So consider re-focusing and strengthen your Sunday school ministry so it has the vision, passion, focus and plan to be an effective "outreach" of your church! 


Be sure to also take a look at the curriculum you are utilizing. If your outreach "event" is engaging and exciting, but your Sunday school is boring it will be significantly more difficult to get visitors to become members of your church community. Does your curriculum enable you effectively and intentionally engage the children so they are able to remember and understand God's Word and then take it out the doors of the church and know how to live it in their everyday lives? The month of March I will be reviewing several curriculum resources and will provide a side-by-side comparison chart to help you as you evaluate curriculum.


So, as you consider outreach, look first at what you are already doing with your Sunday school ministry. My next post will consider the second thing you are probably already doing for outreach!

"Family Pick" . . . Muppets Monopoly from USAopoly!

Games are a wonderful "tool" for families and for children's ministries . . . our Family Pick for the next two weeks are games from USAopoly! Today I'm reviewing Muppets Monopoly - with this game you will have the chance to buy, sell and trade Muppet properties such as Kermit's Swamp, Miss Piggy's Dressing Room and Fozzie Bear's Comedy Club! Muppet Monopoly includes six collectible tokens including Miss, Piggy, Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Animal Gonzo and the Swedish Chef as well as Muppet Money and all the other things you need to play Monopoly . . . with a Muppet's "twist"! This game is for two to six players ages 8 to adult and is sure to get everyone talking while they have fun playing this classic game with a fun and different "turn"! 

Muppets Collector's Edition Monopoly is a fun game for families to play together . . . play a game and be sure to use the time to intentionally talk with your children/grandchildren about the important things God is doing in their lives and the specific things they are doing to live God's Word in their everyday lives! Use it at church for a family game night or in-between classes on a Sunday morning.

USAopoly is giving me one of these games to give away in a drawing! If you have "liked" or "followed" About the Children's Department using the buttons to the right, you are entered in my drawing which will be on February 4th. If you haven't "liked" or "followed" ATCD yet, take a moment to do so . . . if you "like" and "follow" you'll be in the drawing twice! Tell your friends and family about our drawing so they can be in the drawing, too!


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products of services mentioned above for free in the hopes I would mention them on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 'Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.'"

Put "Feet on Their Faith" - Involve Your Children and Make a Real Difference in the Lives of the People of Haiti with Samaritan's Purse!

When we involve the children in our ministries with a service project we want to be certain the ministry we "team" up with is one which does what they say they will do. Samaritan's Purse has a long history of being trust-worthy. They do what they say they will do!


For more than a year now, Samaritan's Purse has been faithfully working in Haiti . . . with results that can be measured and clearly seen! In an earlier post I outlined two specific projects you could involve the children in your ministry with to "Put Feet to Their Faith" and I'd like to encourage you to get a team of leaders together to plan how you will be involved in making a real difference in Haiti!


Thankfully, according to Samaritan's Purse, the cholera epidemic is beginning to abate! Sadly more than 4,000 people have died from cholera in Haiti, but Samaritan's Purse is there and they are working faithfully to save lives, teach people how to prevent this terrible disease and most importantly, introducing them to Jesus! Check this link for some photos of the work they are doing in Haiti, pray for the people from Samaritan's Purse as they continue to make a real difference and determine what you will do to help!

"Family Pick" . . . Disney Crainum from USAopoly!

Games are a wonderful "tool" for families and for children's ministries . . . our Family Pick for the next two weeks are games from USAopoly! Today I'm reviewing Disney Cranium - it includes 16 fun activities, 400 Disney-themed cards, two Mickey Mouse ears movers, game board, one tub of "Cranium Clay", six letter dice, sand timer, one die, pad and pencil. This game is for two teams/four and more players and children ages 8 and up - adults will enjoy it as well - and is sure to get everyone thinking, showing their creativity and having fun!

Disney Cranium is a fun game for families to play together . . . play a game and be sure to use the time to intentionally talk with your children/grandchildren about the important things God is doing in their lives and the specific things they are doing to live God's Word in their everyday lives! Use it at church for a family game night or in-between classes on a Sunday morning.

USAopoly is giving me one of these games to give away in a drawing! If you have "liked" or "followed" About the Children's Department using the buttons to the right, you are entered in my drawing which will be on February 4th. If you haven't "liked" or "followed" ATCD yet, take a moment to do so . . . if you "like" and "follow" you'll be in the drawing twice! Tell your friends and family about our drawing so they can be in the drawing, too!


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products of services mentioned above for free in the hopes I would mention them on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 'Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.'"

Family Pick - Peanuts 60th Anniversary Collector's Edition Yahtzee Game from USAopoly!

Games are a wonderful "tool" for families and for children's ministries . . . our Family Pick for the next two weeks are games from USAopoly! Today I'm reviewing Peanuts 60th Anniversary Collector's Edition Yahtzee Game - it includes a collectible Charlie Brown stripe dice cup, five custom Peanuts character dice, Peanuts sticker sheet, instructions, pencil and custom score pad. I love the die - printed with Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and Peppermint Patty!


Yahtzee is a simple and fun game for families to play together . . . play a game and be sure to use the time to intentionally talk with your children/grandchildren about the important things God is doing in their lives and the specific things they are doing to live God's Word in their everyday lives! Use it at church for a family game night or in-between classes on a Sunday morning.


USAopoly is giving me one of these games to give away in a drawing! If you have "liked" or "followed" About the Children's Department using the buttons to the right, you are entered in my drawing which will be on February 4th. If you haven't "liked" or "followed" ATCD yet, take a moment to do so . . . if you "like" and "follow" you'll be in the drawing twice! Tell your friends and family about our drawing so they can be in the drawing, too!


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products of services mentioned above for free in the hopes I would mention them on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 'Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.'"

Vacation Bible School Follow-up That Really Follows Up!

So . . . you've given thought to your goal for Vacation Bible School 2011, evaluated VBS resources in light of their scope and theme then determined which one or two or more had the best "fit" for your unique ministry and made your selections. You are ready to recruit, train, support and appreciate your volunteers, but there is still one more thing to focus on . . . planning and implementing follow-up that really follows up!


For many churches VBS is their primary, and in some of those cases their only, outreach to their community for the year. It is so important you have a vision, passion and plan for your VBS which reaches beyond the five days of ministry. Along with having a goal for your VBS, be sure to think ahead and have a vision for what you will do after your VBS to reach out to the families touched by your VBS.


Certainly it is worth the time, energy and cost to present a VBS to the children in your church and community as children get saved in these ministries every year, Christian children learn how to grow in their walk with Jesus and new families are reached. But, don't let your momentum stop there. Pray and think now about your goals and vision for what happens after your VBS is over.  Develop this vision in four specific areas: follow-up with children who got saved; follow-up with Christian children who learned to grow in their walk with Jesus; follow-up with new families; and follow-up with church families. (Be sure to cover the basics as well - such as having all VBS small group leaders mail postcards to the children in their small groups - check yesterday's post for more on this - and giving info fliers about your children's ministry - it's goals and opportunities all year - to new families your VBS reached.)


First let's consider follow-up with children who get saved. Do you have a team in place who will follow-up with those children to disciple them? This team should consist of trusted, screened adults and Christian children who are willing to develop mentoring-type friendships with these new Christians. Mother-daughter and Father-son teams would be ideal for this as the Christian children can befriend these children and then invite them to Bible studies and fun activities with their family to mentor this new Christian and help them grow in their new walk with Jesus. Additionally, if Christian parents are involved in this process they can reach out to the parents of the child and invite them to back-yard barbecues, family game night, sporting events and church as well. Spend some time before your VBS begins meeting with these parent/child teams so they are ready to follow-up with children and their families after VBS.


Next, let's think about follow-up with Christian children. Take a serious look at your other ministry opportunities for children. Often we put a great deal of time, preparation and attention into planning and presenting our VBS, but our Sunday school and mid-week are the "same-old-same-old" thing. Every area of our children's ministry needs to be presented with excellence, vision, passion and a plan so we are able to disciple Christian children. We want them to "want" to go to church. We want them to understand knowing and walking with Jesus is exciting and the best thing of all! VBS is fun and far too often our other children's ministry opportunities are boring. Jesus wasn't boring. Our children's ministry should never be boring. Take a serious look at your other children's ministry opportunities and evaluate where you are and what you need to do to get to where you want to be. The month of March I will be focusing on Fall Curriculum reviews. Plan to take a look at your curriculum and be sure you have the best "fit" for your ministry.


What are your plans to follow-up with new families touched by your VBS ministry? As you plan your VBS, personally approach several key families in your church and ask them to consider being involved in your follow-up with new families. After your VBS look over your registration and attendance records and match new families with these key families. The key families will pray for these new families and look for opportunities to invite the new families, as mentioned above, to back-yard barbecues, family game nights, sporting events, Sunday church and other events at church. If a new family "knows" someone at your church is is much easier for them to join in and participate in ministry opportunities. Nobody likes being the "new" person who doesn't know anyone or who ends up sitting on the "outside" as the church people talk and "hang" with other "church" people. Plan ahead and have key families who are ready to befriend new people - this can make a huge difference in your ability to pull these new families into your church.


And finally, follow-up with church families. Find curriculum you can use with the church parents so they learn the same Bible lessons their children learned in VBS. Part of children's ministry involves "parent's ministry" . . . we need to equip our parents so they are able to be the primary teachers of their children. Give parents ideas on ways they can follow up with their children and engage them in living what they learned at VBS. Plan family events throughout the summer and all year long to build on the momentum VBS can give your ministry. Simple events like picnics, back-yard barbecues in the church parking lot and family game night as well as bigger events like a day of silly-summer-water-games-in-the-park or a Fall-Follow-up-Launch Event complete with mazes and fun stations families work through together. Plan service projects - check my "Put Feet to Their Faith" ministry focus for ideas - and engage entire families in living what they learn.


These are just a few of the endless ideas of ways to have a follow-up that really follows up. The key idea is to approach follow-up with vision, passion and a plan so VBS is NOT your main, and definitely not your ONLY, outreach of the year. Make it your "launch" point for a full year of follow-up to children who get saved, Christian children, new families and church families . . . and make sure everything you do is done with excellence!

"Family Pick" . . . Gabbit: Family Faith Edition from Group Publishing!

One of the biggest challenges in children's ministry is getting children and families involved in talking about their faith and learning to live it at home during the week. Deuteronomy 6:5-9 clearly shows us it is the parents who are primarily responsible for passing on faith in God to their children -  "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." There are certainly many tools and resources available to help parents do exactly this, but one of the newer and potentially more fun tools is the Gabbit: Family Faith Edition from Group Publishing!

We all have heard how studies show families who have at least one faith conversation per week are much stronger in their faith and have closer relationships. This day and age families often spend most of their "together" time in the car and around the dinner table. The Gabbit is the ideal tool to help families have these "faith conversations" during these "together" times in a fun, simple way. It’s an electronic device with hundreds of family-friendly questions. "There are no rules, no instructions—just pick a category, push a button, and let the fun conversations begin!" The five categories for questions include - This or That, What if?, Favorites, Friends & Family and Zingers. The questions range from things like, "Would you rather stay up late or get up early?", "If you could change your name, what would you change it to?", "What's your favorite thing about the person sitting next to you?", "What's the most fun you've ever had with your family?" to "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" The Gabbit has hundreds of questions suitable for generating conversations with children ages five and up and makes a great tool to get for families with elementary and older children talking, learning and growing stronger together!

The Gabbit is small, portable and easy to use - it makes a great gift for the families you know and love! The Gabbit has been my "Family Pick" for the past almost two weeks. Thank you Group for sending a Gabbit for my review and another for me to give away!  On Friday I'll be announcing my next "Family Pick" and drawing. If you have "liked" the facebook button on my blog or have "followed" me with the button on my blog, you are entered in my drawings! If you have not "liked" or "followed" my blog, take a moment to do so and you will be entered in my next drawing on February 4th! If you "like" and "follow" you will have two entries in the drawing!


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the products of services mentioned above for free in the hopes I would mention them on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 'Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.'"

Be Sure to Train Your Volunteers for Vacation Bible School!

I absolutely understand how difficult it is to get volunteers to attend teacher training . . . we are all so busy! But, when it comes to presenting the best, most effective VBS it is essential that your volunteers are trained; so schedule your training now and be sure to communicate to your volunteers that the training is an absolutely essential, not-to-be-missed event! 


The first step to planning your VBS training, is to select the date two weeks before your VBS for that training. I've found selecting two dates is the best way for me to be sure all my volunteers are trained  . . . try selecting an evening - Tuesday usually works well  - and a Saturday morning. Tell your volunteers training is mandatory, but they may choose which training fits best with their schedule. Providing two training times communicates to your volunteers just how important the training is, but also communicates you understand and care about their schedule as well.

Once you've chosen your training dates, get out your director's manual once again and look for the training session - most director's manuals have a well thought out and complete training all laid out for you to use! Be sure the training time includes an opportunity for you to share with your volunteers the goal of your VBS and then explain why you chose the VBS resource you are using. It is very important to get your volunteers "on board" with the vision for your VBS - if we are all "aiming" for the same "target" we are much more likely to "hit" it!


Walk your volunteers through a typical morning schedule and give them the opportunity to experience a "taste" of each station by involving them in some of the activities the children will be participating in during the VBS. Communicate how each activity serves to reinforce the point of the day's Bible lesson so while the children will have fun, there is a very important reason and purpose for that "fun"!


Be sure your volunteers know how important it is for them to get to know the children in their groups - particularly for the small group leaders. They will be the ones who develop a relationship with the children and most faith decisions are made in the context of relationships! Spend some time focused on how to lead a child to Christ so all your volunteers are comfortable with doing so . . . then spend time in prayer! Pray for the children who will be attending your VBS. Pray and ask God to begin preparing their hearts for the truths from His Word they will hear in your VBS. Pray for the children who already know Jesus and ask God to help them learn something new which will enable them to grow in their walk with Him! Don't forget to pray for the families - especially the unchurched families - that they may be reached through this VBS ministry. Pray for the church families as well that they will grow stronger from their children participating in VBS. Be sure to spend time in prayer during your training!


Challenge your volunteers to spend time the week before VBS asking God to make the Bible points real in their lives . . . as each day point is taught to the children if the volunteers, particularly the small group leaders, are able to share how God made that point real in their lives and how they lived it in their everyday life, the children will be able to more easily believe it can be real in their lives, too! We want the children to have fun at VBS, but more importantly we want them to remember, understand and live God's Word in their everyday lives! We want them to learn how to take God's Word out the doors of the church with them each and every day!


Let your small group leaders know on the last day of VBS before they go home you have one final, important thing for them to do . . . take a few minutes to write a note to each child in their small groups. Tell your small group leaders you will provide postcards so they can write a personal note - encourage them to be watching all week for something special and personal they will be able to write in their note for each child in their group. After the small group leaders have written their note, they will need to sign an invitation card for each child in their group as well - a card with the purpose of inviting each child, personally and individually to participate in your church's mid-week ministry. Tell volunteers to fill in their post cards - two for each child - before they leave and then place them on the church secretary's desk. The personal note card will be mailed two weeks after VBS and the invite to Fall Ministries will be mailed at the end of the summer. More on these postcards on Friday!


Encourage your volunteers to fully participate and have fun doing so! If the volunteers are engaged and enjoying VBS, the children are likely to follow suit! Ask them to sing with enthusiasm - whether they can sing or not! At each station, rather than sitting in the back and talking with the other small group leaders, get in there and play the games with the children, help them as needed with their crafts, participate actively in the Bible lessons, learn the verses and of course - enjoy the snacks!


One final thing . . . thank your volunteers. Thank them for being willing to give of themselves and their time - be sure they know you appreciate them! I'll post tomorrow some ways to show that appreciation!


VBS is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the children in your church and community and when your volunteers are well trained and looking forward to the week's activities, you will likely have a more effective and enjoyable ministry!

Go Fish is "Solid to the Core"! Great New Song!

Go Fish Guys were asked to write and record the theme song this year for the INCM Children's Pastors Conferences in Orlando and San Diego and of course they totally "hit it out of the park"! Whether you go to the conference or not the song is great - "We serve the kids. We work for the Lord. We do what we do 'cause we're solid to the core!"


Great job Go Fish Guys! You can hear the song here!

Funny Church Nursery Video - Real Heroes from Grace Church, Ohio!

Check this video and then take a moment to thank your "Hidden Real Heroes" at your church this Sunday! Where would we be without them? :^) 

Plan Your Vacation Bible School Volunteer Recruitment!

Once you decide which Vacation Bible School resource is the best "fit" for your unique ministry it is time to begin sharing your goals and vision with the people in your church and start thinking about the important and fun "task" of finding your volunteers! Once again, look in your director's manual and you will probably find well thought-out and designed recruiting information - everything from how to determine how many volunteers you need to specific "job" descriptions for each position you need to fill. Sit down and spend some time familiarizing yourself with these "positions" and then pray. Ask God to lay on your heart the people who He would have serve in those positions. Involve the people of your church by sharing your vision/goals and ask them to pray God will lay on the hearts of all of them exactly how they may best be involved.


Once you've begun to pray and have involved the people in your church in doing the same, look over your volunteer lists from 2010 and be sure to invite those who served last year to join your team again this year. The next step is to check your director's manual again and see which recruiting resources will best fit in your church - some publishers provide recruiting video clips, reproducible recruiting flyers and recruiting ideas. This is where you need to know the people in your unique church. Do most of the people work . . . if so trying to call them will likely result in you leaving a lot of messages on answering machines. Are most of the people in your church on Facebook? If so, consider using social media to reach out and share your vision/goals and how they can be part of your VBS ministry. Perhaps the people in your church are very, very busy and emails would be the best way to invite them to join your VBS team. Or do the people in your church appreciate the personal touch so making time to personally talk with each of the people you'd like to be part of your VBS team might be the best idea for you?


Consider setting up a "Summer 2011 Sneak Peek" booth in the foyer of your church. Decorate it  to fit with the setting of the VBS you chose, play the music and print up info flyers . . . put questions related to the theme and setting . . . no answers - just questions the first week. The second week begin answering your questions - do this for one month. Be ready to talk with potential volunteers and keep a list so you know who wants to volunteer for sure as well as those who are thinking about it so you know who you need to follow up with.


One of my favorite recruiting ideas involves scheduling a trip to your local Target or Wal-Mart type store on February 15th! Why February 15th? It is the day after Valentines Day . . . the day all those wonderful heart-shaped chocolates go on sale for at least 50% off! Stock up and then use some of those hearts to "tag" with a note that says something along the line of "Join Our Team and Share God's Love with Children in our VBS!" and hand them out to specific people. Or, tag a heart candy with a note that says, "I'd love to have you on our 2011 VBS team! Contact me for more info!" and station a few people at the doors of your church with instructions to hand one to every person 16 and older. This is sure to get their attention . . . and getting the attention of the people in your church is the next step to recruiting volunteers!


Recruiting Volunteers means praying, sharing and getting the attention of the people in your church . . . be sure to do it all with enthusiasm! Don't use "guilt" or "desperation" to get volunteers. If you are excited about the opportunity VBS provides to reach children and families with the Good News of Jesus and help children grow in their walk with Him, then the people in your church will "catch" that excitement!


Tomorrow we will consider training those volunteers so they are ready and equipped to reach the children in your church and community through your VBS ministry!

Side-by-Side Vacation Bible School Comparison Chart and VBS Reviews

For the coming month bookstores across the country will be hosting Vacation Bible School events - if a store near you is doing this, please take some of your VBS leaders and go! These are wonderful opportunities for you to be able to see, touch and evaluate 2011 VBS resources! Many of these events have reps from the publishers so you can talk to them, face-to-face . . . if you can attend a VBS event, be sure to do so!


Whether or not you can attend a bookstore VBS event, be sure to take a look at my Side-by-Side Comparison Chart and VBS reviews - you'll find them under the VBS 2011 tab at the top. Check sites like Ministry-to-Children and read their VBS reviews to help you narrow down the kits that best fit with your vision and goals for your unique children's ministry and then sign those kits out on consignment from your local Christian bookstore. I strongly encourage you not to order your kits before you have the opportunity to research, read reviews and actually get your hands on the kits to thoroughly review them. While you may end up choosing the kit from the publisher you used last year, you may also find a kit from a different publisher is a better "fit" for your ministry this year; so take advantage of reviews and my comparison chart as you decide which kits to use in VBS and other areas of your ministry in 2011!

Promoting Your Vacation Bible School

So, you've spent time reading Vacation Bible School reviews - such as the ones you'll find on Ministry-to-Children and here on my blog . . . look under the tab at the top entitled VBS 2011 - and have signed out a couple kits on consignment from your local Christian bookstore. You've evaluated the themes and scope based on your vision and goals for your unique children's ministry and have selected the kits you want to use in VBS and in other ministries; so what can you do to promote your VBS so the children and families in your community know when and where they can go to participate? 


The first place to look for ideas on how to promote your VBS is in your director's manual. Most of them have several pages devoted to information designed to help you think through how you could promote your VBS. In my churches we never used the VBS launch events, but I'm encouraging my church to do it this year. I love the idea of a one-day/afternoon event designed around the setting of the VBS with stations children and families can rotate through where they will get to experience a "sneak-peek" at all the fun awaiting them in your VBS! Most of the publishers give you complete directions for a VBS launch event - complete with games, crafts and even setting-related snacks! Have a table ready to pre-register children who attend your launch event and you will be ahead on the first day of VBS! These launch events are also a great way to make contact with the parents of un-churched children, so if you, like me, have not held one of these events in the past, seriously consider doing so this year! It can be a great tool to show you are enthusiastically embracing the Summer with all the additional opportunities it gives you to reach out to the children and families in your church and community!


Does your community have any type of Summer event, week-long festival or parade before the week you hold your VBS? If so, register to have a float in the parade and decorate it to reflect the setting for your VBS! Be sure to have flyers with information as to the date, time and location of your VBS and have families from your church ready to hand them out along the parade route!


Consider holding a "picnic in the park" to launch your VBS and invite families from the community to join in the fun! Plan games and be sure to bring lots of food as well as those VBS info flyers!


Utilize your youth group and/or families from your church to canvass the neighborhoods around your church. Go door to door and talk with parents. Give them flyers and invite their children to join in the fun at your VBS! Check with area ice cream shops and ask if they would be willing to donate coupons for buy a cone get a cone for free and then hand them out to the children you invite to your VBS.


Vacation Bible School is the main, if not the only, outreach of the year for most churches . . . be sure to promote your VBS so the children in your church and community know when and where they can join in the fun! What have you done in the past to promote your VBS? I'd love to hear what has worked well for you!

Free Resurrection Sunday Lesson!

In three months we will be celebrating Resurrection Sunday . . . the most important day in the history of man! If Jesus didn't rise from the dead then our faith would be in vain. But He did rise from the dead! This is one of the things that sets Him apart from all the other religious leaders throughout time! I Corinthians 1512-22 . . . "We have preached that Christ has been raised from the dead. So how can some of you say that no one rises from the dead? If no one rises from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, what we preach doesn't mean anything. Your faith doesn't mean anything either. More than that, we would be lying about God. We have given witness that God raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if the dead are not raised. If the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith doesn't mean anything. Your sins have not been forgiven. Those who have died believing in Christ are also lost. Do we have hope in Christ only for this life? Then people should pity us more than anyone else.But Christ really has been raised from the dead. He is the first of all those who will rise. Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did. Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive." (NIrV)


But in fact, Jesus has been raised from the dead and in Him we shall be made alive! This is absolutely something worth celebrating! As you begin to think about what you will do with your children's ministry to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, I'd like to give you a free Resurrection Sunday lesson for Preschool/Early Elementary and a free lesson for Elementary age children. You could use them in your Sunday or Mid-Week ministries . . . or anywhere you like!


Resurrection Sunday Lesson for Elementary Age Children 
Resurrection Sunday Lesson for Preschool/Early Elementary Age Children
Resurrection Sunday Fliers for Elementary Age Children
Resurrection Sunday Fliers for Preschool/Early Elementary Age Children
Resurrection Sunday Family Fliers


I'm also including reproducible fliers for use in small group for both the preschool/early elementary and the elementary age levels. Use these to engage the children in thinking through the lesson and how it lives out in their every day lives. Encourage the children to select a "Live-it" activity so they can be focused on taking what they learned, out the doors of the church and living it in their lives all week long! Send the Family Fliers home to get families talking, learning and growing together!


You may have visitors in your church on Resurrection Sunday so be sure you are well staffed and that your volunteers are ready to share with children how they can trust in Jesus for forgiveness and new life!


Resurrection Sunday . . . the most important day in the history of man! Jesus did rise from the dead and our faith is real and life changing!

One Year Later in Haiti with Samaritan's Purse

Our mission focus for this month is Samaritan's Purse. They have been working diligently in Haiti since one day after the devastating quake. One of their photographers, Paul Sherar, "asked 10 Haitians who lived near the epicenter to write one word describing their thoughts and feelings from January 12, 2010." I'm including a link to the photos and their explanations for their "one word".


It is so important that we help the children in our ministries understand the need to help others and provide opportunities for them to do so. When we do this we are "Putting Feet to Their Faith" and are enabling them to see how what they believe can show through the way they live their everyday lives. Take a look at Samaritan's Purse and think about what you can do to involve the children in your ministry in a project that helps the people of Haiti.

Church Politics and Children's Ministry

If there are two things in this world that should never be "together" it is most certainly church politics and children's ministry. It grieves me that "politics" so often determine how things are done in church rather than what is truly the most effective way to help people of all ages come to know Jesus and then remember, understand and live God's Word. Just because we "have always done things a certain way" - or at least think we have - it doesn't mean that is the most effective way to continue doing things. I realize it is part of the sin nature to want "power" and to do things our own way, but it is so damaging when this attitude rears it's ugly head in children's ministry.


The most recent information I've been able to find from George Barna indicates that 43% of people make their decision for salvation between the ages of 4 and 13; that number moves to 64% between the ages of 4 and 18 and after the age of 21 less than 23% of people get saved. Those are sobering numbers. They also serve the underline the absolute importance of children's ministry. We can not afford to be taken off track by church politics.


Why is it we can't make decisions in our children's ministry based on if what we want to do will enable us to more intentionally engage children so they can understand their need for Jesus and then remember and understand God's Word so they can take it out the doors of the church and live it in their everyday lives? This is what matters. There is no room for church politics in children's ministry when the stakes are so high.


Children's ministry matters. I want to say it again, children's ministry matters! We do not have the time to get bogged down in church politics. George Barna's research shows, "When it comes to church engagement, those who attended Sunday school or other religious programs as children or as teens were much more likely than those without such experiences to attend church and to have an active faith as adults." Furthermore; David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, directed the research and clarified a common assumption about families. “Many religious workers assume that parenthood motivates people to return to their spiritual traditions and to church attendance. This perspective is especially common when it comes to justifying the frequent disengagement among young adults. Sometimes faith leaders go so far as to simply wait for parenthood to occur, when they figure the ‘real work’ of ministry can begin."

The survey calls that strategy into question. Children do, in fact, act as a catalyst for millions of parents. Yet, this is not the most common or normative experience for parents in the nation. While parenthood can reset people’s priorities in life, having children is not an automatic faith-starter for most adults. It’s more complicated than that. Family background and their personal faith history impact their behavior.

Kinnaman pointed out the importance of influencing young lives. “Parenthood might help to clarify and enhance people’s pursuit of spirituality, but usually it does not fundamentally alter a parent’s spiritual trajectory. Getting people to transition from church involvement based upon religious inertia to activity driven by a sense of engagement is exceedingly difficult – and relatively rare.  Compounding the challenge, the age of parenthood is being pushed back as more young women delay having children into their late twenties and beyond. If the objective is to incorporate young parents into congregational life, it is important to help shape young people’s beliefs attitudes, habits and aspirations long before they become parents.”

Children's ministry matters. We must make decisions in our children's ministires and our church based on what will best enable us to reach children and then disciple them so they remember, understand and live God's Word. Period.

Church politics have no place in the church; they only serve to keep us from being effective at reaching children and families for Jesus. As we move into 2011 let's determine to do all we can to be sure church politics do NOT find their way into our children's ministries!

Let's Get More Out of Our Vacation Bible School Resources . . . Mid-Week Children's Ministry All Year Long!

When you evaluate Vacation Bible School curriculum, be sure to think about how VBS resources might give you the tools you need for your mid-week ministry to children! You won't necessarily need an entire kit, but if you have the Bible lesson, games and craft book as well as the music you'll be able to expand the lessons by using one lesson for two weeks and be able to have resources for ten weeks! Run your mid-week ministry similar to your VBS and the enthusiasm you have with your VBS can transfer to your mid-week ministry! Three resources will give you enough materials for one year of mid-week ministry so think about the curriculum scope and your vision/goals for your mid-week ministry and then see which VBS resources give you the tools you need.


For example, most mid-week ministries have a strong evangelism focus as children from the community attend, so take a good look at kits like Rev it Up from RBP, Kickin' it Old School from Go Fish Guys, Gold Rush from Answers in Genesis, SonSurf Beach Blast from Gospel Light, Mission to Mars from WordAction and Big Apple Adventure from LifeWay. Consider also kits that give you the opportunity to introduce children to Jesus - kits that do a good job of helping children understand Who Jesus is, such as Hometown Nazareth from Group, SonSurf Beach Blast from Gospel Light and Gold Rush from Answers in Genesis. If you had a difficult time deciding between two kits for your actual VBS, this is a good place to use the other kit - particularly if it had a strong application focus like Inside-out & Upside-down on Main Street from Standard, Shake it Up Cafe' from Cokesbury, and Pandamania from Group.


If there was a VBS kit that you really liked the content, but were not so thrilled with the music, this is a great place to use those resources - just replace the music with some from another resource! Add in weekly "live-it" activities, a service project for your community and one or two mission projects children can work on throughout the year. (See my "Put Feet to Their Faith" posts for mission project ideas)


Begin each evening with large group singing - add in some object lessons that relate to your theme and then have children rotate to three different stations - Bible lessons, games and crafts . . . like they do for VBS. Bring them back together for more singing and to reinforce the evening's point for an over-all focused and engaging evening where children will be able to understand their need for Jesus and then grow in their walk with Him!


VBS resources are great tools for your children's ministry and can be utilized in more ways than just the traditional week of VBS in the summer. As you evaluate kits this year, stop and think about if there is another part of your ministry where they would be a great "fit"!

Put "Feet on Their Faith" - Make a Real Difference in the Lives of the People of Haiti with Samaritan's Purse!

With the news reports of former leaders/dictators of Haiti returning, it certainly reinforces the concern about this country, where it is headed, what will happen next and what type of leadership will end up in control. Our current "Put Feet to Their Faith" ministry focus is Samaritan's Purse with special projects to help in Haiti. They were actually on the ground in Haiti offering help and hope just 24 hours after the devastating earthquake and they continue to make a real and measurable difference in the lives of thousands of Haitians. Follow this link for some wonderful pictures showing their work in Haiti over the last year.

Consider involving the children and families in your church with a project to raise money and/or filling Operation Christmas Child boxes for Haiti. Check my post from Monday, January 17th for some ideas on how you can "Put Feet to Their Faith" and involve the children in your church with Samaritan's Purse!

Let's Get More Out of Our Vacation Bible School Resources . . . Mission Trips and Back-yard Bible Clubs!

Today I'm going to share some ideas on how to re-use the VBS resources you select for your VBS . . . a great way to get more out of your CE dollars . . . and another way to expand your summer children's ministry by using an additional VBS resource!


Many, if not most, churches plan a mission trip for their teens during the summer. Some are quite the major undertaking - even on an international level - while others may be more locally based. My daughter and son went on mission trips each summer with their youth group - mostly to other areas of the country - but they also went on additional mission trips with groups like Reign Ministries (my son went to Nepal/Thailand, England, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and the Island of Rhodes), Youth for Christ (my daughter went to Mexico) and ZJAM (my daughter went to Costa Rica). I strongly believe in the value of teens being involved in summer mission trips big and small. When youth groups plan a mission trip, typically there is a component of that trip where the teens work with children . . . this is the ideal opportunity to re-use your VBS resources! If your church's VBS is before the mission trip, the teens can help with your VBS - great opportunity for them to prepare for their mission trip and more importantly, helps communicate to the teens serving is not just something they do once a year on a mission trip, but is something they can do in their own church all year!


Engage the teens in your church - 16 and older - as small group leaders, station leaders and helpers for your VBS and then the teens will be able to take what they learned and experienced in their church's VBS and use it on their mission trip! They will be familiar with the resources you used and know what to expect . . . and your church will be able to get more out of the materials they invested in by re-using them on the mission trip! You can even have a mission project for your VBS where children gather supplies or resources for the teen's mission trip! Talk with your youth leaders and see if you can work together to involve the teens in your VBS this summer and provide them with some of the resources they need for their mission trip!


As for Back-yard Bible clubs; when you are selecting your VBS resources, look for an additional VBS with a very strong evangelism focus - Rev It Up from RBP, Kickin' it Old School from Go Fish Guys, SonSurf Beach Blast from Gospel Light, Big Apple Adventure from Lifeway, and Gold Rush from Answers in Genesis - and then get the Bible lesson books, crafts, music and games for back-yard Bible clubs. Plan to hold these Back-yard Bible clubs in the back-yards of members of your church all over town all summer long . . . another excellent way to involve your youth group as teams of teens could teach these Back-yard Bible clubs. This gives you an opportunity to bring your church into your community and neighborhood and potentially bring your community and neighbors back to your church! Tara Schmidt from Bethlehem Baptist Church has excellent information on their website on how to plan a Back-yard Bible club. Take a look and consider if this might be an opportunity for your church to expand your children's ministry and literally take it into your community and neighborhoods this summer!

Let's Get More Out of Our Vacation Bible School Resources . . . Summer Fun Days!

As I've said before, Vacation Bible School resources are one of your best curriculum buys of the year! Publishers put a lot of thought and attention into determining which Bible lessons they will use, how to add creativity and imagination to the games, craft and setting and selecting the music that best reinforces the Bible lessons and point. Each and every year we are presented with more than a dozen well developed resources for us to evaluate and select the one that will best "fit" our own unique ministries. This is a difficult choice and most churches narrow their choices down to their favorite two or three resources . . . I'd like to encourage you to get those two or three and use them all - because if you have them, you will use them!


Obviously use one for your week of VBS, but then use the others to add focus and strength to your children's ministry. Yesterday we looked at using VBS for your Summer Sunday ministry . . . re-using the VBS resources you used for VBS to extend the learning and help children think through how it looks in their every day lives to live what they learned in VBS.


Today I'd like you to consider using VBS resources for Summer Fun Days! Some churches plan a day-camp ministry each summer and others plan fun days - one or two days a week for three to five weeks throughout the summer where children experience learning God's Word in a focused and high-energy program. VBS resources are excellent tools to use for these settings as they give you an over-all theme and help you keep your focus. You can use the Bible lessons to engage the children and help them understand God's gift of forgiveness and grace and how to walk with Him during the teaching portion of each "fun day". Obviously the "point" of fun days is not to just have activities, but rather to provide a different setting where children can learn God's Word and talk about how they can take it out the doors of the church and live it in their every day lives!


However; "fun" is a part of "fun days" and this is where you can utilize the games, crafts and music in the VBS resources or just some of them and then plan additional activities such as swimming, going to a ball game or local water park or other local attraction. You wouldn't necessarily need a complete VBS kit for Summer Fun Days - just the Bible lesson book, music and any activity center books that fit well with your over-all goals and plans. Add in a mission/service project and you could develop an opportunity to intentionally engage the children in your church and community and expand your impact doing so! Be sure to think through all the safety issues for such an event and have sufficient staffing - and be sure to screen all your staff.


Summer Fun Days can be a way to re-engage older elementary children, particularly boys, who may think a traditional VBS is for little kids. Most people make their decisions for Jesus between the ages of 4 and 14 so the summer, when children are not in school, is the ideal opportunity to reach out to children and provide opportunities for them to learn of God's love for them, their need for Him and respond to His gift of salvation. It is also the perfect time to engage children who know Jesus and help them better understand how to know and walk with Him!


More and more churches reduce and even eliminate their children's ministry during the summer . . . I'd like to encourage you to do the opposite! Put it into "full-gear" and take advantage of the fact that children are out of school and in many cases are looking for something to do! Give them that "something" to do . . . VBS resources are excellent tools to help you do exactly that!


Tomorrow we will look at using VBS resources for Mission Trips.