Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Free Resurrection Sunday Lesson!
I Have Two Winners . . .
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Parent Resources . . . Parenting Point - Courage
I thought I'd share one more Character Matters video clip with you today . . . this one is on courage - helping our children learn, "it takes courage to say no to ourselves and mean it!" Follow Dr Scheibner's advice and share with children the example of Esther and how she showed courage - even when her actions did not benefit her directly! It does take courage to really live as a Christian in this day and age. We need to equip parents so they are able to help their children learn to be courageous.
Monday, February 27, 2012
I'm Giving Away an American Girl Doll on My Other Blog . . .
Parenting Resource - Character Matters . . . Consideration!
I really like the website Character Health as a resource for parents. Consider highlighting one of their "Character Points" each week - or at least each month - in your church and involve parents, children - and everyone - in learning to live Christlike lives! If everyone in your church learned about - and focused on showing - these traits, just imagine what your families and church would be like!
Put Feet to Their Faith . . . Operation Baby Rescue from WorldHelp
In the country of Guatemala, half of the children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition. "In rural areas, 80 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Most malnutrition is caused by water-borne illnesses.
Operation Baby Rescue is an initiative which provides life-saving treatment to thousands of children battling the effects of malnutrition in impoverished communities. Oftentimes the children are brought directly to the Baby Rescue Center where they are treated for malnutrition, parasites, or other life-threatening illnesses. In some cases, the need is so severe the child must be rushed to a nearby medical facility for extensive care. Over 4,000 children have been restored to full health through Operation Baby Rescue."
Sunday, February 26, 2012
March's Focus . . . Recruiting Volunteers and Safe Classrooms!
If you have been reading About the Children's Department because of the VBS reviews and for the information on Family Ministry which you've found for the past two months . . . please plan to continue to come back all through March as I post about recruiting volunteers and cover a variety of topics related to how to be sure you have a safe children's ministry!
And a peek forward . . . the month of April I'll be looking at Sunday School curriculum, so please plan to join in the conversation in the coming months!
And a peek forward . . . the month of April I'll be looking at Sunday School curriculum, so please plan to join in the conversation in the coming months!
Resource for Parents . . . Character Matters - Generosity
I'm delighted to share another resource with you which you could use with the parents in your ministry . . . Character Health! As they say on their website, "Character health is what Christlikeness looks like in practice! Stated simply, character health is the balance which characterizes Christlike believers as they consistently elevate virtues above feelings when faced with a moral dilemma. Character healthy people put God's Word first. Character health (Christlikeness) should be what we are seeking when we look for happiness or satisfaction. The reason most of us do not live character healthy lives is because we are taught to approach character as a means to an end, rather than a Biblically and morally satisfying end in itself."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
I Have Two Winners . . .
Friday, February 24, 2012
Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - Summer Minute to Win It!
Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - More Minute to Win It!
Again, I'd like to thank Lindsey Whitney for allowing me to re-post her "Minute to Win It" articles from her site - Growing Kids Ministry. This post goes on to build on the first with more ideas for games!
Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - Minute to Win It!
Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - We Have Talent!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Discipline and Children
I found an excellent article on this topic - I won't quote all of it here, but will provide the link and give a "condensed" version . . . this article presented three "interpretations" of child discipline/spanking and looked at three views of "the rod" mentioned in Proverbs.
Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - Family Picnics in the Park!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - Family Service Squads!
When we think about family ministry we most often tend to think about providing ministry opportunities for the children and families in our church and community, and while we certainly want to do this, family ministry can also - and should also - include opportunities for our children and families to serve others! We can serve others "on a shoe-string" . . . consider the following ideas -
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Family Ministry on a Shoestring - Family Amazing Race!
Last year I asked people on CM Connect what they were planning to do during the summer with the families in their church and community. Derek Weaver is the Kid's Pastor at Remedy Church in Delmar, MD and he mentioned they held their own version of "The Amazing Race" for their children and families. I told him I'd love to hear the specifics and asked if he would be interested in writing a guest post for my blog . . . he was kind enough to do so! I'm going to share Derek's guest post with you again, with some ideas on how to do an event like this - on a shoe-string!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Free Family Parenting Resource . . . Freedom Parents!
Last month I asked the question on CM Connect, "What resources do you provide for parents and grandparents in your ministry?" and Ben Fowlkes replied with a link to an amazing resource, which I have to share with you! Ben said, "We find that resourcing parents is very important. Sometimes they have the desire to raise their children the right way they just don't know where to start. So we came up with a resource website which has been very successful." He shared the link to freedom parents and I can not recommend it highly enough!
Family Ministry on a Shoestring - VBS!

Let's begin with Vacation Bible School . . . yes, VBS! Many churches plan VBS each year . . . most of you are evaluating curriculum, planning to recruit your volunteers and have your week of VBS scheduled. If you have not already done this, take a moment to think about how you might be able to offer a VBS ministry to the children in your church and community . . .
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Put Feet to Their Faith with Children's Heart Project . . . I'm Giving a Three Hearts DVD Away
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Bible Review . . . my first Hands-On Bible!
A Prayer For Your Ministry - Pray For the Most Important Thing!
There are certainly many things for us to pray about when it comes to praying for the children, families and volunteers in our ministry, but I think we can take a cue from Jesus as to the most important thing for us to pray about. In Matthew 22:37-40 someone asked Jesus which command was the most important; He said, "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Friday, February 17, 2012
VeggieTales Robin Good and His Not-So Merry Men . . . I'm Giving One Away
It all begins with the short - Lenny and the Lost Birthday, in which Lenny thinks everyone has forgotten his birthday. He doesn't know about Leap Year and how it pushed his birthday back one day and ends up feeling like he is not special to anyone. "Of all of my days, mom, this was the worst. My family, my teacher my friends all agree. There's nothing at all that's special about me." His mom sings, "But this is the day the Lord has made. You're special to me and you'll be okay. Tomorrow will dawn and I'll love you still. Things will get better, I promise they will! When your days been a mess and you feel it intensely, don't forget Whose you are and Who loves you immensely! God made you His child and you're treasured as such. You're precious, you're treasured, He loves you so much! And this is the day the Lord has made. You're special to Him, you'll be okay! Tomorrow will dawn and He'll love you still! Things will get better, I promise they will!"
Free Family Event . . . My Bible Journey - Trusting God Journey!
One reason we do not offer family ministry opportunities, is because we do not stop and think to plan ahead. We are so busy with the day-to-day ins and outs of our ministry, we don't take the time to plan ahead for a special event. So, today I'm delighted to give you a back-to-school family event . . . My Bible Journey - Trusting God Journey! As children return to school they often feel apprehensive and even afraid - what will their new classes be like? What will their new teachers be like? Will they have friends? There are so many questions . . . potentially so many things to be concerned about. Parents also have many concerns . . . will they make the right decisions when it comes to raising their children? Will they be able to keep their jobs? If they do not have a job, will they be able to find a job? Will they be able to make their house payment? What will they do if gas gets even more expensive? So many potential things to be concerned about.
Don't Forget . . . Two FREE Resources for the Parents & Grandparents in Your Church!

How Do I "Shift" My Church's "Resource Base" to "Change the World"?
I found a video clip of George Barna asking an important question - "Do you need to shift your "resource base" from "maintenance" to "changing the world in ways you've never seen in your lifetime"? This is a question we all need to give serious consideration to. So . . . how can you tell if you need to shift your resources in your church, what does it mean to shift your resource base and how might you do this? Consider the following -
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
What Do I Need to "See"?

Make Prayer THE Priority

So, Dr. Samra said we need to do the most important thing . . . pray. Yes, teaching the Bible - giving information - is important, but the first thing we need to do is pray. Do you pray, really pray, before you do anything else in your ministry? It can be far too easy to just go about the work of the ministry and plan, organize, train, prepare, teach . . . all without really spending time in prayer. Consider the following ways to make prayer not just A top priority in your ministry, but THE top priority . . .
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A Must-Have Resource for Parents . . . The 10 Best Decisions Every Parent Can Make
There certainly is no shortage of books and resources on parenting . . . some are excellent and others are not, so today, I'd like to share one excellent - and common sense - resource with you!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Another Resource for Families - 150 Quick Questions to Get Your Kids Talking - I'm Giving One Away!
Please Check Kidmin1124 - My New Post is About the #4 Essential Thing for Volunteers

Sunday, February 12, 2012
Family Resource - 365 Ways to Say "I LOVE YOU" to Your Kids!
Put Feet to Their Faith with Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project
For the past few weeks I've been sharing about Samaritan's Purse's Children's Heart Project and today I'd like to share another example of how they are helping children . . . and families around the world!
Friday, February 10, 2012
I Have a Winner in My VeggieTales "If I Sang a Silly Song" DVD Give-away!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Free Family Ministry Event - Resurrection Sunday Bible Journey!
Provide Those Resources . . . Wise Words for Moms
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
VBS 2012 - Dollars & Cents of VBS - Part 3
As I talked about the past two weeks the realities of the Dollars and Cents of VBS can impact if a church is able to go ahead with VBS for summer 2012 as the Dollar and Cents of it all will come into play as you determine which resources you will use. In this economy with so many people out of work our churches are struggling to meet their budget. VBS can be expensive and yet it is a very important - and in many cases the only - outreach all year for many churches.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
If I Sang a Silly Song . . . Family Fun Night and I'm Giving One Away!
Celebrating Milestones - Welcome Little Ones to Your Children's Ministry!
For the past few days I've been posting about celebrating milestones and reviewed two amazing resources to help your church do exactly this . . . Legacy Milestones and Group's Family Faith Celebrations
. Both of these resources provide the information and tools you need to help the parents in your ministry understand their God-given role as the primary faith influencer in their child's life and to involve your entire church in celebrating milestones - Baby Blessing
, Faith Commitment
, First Bible
and Preteen Passage
. . . all important moments in a child's and family's life and most certainly worthy of celebrating!
VBS 2012 - Side-by-Side Comparison Chart
I'm my updated and completed 2012 Side-by-Side VBS comparison chart today for the fifteen kits I've reviewed for VBS 2012 - you'll find the chart at this link. (If you have trouble opening this link, email me and I'll email you a pdf of the chart)
So . . . how is this helpful to you? Use the kit as a tool to help you . . .
So . . . how is this helpful to you? Use the kit as a tool to help you . . .
- narrow down the kits you are most interested in taking a closer look at. You'll be able to see all kinds of information on this chart - from price and version of the Bible used to scope and sequence.
- identify the strengths and weakness of the curriculum you choose. For example, if you decide on a kit for your VBS, but see in the chart it doesn't offer information on screening your volunteers or how to lead a child to Christ, then you'll know you need to find this information from other sources.
I hope you'll find my chart a helpful tool for you as you evaluate these curriculum options for use in your ministry.
Monday, February 6, 2012
First Friday Freebies . . . On a Monday . . .Qpon Monkey!
Similar to other coupon sites, this one focuses on and features resources, tools and product which you will be able to use in your ministry, so take a moment and check it out!
And, just for joining you'll receive a free download of "Crazy, Messy, Kidmin Games"!
Celebrating Milestones - Family Faith Celebrations - I'm Giving One Away!
Today I'm looking at some resources from Group Publishing designed to help your church equip parents to celebrate milestones in their child(ren)'s lives. These Family Faith Celebrations seem to be patterned after the Legacy Milestones resources I posted about yesterday and even have Dr. Brian Haynes on the dvd you may use in your parent training classes. Group has six Family Faith Celebrations available, but four of them relate to children's ministry, so those are the four I will post about today.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Put Feet to Their Faith With the Children's Heart Project Through Samaritan's Purse!
Family Resources - Celebrating Milestones - Legacy Milestones!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
VBS 2012 - Zapped from Orange Arrived Today . . .
Friday, February 3, 2012
Mark Your Calendars for February 15th!!!! You Don't Want to Miss This!!!!
Please Check Out Kidmin1124 - My New Post is About 5 Essentials For Your Volunteers!

Thursday, February 2, 2012
Two Free Resources for Parents - and Grandparents!
If we are serious about equipping parents so they are able to be the primary teachers, leaders and disciplers of their children, then we need to be "sharers of resources"! Let your parents - and grandparents - know of resources which provide information, ideas and tools which they might take advantage of as they strive to lead their children. So, today I have two free resources you could let the parents and grandparents in your ministry know about!
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