Free Resurrection Sunday Lesson!

I originally posted this lesson last year . . . but, thought since you all may be looking for ideas for Resurrection Sunday 2012, I'd share it with you again! April 8, 2012 is 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 which 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)

I Have Two Winners . . .

I'm happy to announce Kathy King is the winner of Group's Baby Blessings (you'll find the review at this link) and Misti Rowcliffe is the winner of 150 Quick Questions to Get Your Kids Talking (you'll find the review at this link) Thank you Kathy and Misti for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your addresses so I can send these to you) and thank you Group and Harvest House for sending these for my review and for me to give away!

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.

I'm Giving Away an American Girl Doll on My Other Blog . . .

Two weeks from tomorrow I will be drawing one name for my American Girl McKenna Doll give-away! Yes, the give-away is only two weeks away!!!! McKenna will be the third American Girl doll I will have been able to give away on grandma's cookie jar . . . I look forward to giving more dolls away in the future!

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."

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!

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."

I Have Two Winners . . .

I'm happy to announce Dawn Erven is the winner of the new VeggieTales Robin Good DVD (You'll find the review at this link) and Jack Igel is the winner of the Three Hearts DVD from Samaritan's Purse (You'll find the review at this link) Thank you Dawn and Jack for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your addresses so I can have them sent to you) and thank you Big Idea and Samaritan's Purse for making these available for me to review and give away!

Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - Summer Minute to Win It!

I love Lindsey Whitney's ideas for "Minute to Win It" for church and her Summer Edition gives even more ideas to help you hold your own "Minute to Win It" at your church! Thank you Lindsey for allowing me to re-post these articles from your site - Growing Kids Ministry. Please be sure to take a minute to check her site for more excellent ideas for your ministry!

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!

First of all I want to thank Lindsey Whitney for graciously allowing me to re-post her article on "Minute to Win It for Church!" Lindsey writes Growing Kids Ministry - be sure to take a minute to check her site for all the great ideas, articles and resources you will find there! As you think about the ministry opportunities you want to offer the children and families from your church and community, think about having your own "Minute to Win It!"

Family Ministry on a Shoe-String - We Have Talent!

All this week I've been talking about some family ministry possibilities you could offer the children and families in your church . . . all on a shoe-string! I have one more idea for you . . . you could plan a "(your church's name) got talent" show and involve children and families in sharing their "talents" . . . you could even do this in conjunction with your picnic in the park for "entertainment" at your picnic! 

Discipline and Children

Child discipline can be such a difficult topic . . . there are those who believe in spanking and those who do not. I think there are a great many who are just confused and not sure what the best "plan of action" is when it comes to child discipline. If we are serious about equipping the parents in our ministries so they are able to confidently raise their children to know, love and walk with God, then we need to address the area of child discipline. Certainly we all want our children and grandchildren to grow up as people who are able to show self-control and make wise decisions, but how do we best accomplish this. And what does the Bible teach about it?


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!

If you are looking for something you could do to engage children and families in your church and reach out to your community at the same time . . . all on a shoe-string budget, think about offering Family Picnics in the Park! Think about the following - 

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 -

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!

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!

So . . . I've been posting all month about family ministry; this week I want to focus on ideas for family ministry events/activities . . . all on a shoestring - so any church can do these things! Do you plan family ministry events/activities? While there are some which can be very expensive, there are also lots of ideas which are very affordable . . . just may take some planning. With Summer just a few months away and kids out of school, it is the ideal time to kick your children's and family ministry into high gear! Add to this the rising gas prices . . . and rising everything prices . . . and you are likely to have children and families looking for things to do on a very limited budget. This gives you additional opportunity to reach out to children and families, so all this week I'll look at some ideas for children's and family ministry you could do on a shoe-string!


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 . . . 

Put Feet to Their Faith with Children's Heart Project . . . I'm Giving a Three Hearts DVD Away

I've been sharing all month with your about Samaritan's Purse's Children's Heart Project and am delighted to let you know they have produced a movie about how Children's Heart Project helped three children from Mongolia . . . and I am going to give one Three Hearts dvd away! In this DVD Children's Heart Project shares how "graduating college senior, Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of evangelist Billy Graham, takes on an internship at Samaritan’s Purse working with the Children’s Heart Project. This project is dedicated to saving the lives of children by providing medical procedures which are not available in many countries. Cissie is charged with supervising the arrival and surgeries of three Mongolian children suffering from fatal congenital heart defects. But the task is not easy and filled with unexpected challenges.  Cissie balances responsibilities as a newly married wife to a professional football player and her tasks with the internship.  Meanwhile the Children’s Heart team turns to a Texas family who travels to Mongolia for the adventure of a lifetime to help bring the children to San Antonio for their surgeries.  In Texas, two host families make sacrifices to care for these children and their mothers, while a team of doctors and nurses volunteer their time only to stare directly into the face of life and death. How far would you go to save a life? It’s a fight for survival, a fight of faith, and a fight for a new life for these three hearts."

Bible Review . . . my first Hands-On Bible!

I have had the opportunity over the years to review quite a number of Bibles for children. I'm happy today to share with you a new Bible for preschoolers . . . 

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.”

VeggieTales Robin Good and His Not-So Merry Men . . . I'm Giving One Away

This new Veggie DVD, Robin Good & His Not So Merry Men, releases on March 3rd and is one children and families in your ministry are sure to love . . . and you will love the way it gives you so many opportunities to talk with them about important lessons!


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!

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!

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 -

What Do I Need to "See"?

In our children's and family ministries "imparting information" is important, but it is infinitely most important for us to pray for "eyes to be opened". In our ministries we "impart" a lot of "information". We teach Bible lessons, we train volunteers, we encourage parents . . . we "impart" a lot of "information". But, do we focus on asking God to "open eyes"? What are some things we need to have our eyes . . . and the eyes of children, parents and volunteers . . . opened? Consider the following . . . 

Make Prayer THE Priority

I recently heard a sermon from Dr. Jim Samra about the most important thing we can do . . . Pray! (You can check this link to hear the sermon - it just takes 26 minutes and 48 seconds to do so . . . you'll be glad you did!)

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 . . . 

A Must-Have Resource for Parents . . . The 10 Best Decisions Every Parent Can Make

Part of having a children's ministry is focusing on ministry to their parents as well because if you want to be genuinely effective at reaching and discipling children, you have to come alongside their parents so you work with their parents to accomplish this goal. There are many things you can do to come alongside parents, but one very simple one is to recommend resources for parents. Consider finding and selecting one book/resource each month and then recommend it to the parents in your ministry.


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!

Another Resource for Families - 150 Quick Questions to Get Your Kids Talking - I'm Giving One Away!

I'm delighted for the opportunity to share another resource you could recommend to the parents in your church . . . and I will be giving one away!

Please Check Kidmin1124 - My New Post is About the #4 Essential Thing for Volunteers

Over on Kidmin1124 I've been talking about the top five essential things for us to give our volunteers. I've said, “There certainly are a lot of things we need to give our volunteers, but for the next few weeks, I’m going to share my top five essentials for us to give our volunteers.” Then I posted about the #5 essential thing for us to give our volunteers . . . give them resources! On my new post I want to take a few moments to consider the #4 essential thing for us to give our volunteers, training!

Family Resource - 365 Ways to Say "I LOVE YOU" to Your Kids!

Resources. We are always looking for resources to use in our children's ministries, but how often do we look for resources to put in the hands of parents and grandparents? If we are serious about being as effective as possible in our children's ministries, then we need to be serious and intentional about looking for, finding and making available to parents, resources which will better equip them as the primary teachers and disciplers of their children. I'm very happy to share one such resource with you today . . . 

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!

I Have a Winner in My VeggieTales "If I Sang a Silly Song" DVD Give-away!

I'm happy to announce Twinkle Perey is the winner in my Veggie Tales "If I Sang A Silly Song" DVD give-away! (You will find the review at this link) Thank you Twinkle for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Big Idea for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

Free Family Ministry Event - Resurrection Sunday Bible Journey!

When it comes to reaching families in and out of your ministry, you need to have vision, passion and a plan so you will be effective at reaching out to the families in your church and community. Today I'm going to talk about planning family events as special outreach opportunities to the families in your church and community. I'm not going to talk about children's ministry vs. family ministry because I was invited to write a guest post for Ministry-to-Children and I do so in there; (Feel free to check the post out by following this link) other than to say, we need to "come alongside" parents as they teach their children by being intentional in our ministries and building on and reinforcing what the parents are teaching their children. This is where a vision statement comes in. What is it we want to accomplish in our children’s ministries? What is our plan to get there? When we join up with the parents by equipping and coming alongside them, we will experience real and measurable results.

Provide Those Resources . . . Wise Words for Moms

When it comes to equipping, encouraging and supporting parents, one of the most important things we can do is provide, or at least point out, resources which will help parents know how to effectively raise their children so they know and walk with God. There are many, many resources out there - some are better than others, so today I'm going to share a resource with you so you can share it with the parents in your ministry.

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.

If I Sang a Silly Song . . . Family Fun Night and I'm Giving One Away!

It's a Silly Song Telethon . . . and since it's a VeggieTales Silly Song Telethon, it is sure to feature the silliest silly songs ever! This new dvd from VeggieTales, If I Sang A Silly Song, features 20 of their all time silliest silly songs from twenty years of Veggies! In addition you'll find "extras' including the Karaoke versions of each song so children and families can join in the fun and sing along! And, if all this isn't enough silly fun, an all-new silly song debuts on this dvd . . . Bubble Rap with the return of Boyz in the Sink!

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 . . . 

• 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.

First Friday Freebies . . . On a Monday . . .Qpon Monkey!

I'm delighted to let you know about a new website which was, "created to provide the very best deals for those of us involved in ministry.  Yes, it's a coupon site designed specifically to help stretch your ministry budgets. They will also be including honest straight forward reviews of products written by ministers serving in the local church with weekly giveaways as a way for their product providers to say 'Thanks' to everyone who visits the site." 


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.

VBS 2012 - Zapped from Orange!

I'm happy to post my final review for VBS 2012 reviews  . . . Zapped from Orange!  They did a great job with the content and substance of this VBS resource and they provide a lot of options for you. Take a look and consider if Zapped is a good "fit" for your children's ministry!

Put Feet to Their Faith With the Children's Heart Project Through Samaritan's Purse!

All this month I'm focusing on the Children's Heart Project through Samaritan's Purse and am encouraging you to "Put Feet to Their Faith" and involve the children in your ministry in a project to raise money for the Children's Heart Project. Through the Children's Heart Project, Samaritan's Purse provides life-saving heart surgeries for children around the world who are in need. They bring these children and a parent to the United States where they live with a host family while their child has the surgery. The host families share Jesus with the parents and children and not only are hearts made whole physically, but people get saved and hearts are made whole spiritually as well! Consider the account of two little boys from Uganda . . . 

Family Resources - Celebrating Milestones - Legacy Milestones!

I am soooo excited to share the ministry of Kingsland Baptist Church and Dr. Brian Haynes from Katy, TX with you today as we think about celebrating milestones! This church has intentionally designed a plan to, as they say, "equip parents to effectively train our children in the Christian faith as they do the common things of life." They call this plan - "Legacy Milestones" and it is nothing short of amazing! They have identified seven "milestones" for all ages, but in this post we will focus on the first three as they relate to children.

VBS 2012 - Zapped from Orange Arrived Today . . .

FedEx delivered Zapped from Orange today so be watching for it's review on Monday! I'll also post an updated side-by-side comparison chart which includes Zapped and my final Dollars & Cents of VBS, so please check back on Monday! (I'll also send my Zapped review to CM Buzz for Monday, too!)

Mark Your Calendars for February 15th!!!! You Don't Want to Miss This!!!!

Before you do anything else today, mark your calendars for February 15th!!! Grab a red pen and circle the date!!!! Why, you ask? Well, because it is the day after Valentine's Day!!!! So, you ask? Because the day after Valentine's Day all the heart-shaped Valentine's Day candies go on clearance!!!! What can you do with heart-shaped candies? Well, please allow me to share just a few of the many things you can do with heart-shaped candies in your children's ministry . . . 

Please Check Out Kidmin1124 - My New Post is About 5 Essentials For Your Volunteers!

When you have a few minutes, please check my new post on Kidmin 1124 - Five Essentials for Your Children's Ministry . . . #5 - Give Them Resources! I said, "There certainly are a lot of things we need to give our volunteers, but for the next few weeks, I’m going to share my top five essentials for us to give our volunteers. Today let’s think about the #5 essential thing for us to give our volunteers . . . give them resources! When we ask someone to volunteer their time, energy and self to serve in our children’s ministry, we need to be sure we are not also asking them to come up with the resources they will need to serve. Be sure you provide each of the following things for your volunteers . . ."

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!