Reassuring Parents Our Ministries are Safe Places for Their Kids

With the news of the past year it is impossible to not have our hearts grieve for children who have been harmed at the hands of an adult they should have been able to trust. When news like this hits the airwaves, it leaves parents understandably shaken and in need of assurance they can trust the adults who have access to their children. So with the start of our Fall ministries it is time to ask, "What can you do to help parents know their children are safe with you?" Consider the following . . .

Children's Museum Tour . . . I'm Giving Away Free Tickets!

I began this month with a Children's Museum "Tour" on my other blog, grandma's cookie jar, and shared information about several Children's Museums - and gave away some free tickets, too! I still have a few more Children's Museums to let you know about and I still have tickets to give away! 

If you have never visited a children's museum, you are missing out on one of the best places you can take your children because, unlike other museums, children's museums are places where children - and adults - not only can touch, but are encouraged and invited to do so! At a children's museum you can touch, explore, experience, learn and will certainly have lots of fun!

Trust . . . Takes Seconds to Break, Forever to Repair

Yesterday I posted about trust . . . it takes years to build . . .  and shared ideas on how to build trust with the children, parents and volunteers in your ministry. Today I want to think about how to repair broken trust.

We are people. We are imperfect. We say and do things which hurt others and breaks trust. So, what do we do when we have “broken” trust with someone else? Consider the following . . .

Trust . . . Takes Years to Build . . .

A friend posted this on their Facebook the other day . . .

It got me to thinking. Trust is an essential part of children’s ministry . . .

• parents need to be able to trust us
• children need to be able to trust us
• our volunteers need to be able to trust us
• we need to be able to trust our volunteers

So . . . for the next few days, let’s take a look at trust. Trust takes years to build . . .

5 Essentials for Your Volunteers . . . #1 – Prayer!

I’ve been writing about the Top 5 Essentials for our Volunteers . . . #5 – provide resources, #4 – provide training and #3 – thank and encourage your volunteers and #2 – a listening ear. Last week I said, “A listening ear is one of the most precious things you can give your volunteers . . . it communicates better than words, you really do care!”  Today I’m going to look at #1 – give your volunteers prayer!

This may seem like a “no-brainer”, but when I talk about praying, I don’t mean the casual, “Lord please bless my volunteers.” I mean real prayer which shows itself in a three ways . . .

5 Essentials for Your Volunteers . . . #2 A Listening Ear!

I’ve been writing about the Top 5 Essentials for our Volunteers . . . #5 – provide resources, #4 – provide training and #3 – thank and encourage your volunteers. Yesterday I said, “When someone volunteers to give of themselves and their time to serve in your children’s ministry, they are giving something truly precious. When you thank and encourage them you are showing you understand the value of what they offer, you sincerely appreciate what they offer and most importantly, you sincerely appreciate them!” and then I gave a couple things to keep in mind and nine ideas for thanking your volunteers! Today I’m going to look at #2 – give your volunteers a listening ear!

I Have a Winner!

I'm happy to announce Frank Tan is the winner in my Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure book give-away! (You'll find the review at this link) Thank you Frank for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address by August 31, 2012 so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Zonderkidz for sending one copy of this book for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

5 Essentials for Your Volunteers . . . #3 Thank and Encourage Them!

For the past couple of articles, I’ve been writing about the Top 5 Essentials for our Volunteers . . . #5 – provide resources and #4 – provide training. I said, “Whatever you do, commit to providing training for your volunteers this year because it is essential. If we want our volunteers to be successful in their ministry, we need to provide the tools they need and training is an essential tool!” Today I’m going to look at #3 – thank and encourage your volunteers!

The American Bible Challenge Debuts Tonight - & I Have a Winner!

Are you planning to watch the American Bible Challenge tonight on the Game Show Network? Well, tonight. Thursday, August 23, 2012, is the premier of this new game show at 8pm where contestants play this show which tests their knowledge of the Bible, not to win a pile of money for themselves, but to give their winnings to a charity! Jeff Foxworthy is the host and this show - which has its own Gospel Choir - is sure to garner attention!

I'm going to watch it for the following reasons . . . 

5 Essentials for Your Volunteers #4 – Provide Training!

Yesterday I said, “There certainly are a lot of things we need to give our volunteers, but for the next few days, 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! Today I want to take a few moments to consider the #4 essential thing for us to give our volunteers, training!

I know, I can practically hear you groaning as you think about volunteer training. I understand it can be very difficult to get volunteers to show up at training opportunities, everyone is certainly busy, but training is essential if we are going to be effective in our ministry.

5 Essentials for Your Volunteers #5 – Give Them Resources!

There certainly are a lot of things we need to give our volunteers, but for the next few days, 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 . . .

Maintenance or Changing the World? Which Will You Choose - Re-run

I saw a very interesting video by George Barna. It is only one minute and four seconds long, but in those 64 seconds he asks a very important question - one every church needs to answer! Watch it and answer it for your church -

Thoughts About Keeping Track of It All . . . Notice Your Volunteers!

I've been posting about noticing the children who are, and who are not, in your ministry on a Sunday or Wednesday. Today I want to take a moment to encourage you to commit this new school year to notice your volunteers as well. Consider the following ideas for noticing your volunteers -

Sneak Peek - VeggieTales the League of Incredible Vegetables!

Mark your calendars for October 13, 2012 as this is the date for the release of the new VeggieTales DVD - the League of Incredible Vegetables! As this day gets closer I'll provide you with a complete review and announce a give-away, but today I just want to let you have a sneak peek at this must-have Veggie Tale!

Big Idea has absolutely out-done themselves with this new story! As my husband previewed it with me, he ended up laughing out loud throughout the movie . . . I was laughing, too! I love how Big Idea is able to write a story for children which adults can enjoy, too!

Thoughts About Keeping Track of It All . . . Notice the Children Who Are Not There!

Yesterday I posted about being sure to notice which children are at your church by taking attendance each and every Sunday. Just as it is important to notice who is at your church, it is also important to notice who is not at your church. Consider the following ideas -

the American Bible Challenge - and a Give-Away!

What do you get when you combine the Bible, a competition, Jeff Foxworthy, a Gospel Choir and money for charities? The American Bible Challenge! This is a new show on the Game Show Network premiering on Thursday, August 23, 2012! They say, "Comedian and author, Jeff Foxworthy hosts this studio-based game in which contestants compete based on their knowledge of the Bible.  Utilizing current as well as historical references, questions will be drawn from the rich, dense narrative found in the world's best-selling book.  The contestants will share their compelling back-stories and each team will be playing for a charitable organization."

Thoughts About Keeping Track of It All . . . Notice the Children Who Are There!

There are so many things to keep your attention and notice on a Sunday morning, yet one of the most important is being sure to take the time to notice people . . . notice the children who are there, notice children who are not there, notice visitors and notice your volunteers. Like I said, there are so many things to keep your attention and notice on a Sunday! Today I'll give you a few things to think about when it comes to noticing the children who are at your church on a Sunday morning. 

I Have a Winner . . .

I'm happy to announce "Shout 4 Joy" is the winner in my God's Kids Worship music DVD give-away! (You'll find the review at this link) Thank you for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address by August 24, 2012 so I can have it sent to you) and thank you God's Kids Worship for sending one for me to review and for making an additional copy available for me to give away!

Focus for August - I Know There is No One Like God - Part 2!

A couple weeks ago I wrote again about what we focus on in children's ministry and looked at a focus for August in Psalm 86:8,9 and shared a prayer to help us focus on knowing there is no one like God!

So, today, as we think about honoring God because there is no one like Him, let's also think about the following -

Instant Family Devotions - Book Review

There are many things we do when we serve in a children's ministry, evaluate and select curriculum, recruit and train volunteers, support and encourage volunteers, teach, lead small groups, pay attention to the details, communicate with parents and the list goes on. One thing we can, and should do, is find family resources and share those with the families in our ministries. If we want to support, encourage and help equip parents, one way we can do this is by sharing resources with them. I recently had the opportunity to review the book, Instant Family Devotions by Mike Nappa and Jill Wuellner . . . this is a resource well worth sharing with the families in your ministry!

Please Check CM Buzz for My Post - Are Your Volunteers Invisible?

In addition to writing About the Children's Department, I also write for CM Buzz. My most recent post talks about, are your children's ministry volunteers invisible? I said, "By this I mean, in the eyes of the rest of your church, are they invisible? Do the people in your church know who they are? Do the people in your church know what they do? Do the people in your church understand how your children’s ministry volunteers actually serve them? . . . Children’s ministry volunteers serve out of “sight” in most churches. They are not the ones who are in the “front” of the church where everyone can see them. They are not the ones in the classes with adults. They are “invisible”. This presents several “problems” . . . or at least challenges.  When children’s ministry volunteers are “invisible” " and then gave some ways this can be a problem or challenge in our ministries.

I Have a Winner . . .

I'm happy to announce Karol is the winner in my VeggieTales the Penniless Princess dvd give-away! (You'll find the review at this link) Thank you Karol for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address by August 20, 2012 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!

How Important Are Children? They Need to Be Our Prime Responsibility NOW!

The Summer is almost over and our Fall ministries will be beginning in just a few weeks! Are you ready? Have you chosen your curriculum? Have you recruited and trained your volunteer staff? Do the parents know what their children will be learning and how they will be able to reinforce it at home in this coming school year? Do the people of your church know the vision for your children's ministry? Do they understand their "role" in seeing this vision accomplished?

Second-Chance Give-Away - the Penniless Princess

When I have a give-away on About the Children's Department I give the winner a week to get their address to me so I can be sure they receive their prize. If I do not hear from them in the week, then I have a second-chance give-away. I'm having a second-chance give-away for the new VeggieTale dvd - the Penniless Princess. I LOVED this new Veggie story - you will find my review at this link.

The Princess Parables - Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure - I'm Giving One Away!

I'm happy for the opportunity to share a new book with you . . . one which little girls in your ministry and families with little girls, are sure to enjoy! The Princess Parables books tell the stories of sisters who are princesses. As they say, "there is the studious Princess Faith, the adventurous Princess Charity, and Princess Hope, the responsible firstborn. Each sister’s tale provides readers with valuable Christian lessons filled with insight and royal fun."

I Have a Winner . . .

I'm happy to announce Nicole N is the winner in my Princess Faith's Mysterious Garden book give-away! (You'll find the review at this link) Thank you Nicole for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address by August 17, 2012 so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Zonderkidz for sending one for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

cm LEADERS CONFERENCE - Make Plans Today to Go!

It was my plan to write today about the new cm leader's conference, but then I decided there wasn't anything I could say as well as Michael Chanley already has! So, I'm sharing his recent email about this conference with you!  

What is Fammin?

What is family ministry? This is the question we have been thinking, writing and reading about for quite some time, but with a focus on it for the Summer of '12. Matt Norman organized a "Fammin Tour" to try and answer this question; thank you for doing this Matt and for inviting me to "throw my two cents in"! 

There Are No Grills or Microwaves in Heaven!

I am a grandma and I love being the grandma of Josiah, Caleb and Shane! When you think about children's ministry you may think about parents, but don't forget grandparents. Grandparents are in a unique position to have many important conversations with grandchildren. There is something "special" about grandparents because most grandchildren do not see them everyday; which makes the times they do see them, very special . . . for grandparents as well!

Children's Ministry Statistics - Why It Matters Now What We Do With Children!

I found this video on YouTube . . . take a moment to watch it and consider, "Children are not the future of the body of Christ alone . . . they need to be our prime responsibility NOW!"

Go Fish Concert!

I've posted in the past about the Go Fish Guys and said, "It can be tremendously difficult to find music with a solid message and tune which will get kids really singing . . . that is unless you take a good look at the music from Go Fish! Their music is flat out, amazing! The messages are solid and the tunes combine harmony and "pep" so kids not only sing the songs, but get up and dance as well! These are songs which most importantly, communicate a solid message about God's love, grace, forgiveness and the joy knowing Him brings to our lives!" I stand by this . . . it is all 100% true!

Children's Ministry Around the World - Japan!

All week we've been looking at children's ministry around the world . . . today on our final stop for the week we will look at children's ministry in Japan! With the horrible tragedy of the massive earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan last year, this country was been in the news and in all of our prayers as well. Before we look at children's ministry in this country, I'd like to encourage you all to check out Samaritan's Purse and see what you can do to team up with them and help the people of Japan because while it has been a year, it has only been a year and there is still much to be done to help the people of Japan.

God's Kids Worship - Next Worship Fall . . . I'm Giving One Away!

Are you familiar with God's Kids Worship? They make worship songs for kids. Songs which are easy for kids to sing, for adults to use and which help kids worship God. As they say, "God's Kids Worship® songs are produced for kids to enjoy singing, and adults to enjoy leading. You'll only hear songs which are sung by kids for kids, which match the attention span of kids, which don't have long introductions or guitar solos, and contain only the best, most singable parts of songs. The award-winning arrangements are all kid-friendly, with an emphasis on energy and fun."

I Have Two Winners!

I'm happy to announce Julie S and tbear0 are the winners in my 101 Verses that Stick give-away! (You'll find my review at this link) Thank you Julie and tbear0 for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your addresses by August 10, 2012 so I can send them to you) and thank you Zonderkidz for sending some for me to review and additional ones for me to give away! (And yes, there is room on them to write personal notes, too!)

Children's Ministry Around the World - Australia!

In the past few days we've "visited" children's ministry in Pakistan, Belize and Northern Ireland . . . today we will "visit" the "Land Down Under" and see what children's ministry looks like in Australia!

Focus for August - I Know There is No One Like God!

A couple months ago I wrote about what we focus on in children's ministry. I said, "When it comes to children's ministry there is often more than one thing to focus on . . . the vision for the ministry, selecting the resources to best help you accomplish your vision, sharing your vision with others, finding, training, supporting volunteers, communicating effectively with parents . . . the list could, and often does, go on and on. but what is your real focus? What is the one thing you really need to keep at the top of your list? I believe it is spiritual growth. We can not give to others what we do not have for ourselves. I provided twelve things to focus on from Psalm 86, so at the beginning of each of the coming twelve months, I'll post about the monthly focus and encourage us all to keep our focus on growing in our own walk with Jesus!"

Children's Ministry Around the World - Northern Ireland!

Today we are continuing our look at children's ministry around the world . . . join me on our "journey" as we head north to the Emerald Island and learn about a ministry in Northern Ireland!


Dave Pavey is the children's pastor at Causeway coast Vineyard Church in Coleraine, on the North Coast of Ireland - 55 miles northwest of Belfast. This church began in 1999 meeting in a local pub! I asked Dave what a "typical" Sunday looked like at his church and he said the kids are involved in activities, music, Bible games, prayer, Bible lessons, review and taking an offering for a child they support through World Vision in South Africa. Dave said they have used Willow Creek's "Flipt" curriculum and write their own as well. He said the kids love the worship time and the relational aspect of their ministry the most . . and that they get to "do the same kingdom stuff the adults do"!

I Have a Winner of the Penniless Princess!

I've been talking for a few months about the new Veggie story . . . the Penniless Princess. I said, ""Through the years there have been some truly delightful VeggieTales stories . . . I particularly enjoyed Lord of the Beans, It's a Meaningful Life and Pistachio! But I have been waiting - ever since I heard it was in production - for the release of The Penniless Princess, so you can imagine how happy I was to receive the review copy in the mail! I also want to let you know VeggieTales does NOT disappoint with their newest Veggie story! The Penniless Princess is completely enjoyable to watch and most importantly - as we have come to expect and appreciate with VeggieTales - provides solid messages for families to talk about together after watching the story! As VeggieTales says, 'The DVD’s story is based on the children’s book, A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and helps to teach an important lesson about knowing your own true worth inspired by Philippians 4:8, as well as trusting God, no matter what happens in life, based on Romans 8:39. VeggieTales: The Penniless Princess—God’s Little Girl includes plenty of engaging and fun music fit for families, with the all-new Silly Song “Best Friends Forever” and the featured song “No Matter What,” both in sing-along versions in the DVD bonus features.  Other bonus features include a special tour of London with the popular French Peas characters, a hilarious look at the history of the Teddy Bear, a discussion guide for parents and behind the scenes clips.' And if all this wasn't enough, 'Big Idea Entertainment has teamed up with Mercy Ministries^® to help hurting girls free of charge restart life with a new perspective.'" 


I very much enjoyed reviewing this new VeggieStory and not only did Big Idea send me a copy to review, but they made another available for me to give away! I'm happy to announce Corenae O'Green is the winner of the Penniless Princess DVD! (You'll find my review at this link) Thank you Corenae for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address by August 8, 2012 so I can have it sent to you - lyndafreemanatcd@gmail.com) and thank you Big Idea for sending a copy for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

I Have a Winner . . .

I recently reviewed the book Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure and gave one away, but the winner didn't get their address to me, so I had a second-chance drawing. I'm happy to announce Adrian Bauer is the winner! (You'll find my review of the book at this link) Thank you Adrian for reading About the Children's Department (please message me your address by August 8, 2012 so I can have it sent to you - lyndafreemanatcd@gmail.com) and thank you Zonderkidz for sending the book for me to review and for making another available for me to give away!

Children's Ministry Around the World - Belize!

This week I'm taking a look at children's ministry around the world . . . join me today on our "journey" as we learn about an amazing ministry in Belize!


David & Karen Rhodes are founders of Kidz Konnect 4 Jesus - they have a passion to reach the children of Belize for Jesus! The Rhodes believe they truly can be used by God to share the Good News of Jesus with the entire country of Belize - 51% of the country are children so their focus is on reaching the children of Belize!