When my husband and I raised our children in the 1980's and 1990's, life was very different
than it is today. The world was different. Then, computers were just starting to show up in homes; today nearly everyone has at least one computer. Then, cell phones were new and only the wealthy had them; today even children often have their own phones.
Monday, March 31, 2014
I Have a Winner!



Sunday, March 30, 2014
Take a Moment to Give Thanks . . .
Take time this week to reflect, pause and "evaluate", but while you are doing these things, don't forget to take time to give thanks! I looked on-line and found the following definition for giving thanks . . . "Express gratitude or show appreciation to." So, with this in mind, let's think about taking a moment to "give thanks" . . .
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Take a Moment to Evaluate . . .
Yesterday I wrote, "Reflecting is all about evaluating and if we do not evaluate the things we do, how will we know if we are 'on target' or just throwing everything at the wall hoping something 'sticks'? Take time this week to 'reflect, chew over, think over, ponder and contemplate' . . . and be sure to take notes!" and Monday I said, "The school year is almost over and Summer ministries are about to begin, so now is the perfect time to take a moment to pause, reflect, evaluate and give thanks!" and then took time to consider pausing.
Today I want to take a moment to consider what it means to "evaluate" and why we should do so, but first, let's think about what "evaluate" means. I looked on-line and found the following definition . . . "Place a value on; judge the worth of something". So, with this in mind, let's think about taking a moment to "evaluate" . . .
Today I want to take a moment to consider what it means to "evaluate" and why we should do so, but first, let's think about what "evaluate" means. I looked on-line and found the following definition . . . "Place a value on; judge the worth of something". So, with this in mind, let's think about taking a moment to "evaluate" . . .
Friday, March 28, 2014
Take a Moment to Reflect . . .
Today I want to take a moment to consider what it means to "reflect" and why we should do so, but first, let's think about what "reflect" means. I looked on-line and found the following synonyms for "reflect" . . . "chew over; think over; meditate; mull; mull over; muse; ponder; ruminate; reflect; speculate; contemplate". So, with these in mind, let's think about taking a moment to "reflect" . . .
I Have a Winner!

Thursday, March 27, 2014
Take a Moment to Pause, Reflect, Evaluate and Give Thanks!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
How Can We Be More Effective Today?
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Why Should We Continue With VBS?
This time of year, it isn't uncommon to find at least one person questioning whether we
should invest time, people and resources in VBS; I would like to add my, "two cents" to this question by saying, it depends.
What does it depend on? Consider the following . . .
should invest time, people and resources in VBS; I would like to add my, "two cents" to this question by saying, it depends.
What does it depend on? Consider the following . . .
Monday, March 24, 2014
Book Review & Give-Away - Must-Have Marvin
Sunday, March 23, 2014
What Curriculum Do You Use and Why?
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Today is World Water Day, So Here are Some Interesting and Flat-out Amazing Water Facts . . .
Are You Certain Your Children's Ministry Communicates the Message You Think It Does?
Friday, March 21, 2014
Take the Time & Make the Time to Know Your Volunteers!
Recently I wrote about the benefits of keeping the volunteers you already have, so today I
want to write about one way to do this . . . take the time - and make the time - to know your volunteers.
want to write about one way to do this . . . take the time - and make the time - to know your volunteers.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Support & Encourage Volunteers in Practical . . . and Needed Ways
As I've posted in the past, ""I do not believe burnout is really a problem in children’s ministry. Stay with me for a minute as I explain. When we, or a volunteer, are tired from serving, instead of identifying it as, 'we are tired', we call it burn-out. Or, when one of us experiences frustration because we are serving on our own or took too much on for us to be able to handle, instead identifying it as we are doing too much on our own, we call it burnout.
There are other examples, but the point is, burnout is not really the problem.
Misidentifying, or even not identifying, the problem is the problem. When we fail to correctly identify the problem, we can’t solve the problem and sadly, the end result is, people leave ministry and do not experience the joy God has for them when they serve. This is a true tragedy."
You will find the full post at this link, but today I want to focus on how important it is to correctly identify and take action when a volunteer experiences health issues and needs our support and encouragement . . . in practical and needed ways. When a volunteer experiences health issues, it can become all too easy to step out of children's ministry, and never return; especially if they are not supported and encouraged while they have stepped out.
There are other examples, but the point is, burnout is not really the problem.
Misidentifying, or even not identifying, the problem is the problem. When we fail to correctly identify the problem, we can’t solve the problem and sadly, the end result is, people leave ministry and do not experience the joy God has for them when they serve. This is a true tragedy."
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I Have a Winner!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Safety Checks - The Random Kind!
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- Screening volunteers
- Secure ways to sign in/pick up children
- Training volunteers
- Child to Adult staffing levels
- Safe toys/equipment/supplies
And for good reason, as these are all things we need to think about when it comes to safety in our children's ministries. However, there is one more thing you can, and should do, on a regular basis to insure your children's ministry is safe! What is this additional thing, you ask? Random safety checks!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Young Women of Faith Bible - I'm Giving One Away!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Special Set of Books for an Easter Give-Away!
I was recently invited by Zonderkidz to review three books - and give away a prize package of these three books as well! So, today I'm happy to share these three books with you and let you know how you might win these same books!
I Have a Winner!

Sunday, March 16, 2014
The Best, Easiest and Most Fun Way to Recruit!!!!
I've been talking about recruiting volunteers and while I think everything about recruiting is fun, there is one way to recruit which is the best, the easiest and the most fun ever . . . and the most effective. What could this be, you ask? Retention. Keeping the volunteers you already have! If you are successful at keeping your volunteers then your recruiting demands will reduce significantly.
When it comes to the "numbers", your church needs enough volunteers to keep your child:volunteer ratios at a safe and effective level. Basically, for nursery you should have one volunteer for every three babies, one for every four toddlers and then one for every age of children - for example for five year olds you should have one for every five children, one for every six, six year olds, etc. This level of staffing allows you to provide a safe and effective children's ministry, which means, you need to determine how many volunteers you need based on the number and ages of children in your ministry.
So, what are the benefits for keeping the volunteers you have? Consider the following -
When it comes to the "numbers", your church needs enough volunteers to keep your child:volunteer ratios at a safe and effective level. Basically, for nursery you should have one volunteer for every three babies, one for every four toddlers and then one for every age of children - for example for five year olds you should have one for every five children, one for every six, six year olds, etc. This level of staffing allows you to provide a safe and effective children's ministry, which means, you need to determine how many volunteers you need based on the number and ages of children in your ministry.
So, what are the benefits for keeping the volunteers you have? Consider the following -
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Keep the Volunteers You Have by Encouraging and Thanking them!
Friday, March 14, 2014
AHA: The God Moment That Changes Everything - Review & Give-Away!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Science Project Object Lessons for John 3:16
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This Sunday, at my church, we are teaching the children about when Jesus explained eternal life to Nicodemus and will be focusing on John 3:16. I emailed the teachers in my group two science projects they could involve the children with in their classes and I"m happy to share them with you today!
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
A Prayer for Volunteers!
I firmly believe no one cares more if we have the "laborers" we need in our ministries than God does. God went to great lengths and sent Jesus so we could be forgiven and learn to know and walk with Him, so clearly this is a message He wants others to hear. We need volunteers in our ministries so we are able to reach children and families. These are simple facts. So, we need to make praying and asking God to send us the laborers we need a regular part of our prayers! Consider the following . . .
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
From One Generation to the Next
I have always found a reading of the Old Testament to be exciting . . . and heartbreaking. You have real people and how their real lives were impacted and changed when they came to know and walk with God; such as David. He went from being a lowly shepherd boy to being the King of Israel. Yes, there were a lot of years between the two, but he knew and walked with God; even as a young teen . . . so much so he was able to trust God to fight for him when facing a giant none of the older soldiers in the army were willing to fight . . . they just ran and hid! He knew, walked with and trusted God to keep him through the years when he was being chased by Saul. Yes, he made some really horrible choices over the years, but when faced with his sin he turned from it and asked God for forgiveness and grace. He wrote the Psalms and modeled for us, even today - how to talk with God as well as how to worship and praise Him!
Yet, in spite of the amazing way David knew and walked with God, his children did not follow and share in his love for God. This is the heartbreaking part. If you spend time looking at the kings of Israel and Judah, some followed God and then in a generation or two they turned their backs on God. If you read Psalm 78 you see how over and over the Israelites walked with God and then forgot Him. Something bad happened and they turned back to God and then in a generation or two they forgot Him again.
I find this frightening. I love God! I want to know and walk with Him I want my children and grandchildren and future generations, should Jesus tarry, to continue to know, love and walk with God. I do not want them to forget Him. It only takes a casual glance at the evening news to know our world is broken because it has forgotten God. It is heartbreaking.
Yet, in spite of the amazing way David knew and walked with God, his children did not follow and share in his love for God. This is the heartbreaking part. If you spend time looking at the kings of Israel and Judah, some followed God and then in a generation or two they turned their backs on God. If you read Psalm 78 you see how over and over the Israelites walked with God and then forgot Him. Something bad happened and they turned back to God and then in a generation or two they forgot Him again.
I find this frightening. I love God! I want to know and walk with Him I want my children and grandchildren and future generations, should Jesus tarry, to continue to know, love and walk with God. I do not want them to forget Him. It only takes a casual glance at the evening news to know our world is broken because it has forgotten God. It is heartbreaking.
Elementary Children's Ministry Essentials . . . Furnishing and Supplies!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Let's Plan a Volunteer Recruiting Month! - "Finest Hour" Theme!
I'm a huge fan of planning a recruiting month with a theme built around the
lyrics of a song. One major benefit for doing this is it gives you a specific and focused theme which you can weave throughout your recruiting month; when people hear the song, they will be reminded of your message and it adds a touch of "fun" to recruiting!
lyrics of a song. One major benefit for doing this is it gives you a specific and focused theme which you can weave throughout your recruiting month; when people hear the song, they will be reminded of your message and it adds a touch of "fun" to recruiting!
One feature of your recruiting month will be a music video of your ministry, so you will need video footage of your volunteers, classes and any events you hosted throughout the year. If you ask around, you are sure to find at least one or two people in your church who like to film with a video camera, take pictures and edit videos on their computers. Ask them to be your film crew and have them film from time to time throughout the year to get footage of the children, youth, adults in your ministry. Use this footage to make your annual recruiting video. You can also use digital camera shots of people and events to make your video even more interesting! Find someone in your church to sing the song as the video plays and you will be able to communicate a strong message through the video and song.
Elementary Children's Ministry Essentials . . . Design Top-Notch Classrooms!
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Elementary Children's Ministry Essentials . . . Safety!
I have been talking about the components of a safe Nursery/Preschool and outlined essentials for these areas of your ministry. Today I'm going to focus on the essentials for Elementary children's ministry and give some ideas of how to utilize these items on a shoestring budget.
What do you think of when you think of your elementary classrooms as well as the resources you'd like to have? If you had an unlimited budget and space for the "perfect classroom", there may be some awesome resources you'd love to offer children. However, your budget may not allow for those things; so which resources are essential elements for a truly effective ministry and yet are "do-able" on a shoestring budget?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Fun Object Lesson for Jesus Feeding the 5,000!
It is not unusual for curriculum lines to put the Bible adventure of when Jesus fed the 5,000
in the Spring Scope and Sequence; so if you are teaching this lesson any time soon and would like a simple object lesson with a big, "wow" factor, consider trying this one . . .
in the Spring Scope and Sequence; so if you are teaching this lesson any time soon and would like a simple object lesson with a big, "wow" factor, consider trying this one . . .
Let's Plan a Volunteer Recruitment Month! - The Basics of What a Recruiting Month "Looks" Like!
Northern California. We needed 120 volunteers for our Sunday morning Children's Ministry and we typically held our volunteer recruitment drive during the month of August - which meant I spent a lot of time on the phone making those calls! When the new ministry year began in September, inevitably I still needed volunteers; so one year I decided to make a change and held our volunteer recruitment drive during the month of May; this was one of the best decisions I ever made!
Essentials for Safe Nursery and Preschool Classrooms - Creativity on a Shoestring!
Friday, March 7, 2014
Essentials for Safe Nursery & Preschool Classes - Classroom Environment; Decorating on a Shoestring!
I've been writing about a safe children's ministry all month, but today I want to talk about your classroom environment . . . and how to have an amazing one, even on a shoestring budget! You may have had an opportunity to see nursery or preschool classes in a large church - one which is decorated to the nines and while you might want to have a really attractive nursery, it just isn't in your budget. So, what do you do? Let me tell you - you can have a truly top-notch nursery and preschool area . . . on a shoestring budget! Consider these ideas for developing the environment for the youngest ones in your church -
- You may be tempted to paint your nursery and preschool rooms bright colors, but resist such a temptation . . . paint your walls a pale, pastel or neutral shade and then decorate according to the time of year and according to your Bible theme.
- Plan a paint-n-party day! Invite the people in your church to join you to paint your nursery and preschool classrooms. Provide sandwiches . . . or have a pot-faith picnic and ask families to bring sandwiches, chips, cookies and veggie sticks to share for one big picnic! Provide lemonade and you have all the makings for a fun and productive day!
Let's Plan a Volunteer Recruiting Month! - Recruit With Enthusiasm!
I Have a Winner!
I'm happy to say Tom Bump is the winner in my Go Fish Shine VBS Package give-away! (You'll find the post at this link) Thank you Tom for reading About the Children's Department (please get your shipping info to me by March 14, 2014 so I can have it sent to you) and thank you Go Fish for making this Prize Package available for me to give away!
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Recruiting = Going on a Treasure Hunt!
I’m absolutely convinced God cares more than anyone if we have the volunteers we need for the most effective ministry possible. This is why I believe He has placed in every church the people who are needed for each ministry to be truly effective. Some of these people have volunteered so we know who they are! That’s enough to put a smile on any recruiters face! Others just do not know yet they are people God has placed in their church to serve in the children’s ministry. Recruiting allows you to look for and find the treasure/unknown volunteers God has given you; and volunteers truly are a treasure, a gift from the hand of God!
Essentials for Safe Nursery and Preschool Classrooms - Germ Warfare and Washing Toys!
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Obviously one big area for us to focus on when it comes to the environment of the rooms our littlest ones are in begins with cleanliness. Our nurseries and preschool classrooms absolutely must be clean. We can have the most attractively decorated spaces, but if they are not clean, parents will not rightfully not want their child in our ministry. Consider the following cleaning tips -
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Thank Your Volunteers!
Volunteers
are the heartbeat of our children’s ministries.
If we are going to be truly effective
in our ministry to children we have to have a team of volunteers who are committed to and passionate about their ministry to and with the children. Nearly every children’s ministry has volunteers who go above and beyond their calling by faithfully serving - often without anyone even taking notice. While the praise of men is certainly not the reason our volunteers serve, it is appropriate for us to take the time to notice and thank those who so faithfully give of themselves to invest in the lives of the children in their class.
in our ministry to children we have to have a team of volunteers who are committed to and passionate about their ministry to and with the children. Nearly every children’s ministry has volunteers who go above and beyond their calling by faithfully serving - often without anyone even taking notice. While the praise of men is certainly not the reason our volunteers serve, it is appropriate for us to take the time to notice and thank those who so faithfully give of themselves to invest in the lives of the children in their class.
A few years ago I thought
it would be interesting to talk with churches across the country to see what
they do to tangibly thank their volunteers and have to say I was completely
delighted by the creativity and love which is put into expressing appreciation
to those who volunteer their time and their selves to serve God as well as the
children and families of their church and community! While I originally wrote this article for Your Church Magazine from Christianity Today, I thought it would be a good article to share with you today as the content is still applicable!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Second Chance Give-Away - Shine VBS from Go Fish!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Simple Sign In - Review and Give-Away!
Last week I posted about how important it is to have a sign in/pick up policy for the
children in your ministry. (You'll find the post at this link) I said, "It is essential for every church to develop a security sign in/pick up system for their children’s ministry." Today I am very happy for the opportunity to let you know about a resource which is affordable, easy to use and provides an excellent layer of security for the children in your ministry . . . and announce a special give-away as well!
Simple Sign In was developed by a church for use in their own ministry when they were unable to find a system which "fit" their ministry. They wanted to keep Simple Sign In affordable; which they have done, and they wanted to make it user friendly, while also providing a wealth of information for their church - which they also did.
I could write more about the system, but I think instead I'll share some of the information from their site as they really do a good job of explaining what Simple Sign In is and how it works . . .

Simple Sign In was developed by a church for use in their own ministry when they were unable to find a system which "fit" their ministry. They wanted to keep Simple Sign In affordable; which they have done, and they wanted to make it user friendly, while also providing a wealth of information for their church - which they also did.
I could write more about the system, but I think instead I'll share some of the information from their site as they really do a good job of explaining what Simple Sign In is and how it works . . .
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Safe Nurseries + Safe Equipment = Welcoming & Effective Ministry - Check Those Toys!
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission - http://www.cpsc.gov/ - and Consumer Reports - www.consumerreports.org - are two main web sites every nursery director needs to know to ascertain nursery safety. Follow the links on these sites to learn specific safety standards and find recalls. For example, do you know full-size cribs must have slats, spindles, corner posts and rods not more than 2 ½” apart? Have you measured your cribs to be sure they meet this standard? Check all your cribs and throw away any which don’t. Are you aware of the danger of drop-side cribs? If you have any in your nursery, throw them away. If you have an infant swing with a wind-up feature, throw it away. Be sure all infant swings have at least a three-point safety harness and always use them. Check these sites to find safety standards for all items in your nursery. Make it part of your monthly nursery check to go on-line and see if anything in your nursery is on the monthly recall/alert list at www.kidsindanger.org Throw away any of your things you find on this list . . . do not give them away, throw them away!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Safe Nurseries + Safe Equipment = Welcoming & Effective Ministry - Nursery Safety Policies!
As we focus on safe nurseries and talk about the basic steps any church could take to be sure their nursery is clean, safe and inviting, we need to take a closer look at our safety policies. Do you have written child safety and sick child policies? Some basics would include the following -
- All nursery volunteers will be at least 16 years old and will be screened, interviewed and trained before they are able to serve with the children.
- There will always be at least two unrelated, screened and trained adults in the nursery whenever it is available for use.
- All nursery furnishings and toys will be cleaned/replaced between services and during the week.
- Any child who has had a fever, colored discharge from their nose and who has had diarrhea or vomited 24 hours before an opportunity to be at church should be kept home.
- Should a child become ill while in the nursery, they will be separated from the other children and their parents will be sent for.
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