Summer - Kick it Into High Gear!

Yesterday I asked; "What is the difference between churches where they kick into high gear in the summer and churches where they 'roll up the sidewalks' which allows one to see the summer as a time of opportunity and the other to see it as a time to, 'take off'?"  I said, "I believe both churches care very much about children and families, but I do believe it is possible the second church has become burdened and overwhelmed by the work involved in getting and keeping volunteers, so adding to the things they already do throughout the year is just too overwhelming."

Today I want to look at a couple possible reasons for this difference. I think it has something to do with the level of "burden" a church sees or feels in regards to their children's ministry. If we believe it is too "burdensome" to plan a summer of ministry opportunities and staff those opportunities, we will not try to, "kick into high gear" in the Summer. 

The truth is, providing a Summer of ministry opportunities does take work; a lot of work. It also takes volunteers; a lot of volunteers and this in and of itself can be overwhelming for churches where they struggle just to have volunteers on Sundays in the Summer. 

So, if you want to provide a summer of ministry opportunities and are willing to put in the work to do so, what do you do to get everyone on-board so you have the volunteers you need to pull it off? Consider the following -

• Pray. Yes, pray. You spend serious time in prayer. Get others in your church to pray. Send out prayer emails to families, volunteers and church members throughout the year, asking them to pray with you for wisdom to know what opportunities to offer and for God to send the laborers. Keep it in the minds of the people in your ministry - regularly ask them to pray.
• Cast a vision - know why you want to have a summer of opportunities and share those reasons. Help people in your church understand there are legitimate reasons for kicking into high gear and then pray some more!

Summer is an opportunity to engage children who are not in school five days a week, who do not necessarily have early bedtimes and a time when children and families often end up looking for something to do. Provide the "something" and in so doing, reach children and families and help them learn to love, know and walk with Jesus - what could possibly be a better way to spend the summer?