There are just two weeks until Resurrection Sunday and it is very likely most of us will still be staying home, away from others - which makes celebrating with family, friends and our church something very different this year. Last week a friend of mine, Joan Salsbury, shared a terrific link she found on a facebook page (Easter Egg Hunt 2020 with Social Distancing) for one of the most wonderful ideas I have ever seen to help our grandchildren celebrate Resurrection Sunday. Today I am very happy to share it with you, so you have time to gather the supplies and send them to your grandchildren. You will need . . .
Share this opportunity to watch the animated movie - Pilgrim's Progress with the families in your ministry along with ideas for ways they are able to use it to connect with family and friends - especially during this time when they may be staying away from them.
Resurrection Eggs are a resource from Family Life which is designed to engage children in finding "parts" which when assembled, tell the account of Jesus' death and resurrection. You hide these "parts" in plastic eggs and then the children you love go and find them. Once all the eggs are collected, you open the eggs, assemble the parts and go through the account of Resurrection Sunday.
When we trust God, we are steadfast and are able to experience His perfect peace. This is certainly what we want for the families in our ministry; at all times, but especially now with COVID-19. Children may especially feel fear as they are not in school, the adults in their lives may not be working and may be feeling stressed and life is very different.
With things as they are in our neighborhoods and in the world, some of the children, parents and grandparents in your ministry may feel afraid. But, while we do not know what will happen with COVID-19, we do know the things God has promised - and He always keeps His promises. For the coming days I will share some of these wonderful promises with you - please share them with the the people in your ministry. Today I'm starting with one of my favorite passages - Psalm 43:1-5 . . .
Please share this with the parents/grandparents in your ministry to help them know how to hand down the faith to the children they love. Our "job" is not finished just because our own children are grown. If we have grandchildren we still have a very important job to do. We are part of what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about. We are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren. I looked at the first step in doing this; being people of the Word who have God's words, "upon our heart". You will find what I had to say about this at the following link. Today I want to look at the next step . . .
One of the most important things you will ever do as a person who serves in the Children's Ministry at your church, is to equip and encourage parents and grandparents to hand down the faith. They are the first and second most influential people in the lives of the children in your ministry, so why wouldn't you equip and encourage them to hand down the faith as doing so will increase the opportunities to reach these children for Jesus? So, today I want to share with you several resources - some free, others low cost - which you are able to share with the parents and grandparents in your church to equip and encourage them to hand down the faith.
If you serve in your church's Children's Ministry - whether you are a volunteer, part-time staff or full-time staff, today I want to encourage you to check out Ministry-to-Children as it is a site which will encourage and equip you to be effective at helping children learn about Jesus. So, what is, Ministry-to-Children? Well, let me use their own words to introduce them to you . . .
I was invited to share with you an opportunity for you to try an excellent curriculum for free, so today I am delighted to do so. This Easter, get kids into the Bible story with GO! curriculum - all you have to do is download these two free Easter lessons from GO!
One is for preschoolers and one is for elementary kids. They're the perfect Easter lessons for your Children's Church or Sunday School. Your FREE Easter lessons include:
If you are looking for ideas for Resurrection Sunday 2020, consider this one. Resurrection Sunday is 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 . . .
Do you like the way you do things in your Children's Ministry? Are you satisfied with how things are going? If a parent or grandparent shares a concern or, "worse", something they do not like about the Children's Ministry, what do you do? Do you take it personally and ignore them? Do you gossip with other people in your church about how horrible it is for this parent/ grandparent to express their concern, or say they do not like what you are doing? Or do you sit down with them and try to work things out? What do you do?
I want to take a moment today to let the people in Tennessee who lost family and friends in this horrible tornado know they are in my prayers. Please join me in holding them up in your prayers - for them to be drawn to God where they will find comfort and peace. With this in mind, please take a minute to let the people in your life know how much you love them. Life is short - and fragile. The Bible says it is here today and gone tomorrow. Make it a priority today to let the ones you love know how much you love them.
One of the roles and responsibilities of people who serve in Children's Ministry is for them to help equip, encourage and come alongside parents and grandparents as they hand down the faith to the children God has entrusted to them. Children spend from one to eight hours every four weeks at church - and more and more of them spend just an hour or two every four weeks - but they live with their parents; and if their grandparents are engaged they are spending significant time with them as well. Obviously we will be most effective as people who serve in Children's Ministry when we equip, encourage and come alongside parents and grandparents to help them hand down the faith.
I'm happy and honored to introduce a new writer to you . . . Liz Wine! Liz has worked in children’s ministry in several capacities; from being a volunteer to currently directing a children’s ministry program. Her responsibilities include overseeing Sunday morning classes, selecting curriculum, running VBS, Parent’s Night Out and whatever else God plops into her lap! Liz especially enjoys working with special needs children and their families and spent a year in Rwanda teaching missionaries children. She has previously written poetry and other works for several denominational publications. When she is not working, Liz enjoys reading, watching movies, and laughing. Welcome, Liz, to About the Children's Department and thank you for being willing to share with everyone who reads this blog! So, I am delighted to share with you a wonderful article written by Liz . . . Parent's Night Out!
There are just two weeks until Resurrection Sunday and it is very likely most of us will still be staying home, away from others - which makes celebrating with family, friends and our church something very different this year. 
