I’m a huge fan of the family ministry movement.  I love the idea of involving parents more in the church and encouraging them to take a more proactive role at home.  But, I have to be honest, I didn’t really know how the whole concept would flesh out in real life.   The church has been handling “the spiritual stuff” for so long, how do we pull parents back into the picture?

My First Ideas

I tried putting great resources on display.  Books for all ages, Bibles, and copies of killer blog posts I had happened upon.  The table quickly became a coat rack.

I tried organizing a Family Easter Egg decorating party.  Three parents attended.  Two parents complained that their kids were going to get messy.  Not exactly what I would call a success.

It Seemed Better in My Head…

I had a dream, a vision of what I wanted things to look like.  I wanted parents sitting with their kids, worshiping together, hearing the lesson together, and then engaging with the content they just heard.  I knew I couldn’t write a program like this (I can barely write a newsletter each week!), and I couldn’t really find one that fit my ideal description either.

Until 607 Generational Discipleship Experience.  This is not an “everyday curriculum”.  Instead, it uses major holidays to turn a regular service into a family experience.  We planned to do a family service about once a quarter, so this was the perfect format for us.  Plus, I think parents are more inclined to attend a “special holiday event” when a family service is advertised that way.

I took an extensive look at both the Christmas lesson and the New Year’s lesson, hoping to use them for a family service.  However, the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year’s was cancelled at our church, and we all know an audience of zero is no good.   I did teach the Christmas lesson to the kids in Children’s Church just to see their reaction, and they were completely engaged.

I love the fact that there’s a video midway through the lesson with “real-people” interviews or some other little vignette. And the props used during the lesson (for Christmas, it was 3 wrapped gifts containing a clock, a red heart, and CD) are simple, easy-to-relate to, memorable, and not too distracting.   I’m a fan of object lessons, but it kills me when kids get all caught up in the “way-cool illustration” (you know, the ones we love to force into the lesson even when they don’t exactly fit) and totally miss the point of the lesson.  These weren’t that way at all.

The Best Part

The best part about this curriculum is that parents walk away with a skill and a tool to use at home.   Here’s what each lesson explains:

607 is all about helping parents live out Deuteronomy 6:07. 607 will help you host an inter-generational worship experience that’s so much more than a typical worship service: parents will walk away with an experience, a skill, and a tool.

Experience

The children’s sermon and the 607 Experience Sermon will guide
you through a themed teaching and interactive time for families of all ages.
Through this inter-generational worship experience, parents, kids, and teens
alike will be inspired to grow in their faith in Christ.

Skill

Each 607 Experience Sermon will teach a specific skill that moms, dads,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, and mentors can implement at home and into
the way we impress faith on the next generation.

Tool

Each parent or leading adult will walk away with a Drive It Home Tool
to help them impress faith on their kids and the next generation of disciples
in Jesus Christ.

For the Christmas lesson, it was ways to keep Christ the center of Christmas.  For New Years, it was a worksheet that helped parents develop a family mission statement and family faith plan.

So far, there’s about ten holidays available, including Mother’s and Father’s Day.  The rest of the holidays are promised by August 30th.  The regular price for a year’s worth of 607 is $299.

I have to say, we just signed up to use 252 Basics for a year, and I’m not entirely impressed with the Family Experience lessons they have as part of the curriculum.  I think the ones found in 607 are much better organized, more meaningful, and a lot more practical for parents.  I’ll let you know how the Valentine’s Day lesson plays out!

I’m super excited to be headed to David C. Cook’s “The Gathering” this May.  It will be my first out-of-town Ministry conference, so I’m excited and nervous at the same time.  It will be the longest I’ve ever been away from my kids, but I’ll get the chance to meet some great people and learn some really useful things.  I was browsing the brochure and it seems like a lot of the seminars are where our church is headed right now with family ministry, so it will be great to gain some insight from others!    I’ll be LIVE BLOGGING while I’m there and trying to catch the inside scoop with some of the speakers, so stay tuned for more cutting-edge information!

Things I’m especially excited about?  Meeting other bloggers like Jonathan Cliff and Amy Dolan as well attending seminars like Spiritual Parenting and Leading Large Group Worship (a constant struggle for me!).

Are you going too?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

Want more information?  Head on over to the website and grab some details.  Hope to see you there!

Have you heard about the Pajama Conferences for Children’s Ministry?  If not, you need to get on board!    While I wouldn’t recommend attending them in your pajamas (have some dignity, man!), you could if you wanted.  The big Children’s Ministry telesummit for 2012 is coming up quick!  I have attended a few of these pajama conference in the past and have been really impressed.  I just got an email reminder today.  Here’s what it said:

2012 Children’s Ministry Websummit

We are getting very excited about the 2012 Children’s Ministry Websummit which is only a few weeks away!  We have gathered a awesome list of speakers for this years websummit and are continuing to add to that list every week.  If you have not checked out our featured speakers please CLICK HERE and take a few minutes to check them out.  We have already had thousands register for this years websummit from all across the globe!  You can register today for FREE (since the entire conference is free and you can attend in your pajama’s if you want) here.

So what are you waiting for?  Get registered and attend.  I’ll see you there!

My husband’s birthday was this week.  In honor of the great guy that he is, I dug this post up out of the archives (originally posted on November 2, 2010) and reposted it to say thanks for all “those little things” he does EVERY day to keep this family together.  Now that we have two little ones, he’s even more of a blessing in my life! He’s a great leader and a wonderful friend, and I am so proud to be his wife!

I Was a Single Mom this Weekend

I know there are some hunting widows out there, so you know what I’m talking about.  For me, my husband was away for the weekend, headed to a Penn State game with my brother.  He’s normally away coaching his own football game on Saturday mornings, so I didn’t really think anything of it until about noon.  Then the little things started cropping up.

No one to help carry the obnoxiously awkward scarecrow at Michaels as I maneuvered the stroller.  No one to run back to the car when I forgot the baby’s Puff snacks at the Little Gridder football game.  And again when I forgot her sippy cup.  No one to hold my coffee cup as I lugged the baby, her bag, a blanket and various other “very necessary” gear down two flights of stairs and up the bleachers.  No one to sit with and talk to at the one-year-old’s birthday party I attended.  No one to grab a towel as I gave the baby her bath, and no one (beside me!) to rock the baby back to sleep after she woke up for the fourth time in two hours.

Throughout the day, something would remind me of my husband. Then, I would start thinking of him and some conversation we’d recently had.   Sure, not all our conversations were heart stopping, but that’s part of the beauty of marriage.  You have someone to share everything with: the exciting and the mundane.

In our house (and probably yours too!), Sunday mornings are always crazy.  Scrambling to gather all the Children’s Church materials, review the lesson again, get the baby dressed, get myself dressed (where did I put those shoes!?), trying to eat some breakfast, trying even harder to drink some coffee, and get out the door in time to catch the announcements.    This weekend was extra bad.  Too often, I forget how much Mike does in the morning.  From getting up with the baby and giving me an extra 10 minutes of sleep to getting her dressed (it takes a lot of time to get tights on a squiggly little thing!).  If you’re reading this, Mike, thank you.

I appreciate you.  A lot.

Thanks for taking out the trash every week, picking up ground beef on your way home from work, getting yet another gallon of milk at the gas store, playing with the kids, providing for this family, reading stories to the kids every night, and all the other little things you do that add up to a very big deal.

You’re a great guy.  Funny, strong, and someone I really admire.  I love you.  Happy Birthday!

Take the Date Challenge!

 Did you know that this week is National Marriage week?  (How convenient, huh? Just in time for Valentine’s Day!)

In order to celebrate, Focus on the Family has put together a Date Night Challenge, encouraging husbands and wives to go on three dates in three weeks.

Check out focusonthefamily.com/datenight to sign up for date ideas to be sent to your inbox and for details on the Three Date Challenge.

Also check out  National Marriage Week for local ideas, fun quizzes and more!

]]> http://www.growingkidsministry.com/ages-and-stages/happy-national-marriage-week/feed/ 0 http://www.growingkidsministry.com/reviews/taken-by-brock-eastman-book-review/ http://www.growingkidsministry.com/reviews/taken-by-brock-eastman-book-review/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:29:46 +0000 Lindsey http://www.growingkidsministry.com/?p=5873

Science Fiction.   It’s almost embarrassing to admit how much I like this genre.  Star Trek, X-men, even Stargate — I’m in.  I blamd it on my father.  You don’t grow up with the entire collection of Star Trek (Original and Next Generation) on the shelves without it seeping it into your worldview at least a little.  I must admit though, there’s something so fun about imagining the future with all its new gadgets, funny customs, and alien people groups.  That’s why I was happy to take a look at Brock Eastman’s new book, Taken (Quest for Truth).

Here’s the description from Amazon:

Suit up! Jump into hyper flight with the four Wikk kids! Forced into a high stakes hunt for their missing parents by the sinister Captian Vedrik, the siblings’ only hope is their parents’ Archeos e-journal. Can Tiffany decipher the clues within it? As time runs out, it’s all up to Oliver and his Federation training to fly the Phoenix and protect his crew. But twins Mason and Austin endanger the mission when they unexpectedly meet . . . the blue boy! 

I have to say, this description does do the book much justice.  The book is quick-paced, interesting, and full of interesting family dynamics.  I like the balance between the seriousness of the older siblings with the impishness and sometimes reckless behavior of the younger twins.    I found myself staying for “one more chapter” time and time again.  The descriptions of the scenery were beautiful and there was just enough suspense to keep the reader steadily engaged without adding any scariness to the book.   I liked the unexpected twists and turns as the older two journeyed to find parts for their ship and clues about their parents, and the utter fancifulness the younger twins encountered after meeting a strange blue boy.

Check it out for yourself!

Grab yours here!

There’s a new site in the Kidmin world, one especially relevant to those of us who are trying to save a few bucks.  Check out Qponmonkey.com for coupon codes, sales, and a free game book download!   There’s not a ton on the site right now, but I’m sure it will grow as people submit their own coupons and word spreads.  In the future, there will be product reviews, printable coupons and more.  Bookmark the site and check back often!

Last week in Children’s Church, the lesson called for three or four teen actors to help with the lesson.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got lots of youth members eager to help.  They consistently ask if they jump in…..about 5 minutes before Children’s Church starts.  Usually, I try to squeeze them in somewhere — I don’t want to squelch a servant attitude.  However, this week, I knew it would end in disaster if I tried to get them to do a skit with 3 minutes practice.  So, with the help of my husband and some little people figurines, I  concocted the following videos (WARNING: Very low tech!).  I thought the kids would get a kick out of them, and I was right.

In the first service, after watching the first video, our oldest participant loudly stated, “These videos are BORING!” (Very encouraging, right?)  ”No problem”, I countered, “You’re welcome to sit in the corner until the videos are over.  That way you won’t have to watch them.”  He decided not watching would be even MORE boring, so onward we went.

In the second service, this same guy was in Children’s Church again (worship team member’s kid).  Before starting up the videos, he proudly announced, “Oh, I saw these videos already.  Wait till you guys see them.  They are SO GREAT.”

Funny how things work out like that.

Anyway, take a look, and feel free to use them if they fit your lessons!

What kind of creative lesson solutions have you come up with?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDFNekIlSsY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1JNqa9u-Rw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFz4mQSGRbA

Recently, Growing Kids Ministry got a new Sponsor, Best Attendance. It’s a youth ministry software that allows you to easily manage the kids in your youth ministry online.

Best Attendance is a new website allowing youth leaders to take attendance, share event calendars, communicate with youth, and update membership rosters online.

The software helps you increase accountability in your group by providing graphical, customizable attendance reports that help you identify any members at risk of falling through the cracks.  There are several ways of taking attendance, including using a barcode reader, printing sign-in forms, or letting members sign in on a computer.  The software lets you keep members informed by sending emails or text messages to individuals, groups, or your entire organizations.  Plus, students always know what’s coming up by viewing the shared event calendar online.

You can sign up for a 14 day free trial at here, and subscriptions are just $22 per month.

Now, this sounds like a great product for text-obsessed teens, but I also bet it would be really helpful in Children’s Ministry.  At $22 a month, it’s one of the best priced products of it’s kind out there, and certainly worth a look.  I know I’ll be testing it out for our Kids for Christ Wednesday night program, and maybe I can convince the Youth Ministry Leader to give it a whirl too (after all, I am married to the guy!).

I’ll keep you posted!

I know, it’s not exactly Children’s Ministry, but if there are any parents out there who are like me, you struggle to keep up on the housework!  I just got a link to this great blog the other day in my email. Sure, we’ve heard all this before (probably), but it’s good to be reminded.

Ten Rules for the Kitchen

1. When you get something out, put it away. The same rule that should be applied all over the house is of course just as important in the kitchen. This must be taught to your children when they are young so that they understand that food left out spoils.
2. While working in the kitchen, fill the sink with hot soapy water. As you finish with a cooking utensil toss it in the sink or grab the washing cloth and wipe down the appliance you were using. Water is the supreme solvent and washing things before the gunk gets hard as a rock saves time later. It’s efficient.
3. The same principle applies for the countertops and stove, wipe them after each mess that you make. It takes seconds to wipe and rinse the cloth in the sink full of hot soapy water; it takes minutes of scrubbing after spills have become cemented on.
4. When preparing food, get out all the ingredients, appliances, and utensils first. As soon as you’re done and the dish is cooking put these things away again. Don’t leave to do another thing, finish the work you started.
5. Keep the dishwasher unloaded. What good is it to you when it is full of clean dishes? You can’t put anything dirty in so it collects in the sink and on the counters taking up valuable workspace. It takes less than five minutes to unload it. Race the clock. Assign a child to be the unloader. Take out the knives first and even a two-year-old can unload the silverware. It might not be perfectly sorted but it’s teaching them to help and preschoolers love to help. Crack the door to let it cool off for five minutes then call the unloader to the job.

What about you?