Our families have dealt with an incredible amount of uncertainty, fear, trouble, concern, anxiety…. I could go on, but you get the picture. Jesus tells us (it’s red, so Jesus said) in Big John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

So how can we help littles and their bigs build those ‘peace muscles’ and live like Jesus is overcoming the world? Our world?

I don’t want my kids to just read John 16:33 from their Bibles, but also read it in the lives of people like Nate Saint, Corrie Ten-Boom, Brother Andrew, Susanna Wesley, Billy Graham, Amy Carmichael, C.S. Lewis, and Katie Davis and even the saints of their own church family

Children learn best to love Jesus when they spend time with people who love Jesus. It’s also been my experience that children can learn best to courageously follow the Lord and learn what Jesus’ peace looks like by reading about and meeting real people who have lived out their faith in war, in famine, in thirst, in different countries, in times of uncertainty, fear, trouble, concern, anxiety… Again, you get the picture.

Summer is the perfect time for reading about the missionaries and giants of our faith history.  I’ve curated a list of biographies of missionaries and courageous disciples of Jesus of every reading level which are developmentally appropriate for elementary-aged students. Students will read about many people who followed Jesus, maybe traveled the world, lived in very difficult times, or who started an orphanage, the Salvation Army, or taught a teacher to share the good news of Jesus.

This touches close to my heart as our daughter served in Senegal, Africa providing medical care to children orphaned, abandoned, harmed, and sick at a local compound during the almost five months between earning her pre-nursing degree and attending nursing school. Uncertainty was all around, but as she says, “When God is the only one who speaks your language, you talk a lot!”

The next step is to get together to chat about who we’re reading about so we can share the stories and give testimony. I contacted several saints of our local church and asked if they’d host a Saints Book Club Chat on their front porch, back porch, or front lawn. Every one said, “YES!” and will join us in reading about a saint of the faith, as well. These local church saints have their own stories of God’s goodness and faithfulness when they’ve been uncertain, anxious, and fearful. I can’t wait to hear!

These intergenerational opportunities to tell stories and share testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness when life is hard, challenging, and victorious will help our kids along their way in uncertain times. It’ll help me along my way. Could it help you along your way?

Last Sunday I set out my own personal library for the students to explore and check out. Even our youth interns and several parents checked out books. I can’t wait to see what God will do this summer in the hearts and minds of His disciples because of the stories of those who have gone before us.

How can you get the stories of Jesus’ overcoming the world into your world?  I received a text from Mom of the young lady above later that afternoon which read: “You gave S a book this morning, haven’t seen her face since.”

I don’t get my feelings hurt easily. With the maiden name of Bull, you grow a pretty thick skin from the get-go. Yet there are times when I am too much. I am. I run fast, I learn fast, I speak loud, and I throw ideas at the wall like a textbook innovator. I rebuke any critical spirit and always want the best in others and myself to shine through. I’ve learned to increase my question to statement ratio and I work on not interrupting people. I’m a verbal processor, so I affirm with listening skills like, “Mmmm”, “Hmmmm”, “Yes”, and “I hear you.”

In complete self-awareness, what I intend is not always what is received. As the ‘child’ of the church staff team (think of a typical family and the dynamics involved) I get my feelings hurt when I’m too much and informed to cool my jets, slow it down, told that I could be off-putting, or when I get a “shhh!” as I jump into a conversation. Yeah. I’m totally aware that I can be too much.

It’s been my experience that the Senior Pastors are historically the ‘parents’ and carry the weight of authority and responsibility of the church-staff-family. They may invite us to have a say (staff meeting=family meeting), but they have the final say for what’s going to happen in the family. Worship leaders are the ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’. They add creativity, always sit at the adult table, and can tell the family stories through song, space, and well, they’re the other adults. Youth ministry people are considered the ‘teens’ and children’s ministry people are historically considered the ‘kids’ in the church-staff-family. Think about it. Each church-staff-family role comes with family-related responsibilities, expectations, tolerances, and nods to what is permitted as a multi-generational (no matter the age of any individual) in how the church-staff-family works.

This means children’s ministry people are typically accommodating (we’re informed what we’re doing to help and support everyone else in the church-staff-family), adaptive (we deal with what we’re told), require more set-up (ever packed up for a 3-year old for the beach or let a 10-year old pack themselves? Can’t ask a 1st grader to set up or take down tables and chairs for an event so the before and after is WAY more complicated with a greater amount of children’s ministry logistics.) We take direction, make the best of every situation (ever had the worship service end 30 minutes early/late?) and do whatever it takes thinking everything rides on our shoulders. We want everyone to be happy and enjoy the ride. Sound like kids? Yeah. 

I’m always at the kid’s table and I’m good with that. It offers clarity for my boundaries and responsibilities.

So what to do when I get my feelings hurt?

• Fix a cup of tea and cry. Tears are God’s healing balm and physical release of the yuck. Even if the rebuke is prefaced with “It’s not personal…,” it is. Name it, then let it go. Thank you Lord, for tears.
• Go with what I know and not with how I feel. I’m a beloved child of God and He is my Heavenly Father. He hears me. He knows me. He is still working on what He hopes for me. He alone is trustworthy and can handle my feelings. He has a whole book filled with stories of His faithfulness to His children who are ‘too much’. Thank you Lord, for transforming my mind and my feelings will follow. Lord, help me to live into James 1:9, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”
• Keep it between me and God remembering that if I lose my joy, I lose my impact. So, I do what brings me joy: Scroll through pics of the grands. Write a note of thanks to someone on my team. Help someone. Bake a cake and deliver to a neighbor. Take a long, hot shower. Watch season 1, episode 3 of The Chosen. Stay off Facebook. Practice a period of silence. Drink water. Take a walk. Lord, no matter how I feel, do not let me sin in this.

In the wise words of Scarlett O’Hara in the classic Gone With The Wind, “Tomorrow is another day.”

“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13

 

It is an ugly, awful, terribly misguided myth that churches can’t grow during the summer. Don’t listen to it. Don’t buy into it. Don’t settle for it. Summer is the perfect time to try new things, change up each week, and be so invitational it makes your hospitality team wonder where you came from.

Summer Sundays should not just pass, but be intentionally celebrated. Making each Sunday a special event builds energy and helps people feel they belong to something alive and relevant. We’ll be taking advantage of our 2021 Summer of Sundays to serve a state of celebration in Children’s Ministry. We make a place to serve alongside the Gaga Ball Pit at our McEachern Kids entrance as families linger up to an hour after our 11am services.

May 23 – Pentecost Sunday – wear red to church.

May 30 – First Sunday of summer – serve Chick-Fil-A lemonade (pick it up on Saturday!)

June 6 – National YoYo Day – yoyo exhibition and skills with a yoyo with our kid’s logo.

June 13 – Celebrate National Ice Tea Day 6/10 – serve peach tea (we’re in Georgia!)

June 20 – Pops With Pops Father’s Day – popsicles & Father’s Day photo booth

June 27 – National Sunglasses Day – It’s cool to be at church! So wear your sunglasses (we’ll provide sunglasses) & Kona Ice Truck

July 4 – Independence Day – wear red, white & blue

July 11 – National Blueberry Muffin Day – mini blueberry muffins

July 18 – National Ice Cream Day – ice cream truck available for purchase and tickets which are given to all children’s ministry volunteers throughout the entire year

July 25 – Celebrate National Day of the Cowboy (7/24) – wear your cowboy gear & we’ll rodeo

August 1 – Let’s Roll – bring your wheels and helmets for Wild Worship & Wheels

August 8 – Promotion Sunday: Welcome Home!

Signing up at nationaltoday.com gives a great list of national and international dates to celebrate.

Each Special Summer Sunday provides an opportunity to celebrate as a family of faith. It is not my habit to let each Sunday just run into another. Nor is it my habit of thinking that people take the summer off from church. Never has. Never will. Whenever I can provide a memorable church experience for the littles, their bigs can enjoy the conversations started beyond the, “Did you have fun?”

“He who gathers in summer is a prudent son…” Proverbs 10:5

This week we hear from two champions for ministry with families and children in North Georgia. Gretchen Barker serves the children and families of Harmony Grove United Methodist Church located in Lilburn, Georgia. Hannah Harwood serves the church families of Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church in Cartersville.

When asked, “What areas of ministry do you knock it out of the park?” and “What are five tips/hacks for making that area happen?” These are their responses.

Gretchen knocks it out of the park in preparing her children’s moment videos: I have actually developed quite a routine for my production process. I start with the scripture lesson from the lectionary or a gospel and read it thoroughly while taking my own personal notes.

Next, I read through a number of different children’s sermons already shared and published online for that particular scripture and choose my favorite interpretation, which almost always involves something from the poet Lois Parker Edtrom. Many of these children’s sermons can be easily found on sermonwriter.com. 

From there I come up with a “script” that I use for filming, similar to a screenplay, but not that complicated. 

I extensively research Google images that relate to my message and use those to illustrate the main points. Up until now, I have strictly used Windows Video editor as my main tool, although I am ready to expand on my newly found video editing hobby with some different software.

This process used to take me an entire week to complete, but I now am able to get it done in about 3-4 hours.

You can find many of Gretchen’s videos at https://harmonygroveumc.com/2021/01/14/childrens-ministry/   If you’d like to find out more, contact Gretchen at hgumckids@gmail.com. 

Hannah knocks it out of the park at pulling off a 45-minute kids worship service: (1) Worship Extreme software, (2) Kids as worship leaders, (3) GROW curriculum, (4) Traditional elements such as the Apostles Creed and Lord’s Prayer, (5) Time for them to share requests on their hearts, Bonus Tip: (6) Lifetree Kids worship music.

If you’d like to find out more, contact Hannah at hharwood@samjonesumc.org. 

I’m sure you knock it out of the park in some area of ministry. What would that be? And when you do, what would be five tips/hacks you’d share to help your kidmin champions along the way?

“I answered them by saying, ‘The God of heaven will give us success. We His servants will start rebuilding.” Nehemiah 2:20