Mission trips are only for youth and adults, or so I’ve been told. That said, I took the challenge and have been praying for a space and place where little people WITH their big people could stay and serve in developmentally appropriate ways, not too far away, overnight, and inexpensive so the whole family could attend.

We succeeded last July. 

This Family Mission Trip was an important part of our Soul Food Summer. As one youth mission team from Key West was giving testimony and just returning, we were honored with a prayerful send-off during a shared 11am worship service. With a sandwich lunch immediately following, we loaded up and headed out to Buckhead, Georgia.

North Georgia has a hidden gem in Camp Collinswood. It’s a property on Lake Oconee built out specifically for persons with mobility challenges. It’s flat, located off a major interstate highway, with family-friendly cabins. It’s perfect for a 24-hour family mission trip.

We partnered with another church which does handy-work regularly at the camp. They brought the amazing cook and everyone brought a bunch of power tools with work plans throughout the camp.

We were tasked with building an ADA compliant Gaga Ball pit with a sun-protective sail and replacing termite-eaten wooden benches around the lakeside fire pit. We were also tasked with trimming bushes, magic-erasering light switches and doors at the cabins, cleaning lakeside restrooms and life jacket storage areas, landscape clean up, and pressure washing the lakeside walkways and gazebo.

Our families did it all. The adults included the children in every task.

The camp is used by multiple special-needs clubs and groups during the week and over the weekends in the summer, so our coming Sunday after church into Monday afternoon fit their schedule and ours. We brought lawn debris bags, lots of kid-sized work gloves, magic erasers, and two eager 10-year old boys made good use of cabin brooms on cobweb duty.

Before each meal we heard a short message based on Psalm 34:3, “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together,” by a dad at dinner, a mom at breakfast, and a student at lunch. With $400 support from our missions committee, we were able to charge families $30 per person with a $100 family max to cover t-shirts, supplies, food, and lodging. Each cabin can house 25 individuals with 5 per family in each ‘room’ off the main gathering room which includes a kitchenette.

The youngest was 5 years old and the oldest was 84.

After all the work was done and just an hour or so before departure we spent some time in the lake for some holy play and lots of laughter. The camp has paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, and plenty of life jackets.

We’ve already scheduled the family mission trip for next year. Lots of projects can still be completed by littles and bigs together at Camp Collinswood. We can’t wait!

“Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible.”  – C. T. Studd

Karl Vaters is an encourager of those who serve in a local church. He speaks from experience and has plenty of stories to tell. He regularly speaks from what he calls a ‘smaller church’ perspective. I first met him at my first Children’s Pastors Conference a LONG time ago. Thankful for social media and his website, he’s a good resource when it comes to living and working in the trenches of the pew, the fellowship hall, and the parking lot, not just the stage.

He posted a blog in March 2022 entitled: How To Be A More Innovative Small Church (3 Starter Principles). These are my questions and thoughts for each principle:

1. Connect the congregation to it’s innovative heritage
   – How can I learn about the history of the local church I serve? How can I share that history with the current church families in such a way that they find belonging and connection to those saints?
   – Be sure to read the history on the church’s website; chat with the longest-serving staff member; Dig deeper into the names on the plaques all over campus.
   – I Love My Church Faith Milestone: every year we tour the church, learn vocabulary for church spaces ex: “We call this a _____ because _____,” and the stories of the people on the plaques.
   – Every other year, on the last Sunday before the time changes so it’s daylight, we tour and hear the stories of our church cemetery with our 3rd-5th graders with a church saint who is the caregiver or knows the most. I call them ‘the keeper of the stories’. I’ve served at two local churches with cemeteries onsite or across the street and those are indeed sacred spaces of great information. The kids love to hear the stories, they’re outside, and church saints can answer all their questions. I get to add that many of the names on the grave markers made decisions that made it possible for the kids to enjoy the church they call ‘home’ today, were active in their jobs and families AND their local church and community.
2. Strip away everything but Jesus
   How many times do I say His name in the course of my teaching? No matter what I teach, do, share, pray, how do I make sure everything is all about Jesus?
   – Even the best curriculum doesn’t point to Jesus every week, but I must. So I study and practice pointing all things and people to Jesus for every message. HE is the message of greatest importance. Everything we think or believe we are as Christians and as the church is only because He rose from the dead to forgive us of our sins. He is indeed the author and perfecter of our faith. Jesus all day, everyday!
   – I’m on the lookout for images of Jesus in all types of art and creative expressions. I’ve learned much about how the greatest artists of history were given space and finances to paint, sculpt, and draw what we now regard as some of the greatest pieces of art in the world.
   – Bread & Juice Class is a Faith Milestone we offer to Kindergartners and 1st graders early in the school year. In a church-wide space audit a huge picture of the last supper was discovered which was given to the children’s area. That artwork is an important part of our teaching and our end-of-class picture.
   – At Preschool Chapel and in our large group space, The Treehouse, we have a constant visual companion in a 6ft cardboard cutout of Jesus. “This is NOT Jesus, but it is how an artist took all he/she knew and thought He might look. For us, it’s a reminder that Jesus is with all of His followers all the time.”
   – We light an LED pillar candle when we gather together at the beginning of every large group, every Faith Milestone, every meeting, and every everything with a repeat after me, “We light this candle. As a reminder. That God is with us. And around us. Always.”
3. Engage in more conversations.
   – How do I make myself available, accessible, and offer margin to have conversations with those I serve, those who I serve alongside, and those who I don’t know yet? What is my posture? Where is my face? Do I linger? Do I arrive early enough? Do I stay late enough? Do I have a ‘place’ where I am found?
   – Just a few weeks ago we enjoyed a Rally Day event to intentionally welcome folks back to church after the last worship service of the day with an outdoor picnic, homemade lemonade and ice cream, and burgers/dogs. I never eat at these events, but rather walk table to table and chat. My dad called it, “working the room.” I learned from the best. On Rally Day I pulled a wagon behind me with hand fans (it was HOT!) with sunglasses (Top Gun theme) and bubbles (everybody likes bubbles) for the kids and the kids-at-heart. So many great conversations, answers to questions I asked about new family schedules, thanking the guys at the grill and the tech station, relieving the face painters to take a bio-break so a little girl could delightfully paint my face as we waited. 

How would you address these three principles to be more effectively innovative in your house?

“Jesus Christ was the most revolutionary, innovative, world-changing person who ever lived. His followers should be the same.” – Karl Vaters

At Sunday’s Administrative Council meeting, committee chairpersons and staff leads were invited to offer celebration reports. In the midst of all the ‘what ifs’ it felt good to be in a room filled with folks who are cheering on the mission and ministry of the local church. I have never felt more encouraged and optimistic for the bride of Christ.

Why?

1. No matter what’s reported by the local, national, and denominational news agencies, there will always be a remnant of God faithfully living in this world though not of this world. Always. I believe I know how the story of the world ends and God will always be with His people here and beyond in Glory. I’ve got my marching orders. Thank you Bible Study Fellowship study of Revelation.
2. The local church is an historical organization which has endured more than 2,000 years of chaos, strife, conflict, and the horrors of evil openly hostile to the things and people of Jesus. Yet the Bride of Christ still stands as a critical means of growth for the health of all Christians. So I will serve with all the creativity, gusto, and vigorous joy of one who is saved as if I’m serving my Savior Jesus, because I am. Theologian Krista Bontrager shares, “When you are born into the family of God, the local church is your family. You have a weird uncle, a crazy aunt, and brothers and sisters you didn’t ask for. But these are your people!” Thank you Theology Mom.
3. I’ve got plenty of stained glass scars, yet I’m still standing. Though sometimes limping or dragging a leg, I keep moving forward. There are saints in Glory who personally outright pushed me modelling a robust faith in Christ like Rowena Stephens, Bev Wing, and Linda LeSeur. I’ll be facing them one day standing alongside Jesus beyond those pearly gates and I fully intend on finding them and hugging them until their eyes pop out. Disappointing them and Jesus is not an option. Thank you Stephen Ministry and Preschool Directors Assn. of North Georgia.
4. My table just got bigger. I’m now leading Children’s Ministry K5-5th AND Women’s Ministry which offers a much bigger and cohesive family table. When our local church lost two elders due to family circumstances and reappointment mid-summer, our church leaders invited the current staff leadership to take on some of their roles which could offer greater connection and impact through systems and processes. After praying through it for six days with trusted prayer warriors, I didn’t wait to be assigned something, but rather offered to sit at the table for the Women’s Ministry because trusted relationships were already in place, effective systems and processes for communication and leadership could smoothly transition, and language would be similar. In the last month the Lord has provided prayerful leadership in twos for Women’s Bible study in-house and in-neighborhoods with weekly check-in support; the ladies retreat design team has formed, set a date and contracted a location for 2023; marketing efforts have been accelerated supporting book club, the holiday brunch, a heart & cookie exchange in February rather than December; intentional assimilation strategies of high school ladies; and a new Secret Hallelujah Sisters ministry has begun led by a high school gal and a local attorney. There’s still a learning curve, but I’ve joined several closed Facebook groups and I’m reading two books. I can learn what I don’t know. The Lord is alive and active in His local church!

Studying the book of Haggai in the fall of 2020 I heard this prayer, “Lord, give me fresh traction under my feet.” Always appreciating some good, new prayer vocabulary, I’ve been praying ever since, “Lord, give me fresh traction under my feet for discipling families.” 

What does ‘fresh traction’ look like for you?

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12

We all have a THEM. THEM could be real people or perceived as real people. Either way, we deal with THEM all the time. At every meeting. At every table. In every parking lot. THEM have multiple faces, always good intentions, and most times a lot of wisdom. 

We submit to THEM. We meet with THEM. We lead THEM. We serve alongside THEM. THEMs fill our schools, media, churches, and homes. My best relationships and greatest joys come from THEM.

MAKE THEM TELL ME NO is a mantra I repeat in my head and use, in prayer, to guard my heart when I want buy-in for an idea. I play out in my head, “What’s the worse that can happen?” and the answer is always, “They could tell me, ‘NO.’”

But that’s just the first NO. 

NO is a perfectly good answer, but it doesn’t have to be the final answer. That’s up to me, not THEM. It’s just the first NO. The NO for now.

I can be disappointed, but it’s not personal. I invite the Holy Spirit to do His work in me and in THEM.

I remember reading in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point that there is a chemical released in our brains as soon as we say YES and a different chemical for NO. It’s physiological. Once that YES chemical gets released, it’s almost impossible to turn it off and reverse it. Same for a NO. When the answer is NO, a chemical is released in the brain running through the body that is almost impossible to reverse. That’s why I can accept a NO as only the first NO.

After the first NO, I’ll do more research. I’ll offer more teaching about it.  I’ll pray through it further. I’ll chat with other stakeholders and networkers to keep the conversation going with THEM. I’ll pray for another opening with THEM, and I’ll ask again.

It’s been my experience THEM like to represent others who aren’t in the conversation. My THEM want to answer for their THEMs always leaning on the side of love for their THEMs and typically with caution. It sounds like, “We’ve already tried that,” or “They won’t like it,” or “Not everyone is on a computer,” or “We used to do that,” or, you get the picture. A NO can come is a lot of packages and be expressed in lots of ways.

If I get another NO, that’s just the second NO.

When I go in for the third time, I have now heard all the reasons for NO and I can come prepared with WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR YOU TO GIVE ME A YES? 

This I know….

• I can not assume a NO from THEM. So I won’t let the enemy talk me out of it before I even pitch it.
• I’m gonna make THEM tell me NO.
• If I get a NO, it’s just the first NO for now.
• If I get a second NO, it’s just the second NO for now.
• If it’s worth the effort and goal, I’ll always go in asking for MORE and let the negotiations commence. 
• It’s not personal.

Devin Gordon is an enthusiastic, disciple-maker and a skilled attorney. We partner in ideating innovative disciple-making opportunities for family faith formation in my local church and beyond. He tells stories upon stories of his season as an entertainment attorney constantly operating in negotiation mode to a mutually-satisfying end.  I hear his voice in my head to go in asking for MORE than I think I need to give room for negotiation. If I come in with the bare minimum ASK and the negotiations take place, and they always do, I’ll be disappointed and the devil gets a toe-in because I come away with less than the bare minimum. I’ll feel hurt by the words and whittling of my brothers and sisters in my church family and relationships will be strained. No matter what, I want to grow relationships rather than strain them within the body of Christ. Going in asking THEM for MORE keeps the devil out of the details and helps me actively guard my heart and my mouth. (James 3:5-12; Proverbs 13:3)

The Holy Spirit constantly surprises me with the prevenient work He does among God’s people within systems, practices, and attitudes with extraordinary intention, energy, and creativity. He can be trusted. Will I be faithful to do the hard work it might take with THEM?

Make THEM tell you NO, and see how our awesome Lord we serve works it out.

Then tell the stories!

“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.” John 16:33

My local Chick-Fil-A Operator’s team is super creative. They just offered a pajama party event at their restaurant, but not for kids. The event was a sleepover for a kid’s stuffed animal. As I watched the night play out on their Instagram, more like stalked, I saw pics of kids with the CFA cow in its jammies, with their stuffed animal friend, security bracelets matching a kid with their animal, and fun pics of the animals in fun poses all over the restaurant. Some pics included sleep masks on the stuffed animals and others posed at tables enjoying some CFA snacks and dinner.

The children were given a drop-off window around dinner time 5-7pm and a pick-up time around breakfast 8-10am for more pics and fun staged with the cow reading a night-time story to the pack of animals, pics of the chaperones, at the drive-thru in a toy car (think Toy Story), and at other locations in the restaurant.

It got me thinking about offering a stuffed animal church lock-in over a Sunday night, when there isn’t school on Monday, all the places a stuffed animal friend could be posed throughout campus, doing stuff that kids do at church, scheduling hourly posts on social media throughout the evening and morning….

If we offered the friend’s lock-in the Sunday/Monday of Thanksgiving week, we could anticipate new families joining the closed kid’s Facebook group to check out the lock-in shenanigans right as we begin to promote and encourage families for the season of Advent. The algorithms could actually work for us to roll in their feeds during advent. It’s the perfect time to grow the online community for Advent.

It would also give us a way to communicate and practice our systems for security when the kids are the bigs of their little stuffed animals.

Rarely do I come up with an original idea, but inspiration can come from lots of places. Where do you get your inspiration to roll out new things with a purpose?

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:3