Our town truly shines in the summer months with family-friendly festivals, concerts, community gatherings, and more. The city promotes these events, budgets for them, and invites everyone to come out and play. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to show up as good neighbors, practicing a simple yet powerful ministry of presence.

One of the highlights is Family to Park Movie Night, happening on five Thursdays throughout the summer. The fun kicks off at 6:30pm, with the movie beginning at dusk.

Just last Sunday, more than half our congregation stayed after worship for a quick and practical training on noticing and starting conversations. Everyone received prayer buttons, and many put their training into action right away!

When Thursday rolled around, we were ready. With a 10×10 tent featuring our church name and logo and a portable gaga ball pit, we set up in under 20 minutes. As families gathered and laid out their blankets for Moana 2, we walked around, chatted, and handed out 400 colorful plastic leis.

I had picked up two camp chairs from Walmart for under $10 each, tagged them “Prayer Chairs,” and set them up under our tent. With blessing oil rollers in hand, I was honored to pray with two beautiful women and anoint their hands.

The evening was filled with Macarena dancing, nonstop gaga ball games, laughter, conversations, and singing along with the town-provided DJ—all shared with about 400 new friends and neighbors.

As the sun began to set and families arrived only for the movie, we packed up and joyfully offered our spot on the grass to them.

I couldn’t have been prouder of our church family. Some arrived early to help set up, some came for an hour, others stayed the whole evening. Some played gaga ball for hours. Some unpacked my car at the beginning, and others loaded it back up at the end. It was truly a team effort.

One of our amazing members also serves on the city’s arts council. As soon as she receives the calendar of events, we begin praying and planning how we can partner like for the movie nights, National Day of Prayer, and the Christmas parade.

What’s happening in your town? How can you partner with your community? Where can you show up and be a good, generous neighbor? I’d love to hear your stories!

“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” Romans 15:2

My journey with AI (artificial intelligence) in Children’s Ministry has been gradual and consistent—but it’s made a real difference! I thought I’d share a few ways I’ve been using it lately in case it inspires you to give it a whirl, save some time, or just play around with some fresh ideas.

Fun Website Staff Bios: We fed ChatGPT a list of Q&As from our staff bios and asked it to turn them into something fun, warm, and engaging. Boom! Instant personality upgrade. You can see the results here.

Summer Theme Song: We used the Suno AI music app to create our very own driveway-party-meets-Jesus jam! Think: dance-pop, praise-filled, joy-packed, under 2.3 minutes, with both male and female vocals. It’s perfect for singing and dancing at our summer Driveway Parties!

Children’s Moment Prompts: Sometimes the sermon leans abstract—and our littles? Definitely concrete thinkers. Google’s AI tool helps jumpstart ideas when I search something like “children’s sermon + the scripture.” It’s a great way to spark creativity fast.

Themed Events for Adults: For a men’s dinner, we asked ChatGPT to blend Braves baseball, Jesus, and BBQ into a fun event title—and it delivered! For a women’s luncheon, we gave it our speaker’s blog titles, and it whipped up suggestions for activities, décor, menus, and more. Each team now has a springboard to build from.

Other Ways We’ve Used ChatGPT:

• Created a 10-question spiritual growth survey for youth—super helpful for a new staff member to learn her audience by tracking the answers in a Google Sheet.
• Crafted youth intern interview questions in language that actually sounds like, well, teens.
• Wrote a cute rhyme for an end-of-year gift to thank our amazing Wednesday night leaders—based on our Bible study theme for the school year!
• Staff reviews and evaluations were even uploaded to share this evaluation season.

Several ministry social media content creators I follow have started using AI to generate hilarious, heartwarming, and helpful images and posts for those of us in the family ministry trenches. Some are laugh-out-loud funny; others are spot-on reminders of what we’ve always known.

So, how are you starting to use AI in your ministry? Or maybe this is your nudge to give it a try. You don’t have to dive in all at once—just start where you are and see what it can do. Come on in—the water’s fine!

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.” Proverbs 18:15

Every year, our daughter and I take a special Mother’s Day trip—the week before the actual day, a beautiful tradition I look forward to. This year, she surprised me with a destination she knew I’d love: the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, NC.

Now, “library” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s really a museum—part inspiring archive, part holy ground—telling the story of Billy and Ruth Graham, their family, and the faithful friends and co-laborers who joined them in ministry over the decades.

My daughter had stopped there on a road trip to Washington, D.C. with her family and instantly knew: “Mom has to see this.” And wow, did she call it right. She knows my heart.

From the moment we arrived, it was clear: this place doesn’t just talk about the love and generosity of Jesus—they show it. Admission? Free. Parking? Free. Gifts when you arrive and when you leave? Yes, please. And the volunteers? Delightfully joyful—genuinely kind, welcoming, and crystal clear about why they’re there: to share the gospel of Christ in every possible way.

We left Canton around 6am-ish and arrived just in time for lunch. First stop: the onsite restaurant, where the chicken salad croissants were fresh and yummy.

Then came the Corrie TenBoom exhibit—“The Hiding Place” brought to life through photos, artifacts, vintage news clips, and video interviews.

Next, we took the self-guided tour—an immersive walk through tents, recreated radio stations, TVs, and the sounds of the crusades around the world; from tiny beginnings to worldwide revival. Billy’s voice followed us through it all—preaching from pulpits, on airwaves, with presidents and the powerful, and with janitors who stayed behind to clean up.

My emotions got the best of me several times. I found myself stopping more than once just to catch my breath and hold back tears. This wasn’t just his story—it was mine too. I saw my own journey reflected in those old revival tents, in the broadcasts that made it behind the Iron Curtain, and in the songs that became the soundtrack of the faith of many of my elders.

What did I take away from this pilgrimage? A few things:

• One obedient guy, saved by grace, led another to faith… who led another… and another. Obedience is powerful.
• Billy Graham used what he had—whether a Bible, a microphone, a radio tower, or a TV camera—and God multiplied it. He leveraged the resources and media available with one goal: to share the good news of Jesus. Faithfulness meets opportunity.
• He had a deep commitment to teamwork and surrounded himself with like-minded, gifted, faithful, guarded disciples who took on their clear roles. Nearby the gravesites of Billy and his beloved Ruth are the gravesites of both Cliff Barrows and his wife as well as George Beverly Shea, his committed and life-long co-laborers.
• The music from those crusades? That’s the heart music of today’s senior saints in our churches. I came of age on Amy Grant, Wayne Watson, Michael W. Smith, and Sandi Patty. Their songs saw me through diaper changes, school drop-offs, and beach walks with a Walkman while the babies napped.  But the music of the crusades and the local church chorale pieces were the foundation of our senior saints’ youth.

The takeaway? Know the good news. Share the good news. All the time. Anytime. Be clear. Be ready. Be consistent. Keep it simple and true: God loves us. Sin separates us. Jesus saves us. And now? I get to live that out every day—asking, “What can I do today with what I know about Jesus?”

I’m fired up about what this summer will hold—town movie nights, block parties in driveways, a youth retreat, local church vision trainings, denominational workshops, and divine appointments with old and brand-new friends in the Lord.

Lord, let me be found trustworthy and faithful!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Every person in a community faces life changes—empty nesting, caring for aging parents, handling that first paycheck, and more. These moments can be tough, and we believe the local church can be the best place to find guidance, wisdom, and hope—all rooted in a Biblical worldview. After all, Jesus really is the answer for every question.

That’s why we’ve started creating spaces not just for “sages on stages,” but for “guides from the sides.” People who can say, “I’ve walked that path too—let’s do this together.” It’s a beautiful way to build trust and support in every season of life.

Last month, we hosted a one-hour Anxiety Workshop for all ages. A licensed counselor from our church family led the session with compassion and clarity. The room was welcoming, the water was cold, and the message was clear: You are not alone.

With simple promotions, a banner by the road, and clear next steps, we saw grandparents, teens, parents, teachers, and coaches all show up—and 20% participated in a follow-up opportunity. That’s a win!

From one set of grandparents, “I came because my granddaughter has been diagnosed with anxiety and we want to have the best relationship with her and need some help.”

Now our new Women’s Ministry Leadership Team is taking the lead, and next up is “Caring for Your Aging Parents,” taught by someone who’s lived it more than once and is ready to pray, teach, and walk alongside others with grace starting with a free, one-hour workshop.

Workshops on the horizon? Topics like Forgiveness, Empty Nesting, Healthy Boundaries, Self-Defense, Abiding in Community through Discipleship Bands, and more—each one designed to help us grow stronger in faith and community.

And we’re not alone—the Spirit is moving across our county! Another church nearby is offering similar teachings, and after a recent conversation, it’s clear: God is stirring hearts and equipping His people through the local church.

There is not a life struggle, moment, or milestone that Jesus can’t speak into and over. I think it’s about time we set the table for the relationships to start so that we navigate these seasons together as we point to God the Creator, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit our comforter and helper.

So… what season are you in that you’d find additional information helpful especially when you don’t even know what question to ask? And what have you been through that might just help someone else?

Let’s walk this road together—pointing to Jesus every step of the way.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1