My Georgia home church planted two new churches. The sending church trained each one’s leadership for a year, then sent them to the north end of the county which, at the time, was the fastest growing county in the state. I’ve been part of the training team, but this is my first time on the planting team. 

It’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever done as a disciple-maker. The momentum is at Mach 10, the expectation for shiny is low, the grace is super high, and the YES of the congregation is highly contagious.

We can’t be all things to all people right off the bat, but we can be good listeners to the Holy Spirit guiding us to prioritize how we can love our neighbors and one another well. The Lord has provided trustworthy disciples with graces and skills to lead us well with integrity. 

So what are some of the first thirty days’ priorities that I’ve been invited to actively support? 

1. Invest in the core group. We’ve set many tables to gather often. Lots of tables filled with eager disciples to pray with and chat around logistics and set clear goals throughout the week. When I read in Acts of the early church they met often. Within the first six weeks we met in familiar ways though in new spaces. New spaces which were in homes (more intimate settings) and in public (being a good neighbor). Hospitality was extreme and frequent.
2. Free up servants. We released most of our kidmin servant leaders to spend time building relationships with new and familiar families in true fellowship. I have a powerful and consistent team of servant leaders who have agreed to be the ‘face of’ for littles and bigs. With a few subs ready in the wings, our small team can build consistency in schedule, routine, and focus as we explore various curricula to best suit our theology because they are rockstars no matter the space with whatever is in their hands. I feel like the servant leaders we freed up are missionaries in their small groups of other adults building their relationships like the Jesus gal and guy connectors they are. 
3. Combine elementary grades to build a familiarity for littles. We separated a large space in half with the left side quiet for lessons and activities; the right side with child-directed floor games and tools encouraging conversations and even some competition with magna-tiles, jumbo checker games, lots of solo cups (perfect for less loud games in a space with thin walls yet great competition), jumbo UNO cards, and sticker books. We finish with a read-aloud time of a book complementing the teaching which gives us time to clean up and prepare the space to be transformed into a praygound/overflow seating for the worship service. When picked up, every little gets a snack (organic gummies) and an oil roll-on blessing on the back of each little hand. I’m so excited that live music begins next week with sign language!
4. Pivot to a family worship model. Multigenerational all the way. Greeters prepared before and after the service for families who come in on two wheels but have time to linger after the services are complete. Prayground space for overflow and families with littles in the front. Multiple large visual elements prepared with high intention. The order of worship is flexible with music you’d find familiar from a hymnal AND what you’d hear on the radio with elements of energy, hope, compassion, and anticipation. 
5. Consistently and regularly teach what we believe. Whether it is in small groups or worship, we must be teachers of what we believe, using common language, giving space for multigenerational voices, and transparently answering questions. Each working team meeting begins with a discussion of our mission, eight core values, and seven outcomes. If whatever we’re talking about doesn’t align, this is not the time to attach ourselves to it.

Andy Kirk was the last speaker from the stage at Children’s Pastors Conference 2024. “If we really want God to do a new thing, we need…”

(1) New thinking – As we think, we become. Proverbs 4:5 Nothing like a new culture to adopt new thinking.
(2) New emotions – Out of the abundance of our heart, we speak. James 1:22  Nothing like a new culture to practice the emotions of thriving.
(3) New relationships – The people around us matter. Proverbs 12:26  – Nothing like a new culture to make some new friends-in-the-Lord with a common mission and work ethic.
(4) New dreams – God acts on the desires of our hearts. 1 Chronicles 29:18 – Nothing like a new culture to dream well, with high intention, as we build this plane while we’re flying it.

Lord, give me fresh traction under my feet. Let me walk in a whole new level of effectiveness. Burn in my bones the gospel of Jesus. In His sparkly name I pray, Amen.

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7

As the head of the Spiritual Growth Council, as a lay person/volunteer at my home church years ago, I got into trouble. I got into trouble for asking folks to self-impose a 7-year jubilee as well as asking the entire church to study one thing all at the same time. I learned a lot about prayerfully staying the course while surfing pushback and the Lord blessed our socks off.

The 7-year jubilee asked the leaders to properly mentor, coach, then effectively hand-off from year 4 through 6 their area of leadership. Why? (1) to properly apprentice others in leadership, (2) to learn that leadership is stewardship, (3) to grow into other opportunities of service the church will need in the future, (4) to expect and anticipate spiritual growth. One success story came from a great adult class teacher who stepped away from his class in year 7 to begin playing guitar in the modern worship praise band. Another success story was a team of new, trained small group leaders ready to take on the multiple small groups necessary to intentionally offer spaces for new disciples.

The fruit of everyone taking the same study, to the exclusion of every other study for those 40 days, was incredible: (1) common language which became culture language, (2) no silos, (3) blended high school youth with adults in small groups (intentional multigenerational relationships), and (4) opened so many spaces for new folks since everyone was on the same page for the same period of time.

The new church plant I serve is taking the plunge and started the new year with Sunday morning small groups (Sunday school) with Dr. Kevin Watson’s The Class Meeting. As a new Global Methodist Church start, it’s the most Wesleyan thing we can do moving into the new year as a new church plant. I’m beyond excited!

The Class Meeting invites us to intentionally move to transformational small groups which are different from informational or affinity small groups for a season. I believe it’s a gift that will keep on giving to our new clergy leadership team who will begin serving at the same time, the community we serve, and disciples of Jesus jumping into the deep end of commitment to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The resources abound for adults through Seedbed (pdf of the book, the book, DVD of 8-10 minute cliff notes of each chapter by Dr. Kevin Watson, and even a live-streaming option). I had picked up several used copies from Thriftbooks.com to pass around early last summer. I had no idea how the Lord would use those copies to begin setting the table with leadership for this new adventure.

Other good YouTubes about The Class Meeting include https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcC2xzA3JGA and a conversation specific to youth ministry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39J8Ls-pufs 

The first wave of Class Meetings began the first Sunday in January and will finish the last weekend in February. Come the end of February, some groups may continue as class meetings at other times and other locations throughout the week opening the tables to even more new disciples outside the walls of the church and in the community as folks meet in homes (more intimate settings; deeper relationships) and businesses (witness boldly; be a good neighbor). Come that time our congregation will have learned common language with the new pastoral team leading the way. Come that time our high schoolers will have bravely stepped into the awkward of sharing their voices and questions in spaces and places which align with their heritage as they build a plane while it’s flying. Come that time the high school youth can choose to continue in the merged/multigenerational class, return to youth Sunday school, or begin a new high school youth class meeting with spaces to invite friends. Class meetings, affinity groups, study small groups, Sunday school. All-and.

We started last week. Two adult classes were already large, so invited their friends. Three adult classes graciously agreed to take any new adults looking for a small group while three other adult classes enthusiastically agreed to merge with three groups of high schoolers. Sunday small group attendance more than doubled in size among the eight resulting groups. Lots of questions yet a great deal of trust while stepping into the awkward. But frankly, we’ve already done the most awkward thing ever by following and trusting the leading of the Holy Spirit to do this new thing.

I covet your prayers and I’ll keep you posted. You can follow our journey at Facebook, Instagram, and on my personal Facebook and Instagram. To God be the glory, GREAT things He is doing among His people.

“Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word.” Psalm 119:17

There are some amazing restaurants in our area with lots of space and natural sunlight for the winter. We learned alot about local commercial spaces at the Lent and Summer Dine-Outs. One such indoor space was the local Panera in a commercial shopping area with lots of parking. 

My first day at my new church, I stopped by to speak with the store manager asking what was her slowest day of the week in December. Monday. Now I knew when to plan a ladies event and where I could ‘office’ in public (great Wifi) and gather in small groups while being a good neighbor in the community. 

I made arrangements with the fabulous store manager two weeks ahead of time, reminded her the day before, and the day of the event to be sure the bread, soup, and staff were plentiful. The Ladies’ Cup Exchange was a go.

Ladies’ Cup Exchange Goals:

1. Gather ladies of all ages and stages within the first month of new church
2. Table life of sharing food in multigenerational setting
3. Women can bless one another with ‘what’s already in their cabinet’
4. One-on-one conversations to share recruiting clipboards for 2024

Schedule:
6pm Arrive for dinner (folks began arriving at 5pm which was great)
6:30 Clipboard time (4 fabulous ladies took a clipboard and went table to table)
6:45 Devotion (Psalm 23 my cup runneth over – what’s in your hand you can offer to your new church)
7pm Cup exchange (right/left game of nativity story in large group)

Wins:

• Multigenerational new friends-in-the-Lord
• Easily invitational event to bring a friend or family member (so many did!)
• Encouragement from a Titus 2 Jesus gal via the devotional
• A large group of high schoolers in attendance by sticking with only an hour so they could get back to studying for finals
• Witness boldly in the community by being a good neighbor/customer/shared spaces with other customers
• Four clipboards with names and contact info for…

1. Serve with the littles? Joyfully willing to be the “11am nursery-plus-1 or 2” for Safe Sanctuary/Ministry Safe guidelines; spend time to minister to and with the two college-age women who serve weekly; opening opportunity to meet with littles and their parent/grandparent beginning a new multigenerational relationship with a young parent/grandparent. This would be a rotation and ‘sub as needed’ opportunity.
2. What is a skill you can offer to your new church? Joyfully willing to arrive early/stay late to set up/take down while at our temporary location, greet and direct inside the door, usher folks to small group at 9:30am, usher folks to chapel for worship services, play an instrument, sing, medical, notary, bookkeeping, medical, driver, chaperone, phone calls to gather info, researcher, counter, resting smiling face to greet and usher, make a meal for someone who needs, good print handwriting to address postcards for first time guests and birthday postcards, run errands, price items, can organize people on a team, etc. 
3. Prayer Partnership? Would you be interested in partnering with another guy/guy or lady/lady as a 6-month prayer partner Jan-June to (1) text/call once each week to pray for and with one another (no longer than an hour) AND (2) pray for our church by name AND (3) at some point in those 6 months both of you would serve together as partners in some way at a Macland Community Church event/Sunday.
4. What’s in your hand? tables, chairs, clubhouse rental info, host a small group once/weekly/monthly, baker, van to drive youth/children to an event, firepit, backyard, pool, garden, back porch, mission opportunity, etc.

The mission of our church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who worship passionately, love extravagantly, and WITNESS BOLDLY. As we plan for the new year, we’ll be sure to ‘be a good neighbor’ in the community not asking what they can do for us, but rather asking, “How can our church be a blessing to you and your team?”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

A trusted friend suggested a little book to me over late night tea which has helped this Moses-fan-girl keep a Promised Land perspective. The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-given Strategies for Difficult Times was written by Rev. Robert J. Morgan in 2001 yet it’s been a fabulous buoy to hold onto especially over the last thirty days. I even shared a children’s moment about it highlighting two of the rules.

Moses finally gets permission for the people of God to be released to go worship the Lord. Everyone rushes to fill backpacks and gather loved ones. They head out in great numbers in community with joy and whatever they could carry. Moses’ sister Miriam and her girlfriends-in-the-Lord have packed tambourines not knowing where they are going yet knowing that at some point they will celebrate and dance before the Lord. A dance of deliverance and freedom.

Not long after God’s people had left Egypt to worship the Lord, Pharaoh changed his mind. With chariots, horses, power and anger, Pharaoh chases down the freed slaves. In fight, flight, and freeze mode, God’s people arrive at the Red Sea. Behind the Hebrews is the noise and hot anger of the Pharaoh and certain suffering. In front of the Hebrews is the noise and overwhelming waters of the unknown and uncertain. What to do? 

Red Sea Rule #1 – Realize that God means for you to be where you are. Struggles and tension are part of the Christian life and He’s chosen us for this time in history.

Red Sea Rule #2 – Be more concerned for God’s glory than for your relief. Instead of ‘How do I get out of this mess?’ ask a different question. Ask ‘How can God be honored and glorified in this mess?’

Red Sea Rule #3 – Acknowledge your enemy, but keep your eyes on the Lord. Don’t toss around horrible names at those coming at you nor give the devil more credit than he is due. Keep your eyes on Jesus and do what you know is pleasing to Him.

Red Sea Rule #4 – Pray! Over many months I’ve set an alarm on my phone for 8:27 am & pm for August 27; then added 11:18am & pm for November 18. My prayer: Lord, let Your will be done. I submit to Your marching orders.

Red Sea Rule #5 – Stay calm and confident, and give God time to work. Time has been a gift and I’m grateful for it. Scales have fallen from many eyes and many hearts have softened over the in-between, liminal time.

Red Sea Rule #6 – When unsure, just take the next logical step by faith. Take the next right-in-Jesus’-sight step forward. He’s a good shepherd and His sheep know His voice. Lord, let me step as a sheep and not a goat.

Red Sea Rule #7 – Envision God’s enveloping presence. I do not fear, for He is with His people. All of us.

Red Sea Rule #8 – Trust God to deliver in His own unique way. God chooses the way and He is trustworthy. The Lord can deliver overtly (through a miracle), covertly (by providence), or mysteriously (John 13:7).

Red Sea Rule #9 – View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. So many times peace comes when I think, “This time next year….”

Red Sea Rule #10 – Don’t forget to praise Him. “Whether I have an ‘Alas!’ or an ‘Alleluia!’ depends on our perspective.” (p127) I’ve listened to Mercy Me’s “Even If…” on repeat for weeks.

Just a few weeks ago I walked into a room I thought was trustworthy and led with honor. I’m a rule follower and expected nothing less from my professing Christian siblings. I was wrong. It was a foregone conclusion what was going to happen and this was just a formality. My disappointment was deep and wide. It took me 2.5 hours to drive home. I needed every mile. In my car, by myself with the Lord, there was yelling in Buford and had-to-pull-over sobbing in Cumming. Yet as I drove into Canton where I live, there was a peace that overwhelmed me and my marching orders were clear. Once I had my Elijah moment with something to eat, and a few hours sleep, I was ready to turn and place my flip-flops in the Red Sea. And don’t you know…..it’s parting.

“But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5

The last several months have been like tip-toeing around a room full of sleeping toddlers. Longer for some. Shorter for others. For any mama who finally got a too-tired toddler to sleep, you know what I’m talking about.

Children’s Ministry folks plan and pray. We calendar and plan. We reserve spaces and have a plan B, C, and D. We talk of dates and numbers and spaces and places like everyone knows what we’re talking about. Everyone does. We hold everything loosely and are champion pivoters. We filter what we can navigate and stare at our shoes for the rest.

So how do we model moving onward well? We model what pleases Jesus:

• “Be ye kind, one to another, tenderhearted and forgiving one another just as the Lord has forgiven me.” (Ephesians 4:32) Speak well of everyone and refrain from being led by emotions. Greet everyone. Say hello, Say goodbye. Be especially interested and touch base with your team. They are watching your words, your non-verbal communication, and your face.
• “Be slow to speak, quick to listen, slow to become angry”….or annoyed, or frustrated, or taking anything personally. (James 1:9) No one in the room knows everything. Godly people doing ungodly things has been happening since the beginning of time. Don’t fall prey to being put in the group of the ungodly.
• Go with what you know and not with how you feel. What do I know? Our great God can and will turn all things for good for those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) Our great God is compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, willing to stick with His own, abounding in steadfast love especially when His people are not. (Exodus 34:6)
• “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!” Find and model the joy and hope we have in trusting a great God for our salvation. His presence is my only reward and we must be good with that. Think of Paul singing praises to the Lord in the prison in chains. Tell your face. Whatever your resting face, make it smile. (Philippians 4:4) Let your work and work ethic tell your story of redemption, repair, and restoration.

“The only safe place for sheep is by the side of the shepherd, because the devil does not fear sheep; he just fears the shepherd.” A. W. Tozer

Be the safe space for your littles and their bigs wherever your walls, wherever the address, still proclaim the trust of the scriptures, still pray for forgiveness and healing for a little boy’s splinter, sing the songs thick with doctrine and hope (Deep & Wide, This Little Light of Mine, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus), and greet one another with love, grace, and mercy.

We use Pursue God Kids curriculum for Sunday mornings. A few weeks back the Sunday school lesson was about what happened to Jonah. The big idea is that God gives second chances because His mercies are new every morning. We will share that God’s grace is when God gives us what we DON’T deserve (salvation, joy, hope, community, liberty) and God’s mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we DO deserve (only one chance to get everything right.)

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:35-36

What is the will of God?
The will of God is that the Holy Spirit is directing you (Galatians 5:25, John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:9-1); the Word of God is filling your mind (Philippians 2:5, Romans 12:1-2, Isaiah 55:6-11), and the local church is equipping and coaching you to become Christ-like (Ephesians 4:11-12, Hebrews 10:24-25).

“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.” Proverbs 22:24-25

On January 20, 2009 a Facebook Group was created to connect lay (non-clergy yet professional) children’s ministry leaders. We would meet each other in-person at conferences and workshops across the state for weekday and weekend ministry training and stay connected through the Facebook group. We’d share job postings at healthy churches when folks would be moving and churches searching to build their teams. We’d share our choices for Vacation Bible School curriculum to pickup resources from various churches throughout the summer. We’d connect online to troubleshoot, ideate, and find safety in collaboration within the community of those who were volunteers, on staff at various levels, and shared among this tribe of lay folks dedicated to loving littles, and sometimes their bigs, to Jesus.

We had no idea this safe, digital, online, small group would grow to be the 600+ group it is today. 

It was originally called The Children’s Ministry Network. Its purpose to support and educational development group for all who are in direct ministry with children. Yes, we know that everyone is supposed to be in ministry with children, but this was for non-clergy lay folks serving local churches of all sizes, in all locales, with various tech abilities and access. Striving to create networking groups (in-person and online) to share ideas in ministry and be a support in everyone’s efforts to create an excellent Christian learning experience for children and their families. 

There are Facebook Groups for clergy and Facebook Groups for all kinds of good causes. This particular Facebook Group stayed within the navigational beacons of lay folk telling the story of Jesus in the local church. At the time it started, it was the only one out there.

There are daily postings of music, resources, encouragement, guidance, research, dreams, books, workshops, conferences, blogposts, files and so many resources. There are also postings asking questions of how-to, what-to-do, and who-do-I-call to get the best information about the best practices for sharing Jesus with families with children. 

Many of us are still in the trenches of ministry with families. Most have retired or moved on to other organizations for various reasons. I wrote a bit about that here and here. The average professional life of children’s ministry lead is still 3.5 years.

The Children’s Ministry Network Facebook group became a rock star digital group before online groups were a thing, especially with traffic issues, busy schedules, and oh, the pandemic. 

When sanctuaries shut down for months, we were on the Facebook group rolling out the ideation from the Facebook group from Friday the 13th to the first Sunday, 3/15/2020. Everything from online VBS and drive-thru services to drive-in services for little people with big people in the vehicle and cul-de-sac pop-ins were chatted about and logistics shared. We were throwing spaghetti at the online wall of this Facebook group for how and when so that our littles and their bigs did not grow accustomed to doing life without the local church. Wherever we danced before the Lord with joy became our sanctuary. We succeeded and these kidmin warriors never missed a beat. 

The Facebook group was renamed to facilitate the implementation of trainings specific to the North Georgia United Methodist Church audience, to grow the connections more local to North Georgia, and where new hires to local churches could better navigate their transition into a connected community. Where we could get to one another.

This little Facebook Group will now be facilitated and moderated by The North Georgia Conference of the UMC at the direction of the Office for Congregational Excellence.

It’s been my pleasure to share and moderate the Children’s Ministry Network aka NGUMC Children’s Ministry Network Facebook group. The connections of names and experiences have challenged me, sharpened me, and delighted me. I have loved sharing the journey with so many. It’s given me a place to put down my thoughts and curate resources so kidmin leads can go back and share with others to ‘equip the saints for good work.’

If you’d like to remain connected to me and my musings, hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss a Tuesday post. You can also join me and some of my family ministry friends from around the country at another Facebook group. To protect the identity of those who have joined, send me an email at dedereilly@comcast.net and I’ll make it happen.

I’m a connector, an extrovert, a collaborator, and a Jesus gal drawn to other Jesus guys and gals. I’ve loved the opportunities to remain connected and share life with Jesus guys and gals all over the planet. Facebook groups have fit that need and I’m grateful for it. On-demand sharing of best practices in a safe asking space offer inspiration and courage. Thank you, Lord, for the gifts You continue to offer so Your people can remain in community and tell the greatest story every told: Jesus and how He alone can save.

I’ll be asking Santa for a new pair of combat boots. The soles of the ones I’m wearing have a lot of holes in them.

“I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you.” 1 Corinthians 1:4-6

We moved to New England the first week of November 30 years ago. I had never lived north of I-10 and was truly a southern fish out of warm water. Family staples like grits, Jimmy Dean pork sausage with sage, Rotel tomatoes, and Duke’s mayonnaise were not to be found. This young mama was just trying to feed her babies!

Three weeks in and it was Thanksgiving.

My mother had her hands full when we were younger and I don’t recall a Thanksgiving meal being prepared. Most of our holiday family traditions came from my amazing and generous step-mother, Ms. Bobi. She could set a feast on a table like nobody I’d ever known and use every pan in the house to do it. Sweet memories of all the women folk cleaning up and belting out Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” 

So, breakfast with cheese-eggs, bacon, and blueberry muffins I could pull off without a problem. But it was my mother-in-law who taught me the most important part of Thanksgiving: How to have everything ready and hot on the table at the same time. 

A quick phone call on our first New England Thanksgiving morning, I wrote it down as she dictated to me Kay’s Thanksgiving Routine.

Depending on what time everything needed to be finished and ready for the table, the day begins with the pie. Really!  The pumpkin pie sets the day in motion. All the details of rubbing oil and sage all over the Butterball to the gravy from the pan drippings are written down. Kay’s Whittlesey family of independent women also had a dressing they prepared with white bread, Jimmy Dean sausage with sage, apples, and sage. It’s lethal, but oh, so delicious.  It took me about three years to perfect it. My hand-written notes get pulled out each year and I still hear her voice. Oh, how I miss her. Our lovely daughter-in-law is a fan of this dressing, so it’s happening.

Yesterday I was texting with a friend and I shared that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Food and family are the only expectations around a table that is set with my mother-in-law’s china that just so happens to match mine. Interestingly, she was with me when I picked out my pattern. As the day goes on and the number around our table increases, I tell the stories of china, those cold days in New England, and the silver pieces. Family history around the table. Many recipes pulled out for this day written in the handwriting of so many who have gone on to Glory. It’s a day for stories and stretchy pants.

Sally Clarkson writes in The Life Giving Table Experience, “The story of our family has been written at tables. Not with pen and paper, but with words and people, food and fellowship, talk and time. When we sit at our tables, we’re not just an aggregate of individual family members eating and drinking to stay alive; we’re a congregation of communing souls hungering and thirsting to experience the goodness and beauty of the life God has designed just for us. It’s not just about the physical act of eating, but about sharing and enjoying life as God designed and gave it to us. That is the essence of the lifegiving table.”

This year our daughter will be hosting Thanksgiving. We got our assignments via text two weeks ago. She and her family bought a home last spring only an hour away. I’ll be traveling with a Door Dash warmer I ordered from Amazon. The older grands are 9 and 11. These are the tables they will remember so there will be lots of laughter and stories.

May your table give life this Thanksgiving and the Lord find us faithful to give thanks for those who set the tables before us. What is one of your family recipes with a story?

“She has set her table.” Proverbs 9:2b International Children’s Bible

The Lord offered amazing weather and lots of lovely opportunities to bump elbows with our neighbors at last week’s Fall Gathering. The leftover candy’s been stored for the Christmas Parade because our church is SO generous when it comes to donating treats to replenish after each trunk’s first 400 pieces are gone. Trunk decorations are packed away, the gaga ball pit is stored until next April, and the leaves have been blown away from the entrances.

We turn the calendar page and it’s November. Everywhere I turn it feels like November has turned into the first month of Christmas. So what to do?

Music – I Wanna Be Thankful; sharing a Spotify playlist of thanksgiving songs.

Thankful Pumpkins – Keep the pumpkins out to write the names and places we are thankful for on a craft pumpkin with a sharpie throughout the month or leave it sitting in the Welcome Center with sharpies available.

Pumpkin Palooza – The Sunday before Thanksgiving we enjoy our typical large group with songs, games, and Bible study followed by roaring rounds of Thanksgiving Bingo with pumpkin prizes: pumpkin story books, pumpkin notepads, pumpkin cereals, anything pumpkin which we’ve been collecting all fall.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover – The Sunday before Thanksgiving, littles bring a stuffed animal friend to church to stay the night. Ambassadors stay a little later to take pictures of the stuffed critters all over campus in various stages of mischief. I then post every hour or so all night long and all morning long for parents to ‘discover’ on their social media feed until the littles return for their stuffed animals on Monday morning for breakfast and some early Thanksgiving game fun and a blessing. Added benefit: Each time parents check the photos on the McEachern Kids FB group, the FB algorithms adjust so that everything I post for the next month will automatically roll into family feeds.

Thankful scratch-off turkeys, headbands, masks, and popcorn with thankful cootie catchers and airplanes for church to home.

We wish to serve and celebrate the goodness and faithfulness of God. We are called to be thankful people, giving thanks in ALL circumstances, showering others with gratefulness, and modeling an attitude of gratitude. Yeah, I’m doing that in November. Christmas can wait. Bring on the turkey and some really good college football.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for  you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

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