This week’s guest blogger is Hannah Harwood, Director of Children’s Ministries serving the families of Sam Jones United Methodist Church in Cartersville, Georgia, a suburb of the Greater Atlanta area.

I had the incredible blessing of being able to participate in an online Bible Study this summer on the book of Acts. I felt as if it had a lot of relevant lessons to teach us as the Church is navigating through COVID 19. One of the areas that stood out to me was the amount of traveling that Paul and the early church did to make disciples and share the good news of Jesus. What if I applied that same concept to Children’s Ministry? What if instead of the children traveling to me, I traveled to them?

During the month of August, we invited our families to host a Popsicles and Praise Pop-in. First, we set it up in our church’s registration program to invite families to host the Popsicles & Praise Pop-ins. We asked our host families to sign up for a morning or afternoon session on the date of their choice. We provided several different date opportunities. Each session consisted of praise music, a specialized lesson, and fun activities right in their own front yard. Social distancing was incorporated into the fun.

With our current curriculum we use for kid’s worship, we offered a lesson with supplies in individual brown bags which included a clipboard, construction paper, coloring sheet, set of four crayons, leftover VBS bracelets, and a special light since the lesson was about Abraham. We also provided poster board, post-it notes, hula hoops, a pool noodle, a fun umbrella, and popsicles. The umbrella provided shade so the musical guest who traveled with me didn’t have to stand in the sun.

Each parent/host was responsible for obtaining signed permission forms and the kids brought a towel to sit on. The host family provided the front yard and invited friends from the neighborhood. We noticed how several families had chosen a couple of friends, cousins, and neighbors they felt comfortable being around to socialize during COVID-19, so the host family would invite them to the Popsicles & Praise Pop-in. We did ask that numbers would not exceed 10 children per location to ensure social distancing during the lesson. The host family let us know the exact number a couple days before the event.

I arrived at the host families’ house about thirty minutes early to meet with the family and setup each area. Every student got their own hula hoop and bag of supplies. My Senior Pastor was one of my volunteers and brought his guitar to open up the service with music. With a lesson on Abraham, of course we had to play “Father Abraham”.

We started with a couple of songs and followed it with our lesson. After the lesson, we passed out yummy popsicles. The entire program lasted between 30-40 minutes. The parents enjoyed the time of fellowship and the kids loved getting to see everyone. 

Hannah Harwood is a wife, mom, and loves her coffee. Hannah can be contacted by emailing hharwood@samjonesumc.org.

“Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.'” Acts 15:36

Connection is happening in a whole host of new ways in 2020. Where we would typically pour ourselves out into a Sunday, we now get to pour ourselves out into families in a more personal way with the words of the Lord. I’m no Bible scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but I am a satisfied customer of the scriptures.

I earned my degree from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!) in Political Science with a minor in Greek and Roman History because of the power of words to move people to action: spoken and written. Words spoken into and over my life as a child, by the people in my family and world over time, have been re-written by the scriptures. They have brought me courage as a girl, strength as a single woman and student, encouragement as a wife, guidance as a mom, endurance as a leader cut by stained glass, and armor as I grew from a girl of the church into a woman of faith called by God to teach. I even have a ring of index cards filled with the scriptures which have molded and carved me into who I am today. The best part? I added a new card just this week because the scriptures continue to whittle. 

This ring of scriptures written by my own hand have walked with me for more than thirty years. My handwriting has changed a bit. My journey has been nothing what I imagined, but this is evidence of my walk with Him and His walk with me through all the seasons so far. When our daughter spent 4.5 months in Senegal, Africa between college and nursing school in the mission field, she carried this ring of scriptures with her. When I have endured spiritual warfare in various heavenly places, I now know what it looks like, smells like, sounds like, and acts like to armor-up for the long-haul. There is great power in these scriptures. There is power in His word.

Pointing the families I serve to the Jesus of the scriptures has been my goal especially over the last several months. I reach out on Sunday mornings with scriptures to everyone in my phone whom I love by text. I reached out on the first day of school by text with scriptures and prayers. I reply on social media with these scriptures. I run to them when I’m lost. I hold them close when I need to be reminded that I’m beloved and called for such a time as this.

Pastor Matt Crane taught in a sermon recently about five growth stages of the Christian life:

• Babies – aka the born again Christian who needs milk (1 Peter 2:2; Hebrews 5:12) What is the milk babies need? Belief in Jesus (faith) & Love.
• Little Children – Growing in a lifestyle of daily discipleship of Bible reading, prayer, generosity, and other holy habits over time. (John 13:33)
• Young Men/Women – Zealous newbies in ministry who are strong warriors, energetic, engaging in a life of spiritual adventure. They may not get it right and there are some things that, according to Pastor Crane, might burn down. But what they lack in wisdom they more than make up for in zeal, spontaneity, risk-taking and a fresh fire to share the gospel. (1 John 2:13) They ask with eager anticipation, “What does God want me to do?” and are willing to just do it.
• Fathers/Mothers – Established in the ministry progressing in their study of the Word beyond youthful impulsivity with their priorities changing from “What does God want me to do?” to “Lord, do with me what You will.” (1 John 2:13) Disciples making disciples living out Titus 2. Reminds me of Paul with Timothy, Anna & Elizabeth with Mary, Naomi with Ruth.
• Old Men/Women (the aged) – Have reached the end of their life having lived a pattern of faithful discipleship for the good of the Body of Christ, beyond knowledge, with great intentionality to tell the stories of God’s faithfulness. (Titus 2:2-5; Deuteronomy 4:9)

These are just a few of the questions I’m asking myself as we begin to move into this next and new season of ministry: As I serve our families, am I investing in their lives with scripture and a legacy in mind? If you are a young man/woman in the faith, how can I help fan your fire in the Word? If you are a father/mother, who am I investing in to point to the Word? If I am in the season of the aged, how am I telling the stories of God’s faithfulness? Can I lead an online Bible study to invest in a small group? What are the scriptures which have changed the trajectory of your spiritual life? How do I pivot from providing programming to children to walking alongside my families on a more personal level…a discipleship level to the remnant…in exile?

“Truly, my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.” Psalm 62:1-2

Camp Meetings are part of the heritage of the Methodist movement. Think a church family reunion with all the food, the messages of hope, the music, and a revival of the Spirit. Camp CHAIR meetings will be our next step to share life together for September and October. With the time change in November, it’ll be too dark to meet outdoors which will offer a natural ending.

We will leverage the time and space of Thursday Drive-in Church for families to engage in small groups where children are fully integrated members of the inter-generational small group. For 30-minutes, 6-6:30pm, three families will meet in camp chairs in various locations to engage in an ice-breaker, a discussion question, and then break off into even smaller groups for prayer, all as an extension of the previous Sunday’s sermon message. the pilot groups will take place in the shaded back parking lot on campus. After a closing benediction, everyone will return to their homes to be challenged the next day by email with an action step that extends the small group experience even further into the weekend to move from the seat to the street.

Modality integration will look like this:
– Sermon delivered on Sunday in-person/online.
– Post sermon on podcast or closed Facebook page for Camp Chair Meetings to be viewed/reviewed on-demand on Monday/Tuesday.Post/email ice breaker or thought question on Thursday.
– Meet in camp chairs as a small group with opening prayer, ice breaker, discussion question, break up into prayer cells within the small group of women, men, and children (children will be led by the oldest who we will train and train up), dismiss with benediction/refrain.
– Follow-up action steps by email/posted on Friday to live out the discussion/message through the weekend.

Goals: Build connections between families (however the family unit looks as 10 or 1) and invite children to be fully integrated members of the inter-generational small group.

Joel Comiskey’s Children in Cell Ministry: Discipling the Future Generation Now speaks of intergenerational small groups as a group of three to fifteen people who meet weekly outside the church building for the purpose of evangelism, community, and spiritual growth with the goal of making disciples who make disciples that results in multiplication. (pg 51) The first step deals with a sermon/message (HEAD). The second step focuses on Bible application, prayer, games (HEART). Third step takes it from the seat to the street in Christian service in living it out and telling the story/testimony (HANDS & FEET).

We have eight families who have attended the drive-in church services on a regular basis who are not in our database. The stories are incredible of how they found out about what we were doing and became part of the parking lot sanctuary. This may be the vehicle to leverage Thursdays since that time is already part of their family routine to take the next step to building relationships with others in the church family. If folks connect in one way then into another, with others, that’s success.

“On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27

Recruiting and family engagement has taken on a whole new level of relationship-building. Or has it? Motivated by a spirit of compassion, love, ‘we are still in this together’, and a respect of how each person will live out their call to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, AND love their neighbors as themselves, we proposed a Chill & Chat About McEachern Kids (MK).

Promotional Vocabulary: Children learn best to love Jesus by spending time with people who love Jesus. That’s you! McEachern Kids Dream Team’s training with Tropical Cafe’ smoothies will be on Wednesday, July 22 5:30pm-7pm.
Bring your camp chair and we’ll gather at the McEachern Kids entrance to CHILL & CHAT about the many different opportunities to serve Jesus on the McEachern Kids leadership team and have some fun.
This is for you if you’re all in, if you want to get more connected, and even if you’re just curious and unsure of making the commitment to serve when we open our doors to in-person gathering in The Treehouse.
For more information, contact dreilly@mceachernumc.org.
RSVP at…

We ordered Sunrise smoothies from the local Tropical Smoothie and with camp chair in-hand, we set up outside with appropriate social distancing. Everyone got a smoothie, a pen, a copy of the calendar hot off the presses, and an index card. The index card was to write notes to me of thoughts, ideas, concerns, dreams for MK. Earlier in the day I’d sent a text to everyone in my phone asking a set of 3+3 questions: What 3 things do you LOVE about MK? What 3 things do you WISH for MK? Our new senior pastor had asked these same questions of the staff as part of his on-boarding. My phone blew up all day with responses. Those who couldn’t respond by text and those who popped in out of mere curiosity were able to follow up with emails to the 3+3 later or write them on the index card and leave the cards in a basket for me to review after the meeting.

I’d asked two servant leaders to take notes and one to take pictures.

We chatted about small groups and tossed ideas onto the table for returning to in-person children’s programming beginning on Labor Day Sunday. We chatted about looking into the next 2.5 years. We chatted about Faith Milestones, Parenting with a Purpose classes, why we chose how we did Drive-in and Drive-thru, Christmas Eve children’s services, what CLUB345 and GLEE Club could look like. I shared stories of why we would start Grandparenting with a Purpose classes and what Camp Chair Meetings to come in September and October will look like. This team is the first to hear about Camp Chair Meetings so I needed to be clear and begin stirring much energy as they are the connectors to spread the word much better than a social media campaign could ever do. We took a tour of the Children’s Ministry spaces inside the building for the first-timers and first-lookers explaining the staging chaos for Drive-in services with the Ambassadors present telling their stories of the spaces and taking pics. “This is my favorite supply closet. This is where Ms. DeDe stores the snacks and especially the Rice Krispie Treats!,” shared by the fabulous Miss Olivia who started as an Ambassador and is now an MK intern. 

Then the ask: Would you prayerfully consider serving on the McEachern Kids servant leader team next year?

Let’s get this party started!

“Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!” Matthew 23:32

Three weeks into quarantine and I was ready to talk to other local church champions asking new questions about the look of the local church in the weeks, months, maybe years to come. So I signed up for the Resilient Church Academy. Knowing I would have better conversations as it relates to the local church I serve, I invited and paid for one of my Super Champions to take the same class with me. Together we would be immersed in one class and could process together from the content provided as it related to our context of ministry with children in our local church. #bettertogether

Though I felt I had no time to add one more thing, taking the class made my brain stop spiraling and instead, remain focused on a task at hand: learn something new about how to become something new and prepare for a new, massive culture shift. This would go beyond the bazillion webinars, podcasts, Zoom calls, and Facebook Live events I found myself swimming in. All good stuff, but I was “on” from 5am until my cell phone died the second time each day before I felt I could call it a day. There was no entire day for Sabbath, no rest in my brain, no stopping of the treading water of the conversations of every day about every day. I wanted to talk beyond today, beyond lamenting or grieving what we felt lost, and beyond how I was going to get groceries by the end of the week. My families were trying to work from home and school from home and event plan from home and get groceries by the end of the week, too.

I took the Innovation Academy Track of The Resilient Church Academy for six weeks and it was perfect for the unknown we were headed into.

Almost everything in continuing education is on demand now and carving out time to do this two hours each week was exactly what I needed, and my congregation needed me to do, in this liminal, in-between time. As we participated in this class, we developed the McEachern Kids Drive-in services for the summer and gathered a team of creative types to rally alongside to be the leaders, connectors, master ideators, in their giftedness, to navigate today and even over the next two years. 

Why two years? According to numerous conversations with folks immersed in history, it took society 2.5 years to move into some sort of regularity following the Spanish Flu pandemic of 100 years ago in the US. I think that’s a perfect time-frame to spread out faith formation in innovative and multiple next-steps. That time-frame gives us time to offer tools to lead our current church families into their next steps AND provide multiple points of entry with their own next steps for families just now looking for a church home and tools for pointing their kids to Jesus. Sharing life with the families here now AND reach the families outside looking for a place…er, a people, to build their new tribe. Stay tuned!

A new season of Resilient Church Academy begins on August 3. 

If you’re tired of what-do-we-do thoughts swirling in your head or need a tribe of innovators to help you think more clearly, Resilient Church Academy is for you.

If you are looking for a way to jump-start new thought processes or need to hear other voices to help you with vocabulary of forward movement and hang out with brave people, Resilient Church Academy is for you.

If you are ready to stop waiting for other people to tell you what to do and instead, see what’s in your hands (or closets) to fulfill God’s call on your life precisely WHERE God has called you to serve, Resilient Church Academy is a good place to start.

The best way to become a brave, hungry, creative pioneer is to spend time with other brave, hungry, creative pioneers. 

“David told his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished’.” 1 Chronicles 28:20

Everyone in my community is affected and having to make major decisions about what school will look like this fall. The 2020 Pandemic has instilled more angst in more ways than many of my families have ever had to endure. We need prayer. The very morning of our scheduled service, the local school board decided to go 100% virtual and our community was reeling. I can’t even imagine the conversations our kids overheard that day. 

Superhero Prayer Service – For all those who wear a cape for kids and education. 
Thursday, June 16 8:30pm-9pm (immediately following the 8pm drive-in service)

Say: This is what I know about you. (me)
1. You want to make the best decision for you, your kids, your family. Yes?
2. The decisions you are being asked to make are not those you expected, yet here we are. Yes?
3. You are asking, “What is the wisest decision I can make for this season?” It’s just a season. Does that help? It’s just a season.

Say: This is what I know about prayer. (me)
1. Prayer is a gift given to us by our Creator to speak directly to our Creator.
2. “Where two or three come together in my name (in the name of Jesus), there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20
3. God answers prayer: Yes, No, Not now.
4. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 (Jesus’ brother)

How do we know it is God’s will? (me)
1. Is this congruent with God’s character as revealed in the scriptures? (Whatever my decision, will it harm my relationship with God or my kids?)
2. Have I received reconfirmation? Am I clearly understanding my choices?
3. Have I received sound counsel? Am I listening to others who share my values and am I confident they are people who practice holy habits, not the church of social media/church of the loudest in the room/church of comparison/church of the unwise/church of the angry? If you are in God’s word, He will speak to you there. This communication is what sets our great God apart from any other god….He speaks to us!

Breathing (offered by a middle schooler/aged-up Ambassador)
Say: Take a long, deep breath and exhale it slowly while saying the name “Jesus” silently. Close your eyes. Let yourself take ten natural, easy breaths.
“Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness. Breathing techniques help you feel connected to your body—it brings your awareness away from the worries in your head and quiets your mind.” From the American Institute of Stress

Repeat after me prayers (offered by different parents, public school teachers, home-school parents)
Each reader reads slowly in sections/sentences so others can repeat the prayers or has time to prayerfully process.

Confidence Prayer: Father, I need wisdom that only your Spirit can give me. Help me to not lean solely on my own opinions, thoughts, or dreams — or what my society, culture, and circle have to say. I need godly — not earthly — wisdom, Lord. Please supply me in knowledge and truth as I battle these tough decisions and uncertainty. Father, open my eyes to the barriers holding me back from spiritual progress and help me to walk confidently as I discern the next steps I need to take. Amen.

Humility Prayer: Heavenly Father, I admit that in my sinfulness and brokenness, too often I desire my will above yours. Lord, forgive me for my selfishness and unbelief as I react to this unclear season of life. Jesus, as you yourself desired not your own will but the Father’s will (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42), so let me echo this prayer in boldness and humility. Equip me to truly believe that you are good, you are sovereign, and are a Father who desires only the best blessings for me — but that what you see as a blessing may not be mirrored in how I perceive it. Lord, by praying “your will be done,” I surrender in trust and obedience. Amen

Wisdom Prayer: Father God, your word says that if anyone lacks wisdom, they should ask, and you will give them generously. I am about to make a huge decision in my life, but I don’t know how to go about it, Father God. I come to you today to ask you for wisdom. Lead me in the way that I should go that I may be able to bring glory to your holy name. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety Prayer: Dear Lord, my heart is full of anxiety. I don’t know how to go about school this year. The decision I make is going to affect my family and friends. I am scared of failing my loved ones. But your word says that you have not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and sound mind. Let your word come alive in me. Let me be filled with love and power so that I can make this decision boldly, then follow it with joy, and not second guess. Let me be content in whatever decision I make and express it with great joy with my kids and family. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Your Will, Not Mine Prayer: Loving Father, only you know my end from the beginning. Nothing I do or say catches you by surprise. You know what is in my heart, good or bad. Everyone around me is choosing to do things their way, and it is very tempting for me to do so too. But Father God, I want your will to be done in my life. If it is not your will for me to take this path, then Father, give me divine strength to accept and to follow your lead. May every decision I make be pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, I believe and pray. Amen.

Peace of Mind Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am in despair. Everyone is looking at me to make the final decision. My heart is full of fear. But we walk by faith and not sight that is why today I am asking you to remove every doubt that is in my heart and replace it with peace. I refuse to let my heart be troubled or afraid. I know that you are with me till the end of time. Today I choose to walk in the same peace that Jesus has. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Gracious God, I am exhausted! Sometimes I feel like I’m failing every time I turn around.  I feel like I don’t have enough time. Money is tight. I am worried about people I love. So many things are out of my control. This is so hard. God, remind me that my feelings are normal. Remind me that by your grace there is a way through this pandemic. Help me to do one thing at a time. Help me to let go of perfection. Give me curiosity. Give me trusted colleagues and friends. Give me strength, give me patience, give me hope, to plan for the year ahead. (adapted from Sheltered at Home: Family Prayers for Living and Loving, by Christine Hides)

Silence
Say: The word SILENT has the same letters as LISTEN. God speaks to us in His Word, in the counsel of His godly servants, AND in the silence.
Tell story of how God wakes us in the middle of the night because it’s quiet.
Say: Prayer is a conversation. We’ve done the talking, let’s take some time to listen.
Set the timer for 3 minutes to sit in silence after a few deep breaths.

Closing:

GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
Write Jesus’ name in your hand. Rub it into your heart. 
Say: I don’t know how people are navigating this entire season without Jesus. We love you too much to let you drive off this lot and back to your home without telling you the good news of Jesus. (INVITATION TO MAKE JESUS LORD OF YOUR LIFE. Families pray together.)

Pray…“God, there are so many voices flooding my senses. Like the boy Samuel, help me hear YOUR voice calling out to me. Help me to discern the right course to take. Then let me walk into that decision like an adventurer with contentment because eyes are watching me and hearts are trusting me.”
(Write Jesus’ name in your hand. Rub it into your heart.)

Song prayer/Repeat after me (Thank you, Mark Burrows)
Do not be afraid….do not be afraid.
God is with you….God is with you.
Everywhere you go….everywhere you go.
God is there….God is there.
(repeat)

Take aways: Equal packets and slap bracelets as visual prayer prompters (logistically this didn’t work out since folks were driving onto the lot throughout the last drive-in service).
There is no one equal to God to lead you.
There is no one equal to pray to Him on behalf of your family.
There is no one equal to pray for your kids, your vocation, your friends, your kid’s friends than YOU.
Ask the Lord to let you be content in your decision and in offering contentment in the decisions made by other families making decisions for themselves. Be their prayer champion and be ready to honor the decisions they’ve made for their family. Pray for your friends. Then walk into your decision with great joy and a sense of adventure. You were made for such as time as this. You’ve got this. Trust yourself. It’s just a season. And we’re here with and for you. You are a superhero!

“Now, my God, may your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” 2 Chronicles 6:40

I’ve gotten lots of phone calls for the logistics of the Drive-in services, so I thought I’d share. Here are five of the service plans which have guided some of the drive-in services for kids with adults in the car.

Parameters: 6pm – 1st grade & younger; 7pm – 2nd & 3rd grades; 8pm-4th & 5th grades
20-30 minutes in length

Bible Story: God helps Daniel eat wisely, Daniel 1
Bible Point: God is wise…so we make wise choices; It’s all about food. In life we will face many tough decisions, but as long as we have been reading the Bible and practicing what God wants us to do, God’s wisdom will guide us in those decisions.
Loop Music for Sunday School and VBS music which will have familiar lyrics for adults and are ones our kids already know with upbeat tempos and less than 2.5 minutes long each. And some are just fun!
God is Always with Us
I Was Made For This
Praise Him
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
Doxology
Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee
Feels Good
Confidence
Happy
Can’t Stop the Feeling
Transition to start: Take Me To Church
Pre-service Hospitality: Have music playing as cars arrive. Have volunteers wearing chef’s hats and aprons welcoming everyone waving and making noise with pots, pans, spoons, from church kitchen, etc.. High energy!
Arrival & Gives
-Registration form for paper airplanes; list of sticky situations for Bible lesson; balloon w/scripture Daniel 1; Each kid gets a bag #1 and a bag #2 for later; list of wise/unwise scenarios for parents to discuss with kids later.
Welcome & introduce yourself and tell a story about your family.
Hi, my name is _______________ and welcome to Drive-in Church!
Please fill out the registration form and fold it into the best paper airplane you can make and we’ll give you a target for it at the end of the service along with some popcorn today to thank you for popping in. But first,

Super Silly Cooking Demonstration – Have a “Chef” come out to open up the evening by doing a mini-version of “Chopped” the television show. The theme: Pizza (**note: this does not have to be done with pizza…it could be popcorn, dessert, or whatever else we want to do – pizza is just an example here). We ask him to open his basket of secret ingredients, and it is filled with gross things (coffee grinds, dirt, rocks, leaves, anchovies…things like that). Everything he pulls out, he gets very excited about and goes on and on about what a wonderful pizza he can make (ignoring the displeasure of the audience). He quickly makes the “pizza” (lots of drama, laughs and fun describing it as he makes it), and we ask for volunteers from the audience to try his creation and offer a critique. Of course, no one volunteers….Ask them why not? What do they see and why do they think it’s yucky?
Discuss how this relates to the nasty stuff we sometimes put into our bodies – too much junk food, unclean music, no exercise, T.V. shows, movies, video games. Who has heard the phrase you are what you eat? This is the truth – what we put into our bodies – both food and entertainment – matters. It determines the type of person we become. The solution – putting good stuff in.

Ok, so let’s try this again. If you were making a pizza, what would you want in your basket of secret ingredients?? Talk about how much better it is to fill ourselves with good things – God’s Word, healthy food, clean music, movies, etc.

So today’s lesson is about a man named Daniel, and a tough decision he had to make when he was hand selected to work for the King. One of his tough choices was centered around FOOD…was he going to eat the food offered to him by the King, or would he stick to the food he was supposed to eat in accordance with God’s direction…stay tuned to see what Daniel did!

Game: Let’s Make A Deal
Say: In today’s Bible story we saw how God helped Daniel make wise choices about food. We have a lot of decisions to make each day; sometimes it’s easy to make wise choices, and sometimes the wise choice isn’t so clear.
Let’s play a game that’s all about wise choices.
• Each kid gets 2 bags (bag #1 & bag #2)
• Families discuss how each kid will decide which bag they’ll choose.
• You can shake them, smell them, see them, but not open them. Explain that kids won’t get to look in the bags first to see what’s in them; they’ll have to decide if they want to risk giving up one for something that might be in the other.
• Allow a few minutes for teams to discuss their decision.
• Ask teams to raise their hands when they’ve decided..
• Allow the teams who chose to take the bags to open them.
• Let kids know they get to keep the other bag, too….this time. .
Talk About It/Car Chat
Ask: Why do you think you did or didn’t make a wise choice?
Say: The decisions in our game were fun and not too serious, but many times in life we have some very important decisions to make.
Ask: • What’s a big decision you’ve had to make? Have kids talk to their parents.
Say: When we have important decisions to make, it’s nice to have someone to talk to about it to get some advice. We might talk to parents, grandparents, teachers, wise friends, and wise family members. We can also talk to God. God is wise, so he’s the best one to go to when we need wisdom.
Song/Music: I Have Decided to Follow Jesus (teach the signs, then play the song.)
Bible reading/Storytime/Message: Eat a Healthy Snack
Show kids the cupcakes or cookies and the carrots.
Ask: • Which of these snacks would you rather eat?
Say: In our Bible story today, Daniel and some friends had to choose what they were going to eat. Daniel’s country had been overtaken by another country, and Daniel and his friends were taken to work for the king of the other country. They lived in the palace for a few years to train before going to work for the king.
The king served food that probably looked and tasted really yummy, like our desserts. But Daniel and his friends wanted to eat only vegetables.
Talk and Walk through Daniel 1:8; 1:9-10;
Say: This was a matter of life or death! If Daniel handled this wrong, the king could get mad and people could die. But Daniel didn’t want to disobey God, either.
Ask: What do you think Daniel could do? Have kids share in their cars.
Say: Before we find out the wise solution God gave Daniel, let’s think about situations kids today might face.
We’ll play a game we will call wise or unwise. Mom/Dad will lead this one from the car. Mom/Day, you take it from here. Use a thumbs up for wise and thumbs down for not wise. Y’all take it from here! (list of sticky situations)
Say: Great wise thinking! Daniel’s situation was a tough one; the king was telling him to do something that was wrong. But if he just stopped doing it, the king’s adviser could be killed. Maybe even Daniel and his friends could be killed! But God is wise, and he helped Daniel and his friends make a wise choice in solving Daniel’s problem. Here’s what they did.
Walk through and read Daniel 1:11-16.
Ask: • Why was this solution a wise one? Car Chat
Say: Daniel and his friends trusted that God would keep them healthy when they stopped eating the food the king served, and they knew they wouldn’t look sick or weak after 10 days. But putting a time limit on how long they’d eat only vegetables helped the guard in charge of Daniel and his friends feel better. He knew that if they didn’t look healthy, Daniel and his friends would agree to eat the king’s food.
Say: Making wise choices isn’t something we can always do well on our own; wisdom comes from God. God is wise, so we make wise choices. Listen to what the Bible says about the wisdom of Daniel and his friends.
Read Daniel 1:17-20
Say: Daniel and his friends had wisdom because they spent time with God. They knew eating the king’s food was against God’s wishes because they knew God’s plan for wise living.
God gives us wisdom when we spend time with him, pray, and spend time with wise people. The Bible gives us lots of examples of wise people (Daniel) and not so wise people.
It’s kind of like training our bodies. If you want strong arms, you train them by doing push-ups. Have each child do five push-ups.
Say: If you want strong abs, you train them by doing sit-ups. Have each child do five sit-ups.
Say: If you want strong legs, you train them by doing squats. Have each child do five squats.
Say: The more you do those kinds of exercises, the stronger your muscles will get. Then your muscles will be trained to do hard things, so when you really need them to work hard, they’re ready.
If we want to be spiritually strong, we can train by spending time with God and reading the Bible. Then when we need to use our wisdom muscles to handle a tough situation, we’ll be ready since we’ve been letting God fill us with his wisdom! God is wise, so we make wise choices.
Prayer: Try this simple prayer below, especially useful for the kinesthetic learner.
(3 deep breaths) God, you love doing God things!
God, you are above (reach toward the sky), below (touch your toes), inside (hands to heart) and all around (big arm circles).
I worship you (reach toward the sky), and give my life to you (touch your toes).
And I love you (hands to heart) with all that I am (big arm circles).
(3 deep breaths)God, you love doing God things!
Leaving activity; offering; registration form; GIVE AWAY popcorn saying, “Thanks for popping in!”
Exit song: https://vimeo.com/showcase/4261476/video/191691866 I Have Decided to Follow JesusI

Bible Story: Jesus calls Matthew to be His friend
Theme: Jesus is our friend, so we’re good friends to others; Toy Story
Music to Loop:
God is Always with Us
Praise Him
I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
Doxology
Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee
Can’t Stop the Feeling
In The Sanctuary
The Power Shuffle
You’ve Got A Friend In Me
Transition to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eTOcrWu8mQ Take Me To Church
Pre-service Hospitality: Each kid/car gets balloon w/scripture to pop at Bible story time; registration form.
Welcome: Introduce self and ask ice breaker: Name as many famous ‘pairs’ or ‘two things which go together’ as you can in one minute. Examples: Salt and Pepper, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Buzz and Woody
Dance Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V9tv9gjbWY In the Sanctuary
Game: Sword Drill – As children hold Bibles closed with hands on covers, state the Bible reference twice, then on the command “SEARCH!” have the students race to locate the verse. Once they have a finger on the verse, they can honk their horn and call out, “FOUND IT!” Once everyone has found it, read the verse aloud and talk about what the Bible says about friends…keep the comments brief and to the point of the lesson. Potential verses include:
• Proverbs 27:17 Friends sharpen each other.
• Proverbs 27:6 Friends help each other, even when it’s hard.
• Ecclesiastes 4:10 Friends help each other in tough times.
Invite kids to pop their balloons to find out where we’re going in the Bible.
Bible Lesson: Matthew 9:9
Storytime/Message: Story of Forky in Toy Story 4
Prayer: God your love is bigger than I can imagine. stretch arms high
God, your love wraps around the world. stretch arms wise
God, your love is here in my heart. bring hands close to heart
God, create in me Your way to keep my eyes on Jesus. place fingers on eyes
And my eyes out for other people. point fingers away from self. (Thanks, Christine Hides!)
Leaving activity/take away: Cake & Ice Cream July 4th Celebration! Blue cake mix & Ice Cream; Sandwich take-away; Forky DIY kit. Like an ice cream truck but with individually wrapped ice cream sandwiches in vanilla or chocolate.

Bible Story: Jesus heals a deformed hand on the Sabbath
Theme: Jesus is BOLD – he goes against the grain; Christmas in July! Jesus goes against the grain, so we can too – we can celebrate Jesus’ birth and the gift of his presence in our lives ANY time we want!
Pre-service Hospitality: Each kid/car gets plastic spoon, jingle bell, length of mermaid fabric, balloon with scripture location to pop at Bible story time; registration form.
Music to Loop
Transition to start: Take Me To Church
Welcome: Introduce self and set up Christmas in July.
Opening monologue to set up Christmas in July:
Hello again! You know, I have lately seen something that frustrates me…the stores are full of Halloween supplies! Can you believe that? (pull out a pumpkin or other seasonal decoration)
Look at this? It is still July! We’re just barely starting summer! The weather is still super hot! It’s not time to think about all of this. You know, I’ve even seen pumpkin spice in some stores! Next they’ll be selling Christmas ornaments, for crying out loud! This is absurd! (Hold up calendar)
See? NOT time for those seasonal things. Oh, but…I will say one thing I approve of: CANDY CORN (Hold up bag of fall themed candy corn). This is okay. This we can have around, even in August. Why, you might ask? Well….I mean, I like candy corn. So…that I approve of.
Does this seem strange? Probably. And it probably seems a little like a contradiction. Why would I say one thing is not okay, but another thing just like it is? Well, in the Gospel story today, Jesus dealt with some people who were struggling with rules and regulations, and were making some strange contradictory statements.
You see, Jesus went to the Temple, the church, and he healed someone. There was a woman who was crippled; she couldn’t walk and had been that way for a long time. Jesus touched her and immediately made her better.
Dance Party: Our parking lot is our sanctuary – going against the grain!
In The Sanctuary
Games: while playing games, play music Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee
• Face the Gingerbread Man Minute to Win It w/teddy grahams
Begin with a gingerbread man on each person’s forehead. The players have one minute to get the cookie into their mouth using only their facial movements.
• Jingle Bell Rock w/ plastic spoon and jingle bell
Have each challenger place a plastic spoon in their mouth and see how many times they can run around their vehicle for 169 seconds (169 days from today until Jesus’ birthday) with the jingle bell staying in the spoon.
• White Christmas (goes with the healing theme of the tesson) w/ toilet paper rolls
One person stands still while the other wraps them in toilet paper. This game is the best player head to head against another two player team. The team that completely uses their toilet paper first wins. It’s fun to see what method the teams come up with to do this quickly.
Storytime/Message: Mermaid fabric square for each student.
What do you think people mean when they say someone is “going against the grain”?
Say: The grain is the arrangement of fibers in paper, fabric, and even food! The grain is made by a whole bunch of fibers that line up in the same direction. Imagine these markers are fibers. Line up several markers in front of you on a table. Push the fabric all in one direction. Now try to keep the same colors and push in the other direction. It’s hard to do because the grain is only one color in one direction. The grain is too strong!
Say: In our Bible story, the religious leaders said that healing someone on the Sabbath was wrong. It would have been easy for Jesus to go along with the rule. Maybe he could have even come back the next day to help the man. But Jesus is bold. He loved the man more than he loved the easy way. Going against the grain was the right thing to do.
Invite kids to pop their balloons to find out where we’re going in the Bible.
Bible Lesson: Read Mark 3:1-6
Discussion: Would you have been silent? How did the man feel when Jesus had him stand in front of everybody? The man was brave and Jesus was bold. Jesus is bold to do the right thing, so we can be bold to do the right thing.
Prayer: a repeat after me prayer song
Do not be afraid, God is with you, Everywhere you go, God is there. (2x)
Leaving activity/take away: meet the new pastor; birthday blow horns; candy canes; a Christmas card to write in and mail/deliver to boldly tell “Jesus loves you and so do I.”

Bible Story: Jesus Teaches Us To Live Differently
Theme: Jesus is different…so we live differently; Drive-thru pool party
Scriptures: Matthew 5-7
Promotion: Bring your water balloons, water guns, inflatable pools in the back of your truck, or bring nothing, totally up to you. You’ll be able to shoot water or throw the water balloons at your leaders.
I think this lends itself well to a “Drive-Thru” event as opposed to a “Drive-In” event. We could have stations set up through a prescribed path through the parking lot where cars can park and walk to 6 stations spread out for interactive fun with a lesson/message at each, led by McEachern Kids volunteers and their families. You’ll stay in your vehicle as the McEachern Kids leaders will be in pools of water with water
“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

Pool Party – Last station is a DRIVE-THRU POOL PARTY
Take-aways – bubble wands for each child at Bubble station
Here are some station ideas, where we would just need to pair it up with a message of “Living Life Differently” – the messages could be on signs, and they could be reinforced by leaders at each station giving a message:
• Drive By Art Station – Spin Art
• Bear Hunt printed on the parking lot
• Fun Science Experiment – Diet Coke & Mentos
• Dance Station – Learn a dance
• Bubble Station – give out bottles of bubbles to kids as they drive by, and have them blow bubbles
• Water Balloon Game

Bible Story: God delights in His people; God is joyful…so we’re joyful.
Theme: God rejoices in his people, and God’s people praise HIM; Joy is CONTAGIOUS!
Loop Music
Transition to start: Take Me To Church
Pre-service Hospitality: Bubble machines, balloons with Psalm 100 in them, Confetti cannons, beach balls; Registration form – one for each vehicle (to become a paper airplane); balloons with Psalm 100 in them. – one for each kid; registration form
Welcome – Emcee always introduces self and shares something about their family.
Say: Since we’re talking about joy, let’s see if we can pass on joy and laughter!
Make a funny face to the car next to you and see if you can make them laugh because joy is CONTAGIOUS!
Joy is the feeling and calm and peace we experience when we TRUST that…
1. God is who He says He is (creates and gives life)
2. God can do what He says He can do (is with me always)
3. I am who He says I am (A beloved child of God)
Games
Masked Singers & Freeze Dance
Freeze Dance
Happy (with stops)
Finish that tune. Let’s see if you can finish these tunes….I will hum a song and you start singing it/shouting it! Row Row Row Your Boat…. Happy Birthday to you…Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…Jesus loves me…I Have Decided to Follow Jesus…
Dance Party: Amazing Grace (w/American Sign Language motions)
Christians, what do you believe? Apostles Creed (say it with signs & our masked singers)
Beach Ball Joy – Each car uses own blanket/sheet bouncing with beach balls. Place three or four small beach balls on each blanket. Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee
Today we will read through parts of the Bible that show us God is joyful. God is joyful about us, for us, and with us. Let’s pop our balloons to find out where we will be reading today from our Bible.
Invite kids to pop their balloons to find out where we’re going in the Bible.
Bible Lesson: Psalm 100
Joy is an awesome gift God gives us. God is joyful, so we can have joy about all the good, fun, exciting, and special things in our lives. When you’re joyful, you can remember that your joy comes from God.
Psalm 100 – Parents read it together. Then we’ll walk through it together.
Storytime/Message (DeDe)
As you go through the Psalm continually ask kids
(1) what is this Psalm telling us about who God is?, (car chat)
(2) what is this Psalm telling us about what God does and (car chat)
(3) what is this Psalm telling us about what God expects of His people and how His people should respond to Him. (car chat)
He is God, He made us, He shepherds us, He is good, He is forever loving, He is faithful.
Have kids notice that it doesn’t just say we should sing and shout to the Lord, but that we should be glad and joyful while doing it. Have kids demonstrate how you could sing joyfully and how you could sing without joy (or feeling).
Say: When we say that God is joyful, so we’re joyful, we don’t mean to say that life will always be happy. What we mean is, our lives have deep roots in joyful things that will never change! All the things you just named are always true.
When we have joyful roots, and spend time with joyful people, we can find God’s joy no matter what’s happening in life. Happiness may depend on our circumstances, but joy is rooted in our faith and friendship with Jesus.
In the book of Nehemiah, when Nehemiah celebrates with the Israelites, he says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength!” (See Nehemiah 8:10.) We can have strength no matter what happens because our joy comes from God’s joy! God is joyful, so we’re joyful.
God’s joy gives us strength, courage, and hope. (Say 3 times; repeat after me)
Know what God’s joy gives me and I can’t just hold it in? Confetti Cannons (give to parking lot leaders)
Prayer – Breath Prayer
Breathe in slowly and deeply as you whisper: Lord, you are God.
And then exhale as you whisper or think: I thank you and praise your name.
Ending Activity: We have some VIPs with us tonight…some Very Important Pops! So we have some very important pops to share with our dads and granddads tonight as you leave.
Leaving activity: Spread Joy to others as we leave the parking lot. We will give each car a balloon and a name and address to bring it to McEachern Saints list compiled by Adult Christian Education lead.

“Share with the Lord’s people.” Romans 12:13

Liminal space is a crossing-over space. Limen, a Latin word, means threshold, doorstep, entrance. A liminal space is a space where you have left something behind, yet you are not fully in something else. Liminality has the quality of ambiguity, disorientation, the letting go of an end of one thing so you can get on with another, transition, waiting, and not knowing. 

The phone call was to ask for a kidmin creative champion to decorate a drive-thru space to honor the outgoing pastors. I asked several clarifying questions and made a suggestion about the traffic flow since our kidmin team had put on a successful drive-thru for our families for nine weeks of quarantine. His response, “You did? Y’all did a drive-thru for nine weeks?” Insert a head shake and heavy sigh here.

The brains and minds of everyone, EVERYONE, in your local church experienced quarantine in a shockingly fast way. They all, ALL, had their own life adjustments to deal with. So, how will they know what your work life and the fruitfulness of what your team has been doing since mid-March? It’s been my experience that when folks talk of re-launching church, their focus is on what will happen on Sunday morning in the worship space, but we all know that kidmin and family ministry takes place every day and Sunday is no longer game day.

Though quarantine has be upgraded to new terms like social distancing and masks mean love, we remain in a liminal space. But we are working. We are planning. We are living out our call to equip families. We have pivoted from grade-level in-person faith formation to family ministry at home. If my guy who considered himself an expert in all things of our church had no idea what we did the first nine weeks, how will he know? Are you ready to tell your stories? Let’s do this!

What do we tell?
Share the narrative with as few words as possible in numbers, names, lessons learned, a timeline, and stories. Offer links for more information either for social media, the church database, or wherever you’ve told your stories. Tell why you chose certain days, responses, and grew or adjusted your team. What does your typical week look like now? If you are responsible for Safe Sanctuary or other ‘all-skate’ areas in your role on staff, tell that, too. Speak into why and how you pivoted to offer excellent programming, training, and planning with your team remembering that our job as staff is to ‘equip the saints.’ Don’t forget all the mail, the phone calls, the emails, the social media, the remarkable moments of life (hospitalizations, funerals, births, etc.) Prepare the report, edit it, proofread it, and edit it again. Release the desire to tell every story and tell the stories which you could tell if given five minutes for an elevator pitch. No complaints, no comparisons, no slights, no innuendo. Include the books you read, podcasts you listened to, the online continuing education you experienced.

How do we tell?
One eye-catching page with clear bullet points, a time line, and a couple of stories. Have it proofread, because that’s what professionals do. Then follow it up with posts on social media to your families, so they all see and hear their stories and can trust the leadership has been informed of how your area has been the Body of Christ to them. We have put together a clear report of what we’ve done, what we are doing, what we are preparing for, and a couple of stories which we will share by email, along with a hard-copy placed in church office mailboxes, and a few in office chairs with a treat to enjoy as they read. Not cutesy, just something to make the ‘reader’ smile and make reading the report memorable. Be sure to talk about your luminal space experiences at every table, every lunch, and in every conversation. 

Who do we tell?
We are getting new clergy leadership and they have a whole host of voices speaking into their spaces for worship, history, hospitality, things they ‘need’ to fix, things they need to prioritize, etc. Most times kidmin peeps don’t want to add to that plate, but then kidmin voices are not part of the mix at all unless there’s a problem. Set aside that ‘there’s enough he/she needs to address’ and be a healthy voice to toot the horn of your team. When I realized this person who serves on various committees and considers himself an expert on what we do at my local church had no idea what we had been or were doing, he would be one of the first on my list to be informed. Everyone wants to be in-the-know, so make sure they are.

Why do we tell?
Telling the story is part of healthy evaluation, invites others to join the team moving forward, and let’s those who have seats at tables champion the discipleship you’re offering in the life of the church. Your families need voices at Finance meetings (funding, appropriations, staffing), at Trustee meetings (space allocation, resource priorities), and Staff-Parish Relations meetings (staff reallocation, fruitfulness, initiative, team dynamics), at Staff meetings (visioning, sermon series, partnerships). It’s been my experience that the church saints who serve whole-heartedly as members of most committees are rarely serving in the deep end of the Children’s Ministry pool for no other reason than what season they are in their lives unless it’s VBS or a church-wide endeavor. They need to know. They want to know! You have to tell!

How will you tell the stories of your time spent in liminal space, especially as we are still in it? Read more about liminal space and storytelling here and here.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story – those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.” Psalm 107:2

If you were to just look at the pictures of last week’s drive-in service which offered stations rather than a ‘park & stay’ it’ll look like we didn’t follow the rules or protocols, but we did. It’ll look like kids were on top of each other, but they weren’t. It’ll look like we had kids and cars moving at the same time, but our parking lot guards (and we had lots of them) blocked off with orange barrels and their own vehicles to be sure even how vehicles parked were the safest way possible for little people. It’ll look like kids and adults were everywhere, but entire families ran the stations, so there are kids under the tents and on the other side of the yarn tied as a boundary around three sides (which look invisible in the pictures) to keep others outside the tents for proper social distancing. We only used tables for one station offering more distance and that station leader wore a mask.

We painted the parking lot with watered down tempera (which fully washed off after the second rain the following week, but I wished it didn’t because it took more than three hours to put it there and it was awesome.) We used glass rather than plastic coca-cola bottles for the science experiments, because they were cheaper and heavier to stay upright on the ground. We used salad spinners for the spin art, but wiped off each spinner with Lysol wipes after every child touched them along with the pool noodles for the water balloon station. There were Lysol wipes (stocked-piled and provided by a generous family) at every station and used after every child touched anything. Some kids, parents, and grands wore masks, but most didn’t. The station leaders basically ‘restocked and chatted a few steps back’ as each station was kid-directed rather than leader-directed. There was a dog…it’s a therapy dog.

There was so much that took place at the last ‘Jesus is different so we are different’ drive-in service which could never be seen by a photo:

• Space for parents/grandparents to verbally process in community the public announcement made that very morning about county schooling choices for the upcoming year.
• Space for me to greet each family with, “How was your last week?” and hear that a mom’s dad had a stroke and this is one time each week they can forget what’s happening in the world and just play.
• Space for some parents to just be dad or mom and not wear their vocational uniform which makes being in public with their family uncomfortable.
• Space for a mom to share her story of the challenge of celebrating Father’s Day when the typical dad is not present, which I would’ve never known.
• Space for dads to chat with other dads about college football and car troubles and super-soakers and for families to invite their cousins and their grandparents.
• Space for other kidmin leaders to bring a family’s kids from her church to give a set of parents a desperately needed break.
• Space for boys and girls to be rough…and loud….and messy…and soaked…and laugh.
• Space for five new families to come who probably heard about it through the Food Share line on Fridays or MUST summer lunch program on Wednesdays without being interrogated with, “How did you hear about us?”, but rather, “Hi! My name is DeDe. Tell me about your family.” #dignity 

The photos won’t show any of this, so please refrain from making assumptions. The other thing you won’t see by the photos? The capes worn by every leader and every parent/grandparent present because these are the superheroes in our kid’s lives pointing them to Jesus every single day.

“Courage gives us a voice and compassion gives us an ear. Without both, there is no opportunity for empathy and connection.” Brene’ Brown

Not wanting our families to grow accustomed to doing life without one another, we find Thursday night drive-in church the sacred space to nurture those and new relationships. Guidelines were provided by our denominational leaders. We’re a few weeks in and plan to offer these weekly memorable experiences throughout June, July, and August. This is drive-in church for kids with adults in the vehicle, not drive-in church for adults with kids in the vehicle. Each week finds us in edit-to-excellence mode and this is what we’re learning:

Keep the service short
Keep the services at twenty minutes. Families arrive up to ten minutes early to get settled. Families are lingering after the services especially if the weather is fantastic. One of the goals of the services is to offer space and time for re-connection, yet we need to make way for the next wave of service families and remain deeply hospitable. Stick with the most important holy habits to share in this season with most of the activity taking place in the vehicle: game, prayer, Bible reading, and music. Twenty minutes is the limit.

Intentional visual memories
Children recall memories in visual form accentuated by how they feel. Use a lot of beach balls, make big foam board pizza and walk it around. Bubble machines and balloons in clusters. Music with masked dancers and use the church’s choir robes, decorate you with the theme or a tutu or a chef’s jacket. Bring out a huge measuring tape to stay mindful of six-feet-apart in a humorous way. Name tags are good for inside the building, but what does a greater visual look like to recognize who the leaders are? We had black aprons made with our logo embroidered largely on the chest so it can be seen from far away. We’ll use these when we return to inside-the-building children’s programming as well for visual hospitality moments since we won’t be able to high-five, hug, or be physical. We’ve also ordered some handheld signs to use to transition from the parking lot to inside the building. Already looking down the road at what can we bridge from outside the building to inside the building when we can return to inside programming.

Introduce yourself
Whoever is speaking, introduce yourself. Not everyone will know who you are. Say your name and speak of your family as who is connected to you. It’ll build connection between you and the families in your audience. Add a story of what your family did the last week that relates to the service theme: cooking theme/your family’s favorite pizza, then turn it around to a discussion prompt for each vehicle. We have a young man as our one of our emcees who grew up in our church as a kid. When he introduces himself, he speaks of his family and how his family members share the love of Jesus in the world and in our church: His Dad leads an adult Sunday School, his sister served in the Asian mission field, his Mom is a super servant on our Children’s Ministry Dream Team. I overheard a conversation between several older elementary students share, “We could do this one day when we grow up!” (Insert hand on heart here!)

Incorporate elements of what our kids did inside the building
Our students presented the Apostle’s Creed and the Gloria Patri in American Sign Language in our traditional service pre-Covid. We lead one or the other each week just before the Bible reading. Our Ambassadors who are serving on the parking lot team get to be the visual leaders of this. They do this best! We introduce this with a shout of three times of “Christians, what do you believe?” or “Followers of Jesus, what do you believe?” These amazing Ambassadors hold a sign which reads, “Flash your lights if this is your first time!” Since their families are the traffic team, we position these ambassadors nearest the first time vehicles for the kids in those cars to want to learn the signs to these elements that may not be familiar. Kids want to do what other, older kids are doing. 

Leverage what you know kids like
Knowing kids like to get things, kids like to pop balloons, and kids don’t like waiting to do something but will wait since it builds excitement. Investing in a Ryobi Inflater/Deflater, we blow up balloons most weeks with a rolled up piece of paper with the scripture location. Each kid gets a balloon and a registration form when they drive on the lot, but can’t pop the balloon until later in the service. Needing to capture contact information, each kid gets a take-away from each service AFTER they fly a paper airplane made from the registration form (they fold and fly it from their vehicle) into a kiddie pool. Take-aways include bags of popcorn (we say when we toss them into the car window, “Thanks for popping in!”), star bubble rods, cold Smart Water and Gatorade for our VIPs (Very Important People: Dads & GrandDads & Uncles & Spiritual Dads) for the Thursday before Father’s Day), helium balloons to be tied onto mailboxes of church shut-ins and saints as they leave to ‘spread the joy’ after the Psalm 100 service.)

We are learning something new each week. Stay tuned!

“I am carrying on a great project and I cannot go down.” Nehemiah 6:3