We have many churches with dedicated champions for ministry with children, yet not at a place where a paid staff member is feasible. These devoted folks need some tangible ways to reach out, so here is a quick list of things to give a start:

https://vanessamyers.org/family-prayer-list/?fbclid=IwAR1HMHP054Goz6uyUgl7v5t7ZCxAn1HUviJO92tA0sE-6us4zJ510RhbqfU

https://vanessamyers.org/12-month-family-scripture-challenge/ I use this one to help me prepare a monthly Bible-reading challenge for families in my ministry. March is filled with scriptures that tell us some of what we can learn about forgiveness. Find the scripture, read the scripture, talk about what you read.

http://www.vibrantfaithathome.org/

www.faithkidz.com

BibleAppForKids and https://bibleappforkids.com/parents/videos

https://radio.keysforkids.org/

What am I doing?

• Family Faith Kits – We will be preparing family faith kits available for drive thru pick up each Tuesday morning 11am-12noon at our church’s children’s entrance. Yesterday was the first day with a lesson on Daniel and St. Patrick of Ireland. It’ll be our new normal until we get back to normal. Short and sweet we shared on paper…
  St. Patrick, like Daniel, was taken from his home to live with people who did not believe in the one true God. Like Daniel, St. Patrick spent his life sharing God’s love with all the people he met. St. Patrick used the clovers which filled every field to share aspects of God: 
  1 Corinthians 13:13 – Faith, Hope, and Love
  Matthew 28:19 – Father God, His Son Jesus, and the helper Holy Spirit.
  Micah 6:8 – Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.
  Read these scriptures in your Bible, and then look for items around your house that can connect you to God like St. Patrick used the clover. Sometimes a clover is called a shamrock.

This idea came from Kate Morris of Acworth UMC: she offered the first drive-thru Sunday school kit last Sunday for families to pick up on Sunday morning during the Sunday school hour. She’s already hit all the Dollar Tree stores in the area for Bible story sticker books and is prepared for enough Sunday school drive-thrus through April. 
We prepared Family Faith kits for the next eight Tuesdays with items we already had on hand including supplies for Holy Week and Easter Sunday previously ordered and received. A trip for sidewalk chalk and bubbles, my trunk is loaded and I’ll be writing devotions with the items we had on hand like small packs of M&Ms, Sun chips, cheerleader pompoms, Easter eggs with plastic Jesus inside, silly putty prayers, dice, etc.

Ordered a ukulele – My daughter and her family live in Oregon where you can be cited for gathering in groups of 25 or more. She’s been following a quarantined guy who lives alone in China on Instagram who has shared what he’s been up to on instastories: convict exercises (exercises for inmates in solitary confinement), turn on the TV only after the sun goes down, writing letters to EVERYBODY, and he decided to learn something new…a musical instrument. I’ve played clarinet from elementary school onward, but though I can’t sing a lick, at least I’d feel cool playing an instrument I can use in ministry. It should be here by the weekend. Maybe.

Spending No Money – Outside of groceries, I decided to not make any purchases personally or to be re-imbursed by the church. Not even VBS. We will use what we have and dive into the deep end of the creativity pool.

Daily challenges on our Facebook page & emails – Not all of my families, including grand parents, are on Facebook, so I’ve got to reach out to them in ways of counting it all joy.

Grandparenting With A Purpose – Discovering that the average age of a first-time grandparent in the USA is 47, this was already the year for research so to put some things on the calendar for the next school year. I’ve got a stack of books and articles I’ve collected and now I’ll redeem the time with a focus on this untapped area of ministry.

Family Worship – Find your best seat in the living room, on the back porch, or around the kitchen table together.
Everyone gets to bring something to hold. If our hands are busy, our minds are calmer.
Say a prayer.
Let your little choose a song to sing and everyone joins in. (ex: Jesus Loves Me, God Is So Good, etc.)
Read Psalm 103 and chat about all the things we can be thankful for. Take it slow, line by line, for as long as you can.
Write or draw a note of thanksgiving to set on the table before you as an offering of thanksgiving.
Make a prayer list…everyone adds a name.
Say a ‘repeat after me prayer’ as a hand touches each name.
Say the Lord’s Prayer together.
Let it be noisy, let it be chaotic, let it be memorable.

Tea With Mrs. DeDe – Working out the kinks, but am preparing short, energetic, joyful, Bible study videos for kids and families. Will probably begin next week. 

If you ever wanted to edit and relaunch what your ministry with children could look like, now’s the time. What are you thinking about?

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Though the world is traversing unknown territory with the coronavirus protocols, we will continue to move forward addressing the eight virtues of rapidly growing churches. I’m praying for you all and our families we serve as we count it all joy on this new adventure with grace and creativity.

Matt Miofsky, founding and lead pastor of The Gathering, a multisite United Methodist congregation in St. Louis, Missouri,  together with Jason byassee, Butler Chair in Homiletic and Biblical Interpretation at Vancouver School of Theology, wrote Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches.

Matt came to North Georgia to lead a day of education and awesome colleagues made sure I got the materials since I was unable to attend. I have discovered in my deep dive into the book and through discussions with other kidmin professionals we are all in a state of living the life of a ‘church planter.’ Knowing where the local church sits in today’s culture, the authors remind us, “We are all church planters now.” There are some commonalities of the culture and vision of today’s successful church planters. What does that look like for those who serve in ministry with children and families especially if we are not part of a new church plant? Find my thoughts about Virtues #1 through #4 here. 

Virtue #5 – Rapidly Growing Churches Elevate the Practice of Giving
“People want to give to something that is exciting, making an impact, and visibly connected to changing lives.” (p 55) Don’t we all want to make a difference with our resources? YES! So tell the stories and take the time to celebrate how God is present in our generosity. He gave (John 3:16), so we give. He is a generous giver, so we provide environments and invitational moments for generosity. Giving is an expression of generosity, but not the only one. Little people do not have jobs, but they have much. Just last week our CLUB345 decorated 250 cupcakes to give to a recovery center and ate not nary a one. Generosity is a holy habit and growing churches ‘invite people to participate from the beginning.’ If you start something new, we will begin with a opportunities for acts of generosity, not a regular practice of only receiving ‘free’ or practicing consumerism. We must fight the entitlement culture. Let kids serve. Let kids do for others. Let kids know that to be like Jesus is not to receive as an individual, but live with a heart for others in response to our generous God. ‘God hard-wired us to give, and when we operate in a manner that is consistent with our creation, good things happen in our life. We would never ask someone NOT to do something that we believe makes them happier, healthier, and better able to follow Jesus.’ (p 60-61) Teach at a young age that all we have belongs to the Lord and by returning to Him a percentage, we live a life of trust and obedience. How are you teaching the holy habit of generosity as a thread in all you do?

Virtue #6 – Rapidly Growing Churches Work in Teams
Most of this chapter speaks to the trustworthy ‘number twos’ who come alongside the number-ones. Number twos are those who sit in the second chair of an organization. It may not look like the second chair on the org chart, but it’s the second chair that REALLY makes the church go ’round because of their influence. “Whether you are a youth pastor over thirty kids, a Sunday school teacher with a class of ten, or a pastor of a church of 150-there is power in having a number two.” (p 78) The gifts of a number two include loyalty to God and the organization without being a yes person; loyalty to the congregation’s mission as a noticer with an intuition tuned to individual needs; loyalty to the visionary leadership with ‘nuts-and-bolts know how’ within that body of believers; and is accessible. “Methodism at its best is a tradition that encourages Christians to ‘watch over one another in love.’” (p 76) Who’s your next Timothy or your next Mary in your area of influence? These number twos will not just do the work, but they lead the work, and will take the ministry to the next level with great humility, joy, and love. Jesus never sent out disciples one at a time, but rather two, or three, or 70. My colleague at Asbury UMC in Lafayette, Louisiana coached us to always surround ourselves with people who would die for you and know where all the bodies are buried. You laugh, but you know what she’s talking about. Not just taskmasters, but those who get the big picture and arrive early, stay late, take out the trash because it has to be done. Humility abounds and enjoys the company of other Jesus guys and gals. Is your leadership so trustworthy that number twos can find you, can trust you with confidential info, can grow with you, and you notice each one with great love, compassion, and interest? We are family and we share life, we share laughter, and we share the load. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and we treat one another accordingly. We are better together! Who is on your team?

See you here next week with kidmin thoughts on the final two virtues. Which of the virtues mentioned so far are the easiest to implement? The most difficult?

“Methodists are people of the revival tent and the warm heart that John Wesley spoke of and inspired in others.” 8 Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches, pg 73

Matt Miofsky, founding and lead pastor of The Gathering, a multisite United Methodist congregation in St. Louis, Missouri, came to North Georgia recently to present an education opportunity for church leaders. Dear colleagues made sure I heard about what he taught and made sure I had the material. I’ve been drinking from the fire-hose every since.

If an organization is healthy, it’s growing. Matt Miofsky co-authored the book Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches with Jason Byassee. Jason Byassee is the Butler Chair in Homiletics and Biblical Interpretation at Vancouver School of Theology.  He previously served as senior pastor of Boone United Methodist Church, a 1500-member congregation in Boone, NC. The accounts shared in the book give insight to some commonalities of the culture and vision of today’s successful church planters. Knowing where the local church sits in today’s culture, the authors remind us, “We are all church planters now.” Find my thoughts on the first two virtues as it relates to children’s ministry here.

Virtue #3 – Rapidly Growing Churches love the local

“Christianity is a local story.” (p 39) Not everyone is born in the area where they are in ministry, but it helps. There are plenty of anecdotes in this chapter where the successful church planter is ‘from these parts.’ They know people, places, history, and have immediate connections. But if not, we can get our ‘extrovert’ on and dive deeply into the community with a maniacal work ethic. Do that dashboard research and make quick, deep, personal connections with people at lunches, coffees, in businesses, schools, governmental meetings, table life. We meet and we meet and we meet and we meet…in the community. I have served the Lord in multiple capacities of professional ministry in four local churches in the Atlanta-Marietta district. I know what families live with, live on, live for, and have lived through in this area of North Georgia. I raised my family here.  I know the local politics and local politicians. I know the systems, the traffic patterns, and deep-dive into the lives of those I serve alongside. Love the local community where God invites you and learn the history of how they came to be. Someone wants to meet, do it. Someone wants to chat on the phone, do it. “We have to love those places (where we’re called to serve), or spend our time and energy learning to do so.” (p 38) 

Virtue #4 – Rapidly Growing Churches exist to reach the next person

“What good is a revivalist sect if you’re not reviving anybody?” (p 44) Evangelism is introducing people to Jesus: talking about Him, sharing testimonies of His presence and faithfulness, and telling His stories as family stories followed up with, “Do you know my Jesus?” Our entire faith is based on an historical fact. It’s not intuitive, so we must tell the story of Jesus. We tell the accounts of Jesus then and Jesus now, then invite people to make Him Lord of their lives. In children’s ministry, we must talk Jesus every time, every week, every day. When we share the gospel of Jesus, we share what we know to be good news, indeed. “Jesus is the sort of good news you can’t keep unless you give it away.” (p 52) Evangelism should permeate all we do with energy, joy, hope, and compassion. Invite kids to believe in Jesus. Invite kids to follow Jesus. Invite kids to become more like Jesus in their world, their school, their family, on their ball or dance team. When we model this invitation to know Jesus with a ‘come to’ rather than a ‘join us’, we are looking for new friends to share life with. Are we building Jesus’ tribe?

We are halfway there. More to come next week.

“Churches naturally drift toward what they like and what has worked for them in the past. Like throwing a leaf in a river, the natural movement is downstream. Thinking of new people takes constant and relentless effort – it is like walking upstream.” (p 51)

Matt Miofsky, founding and lead pastor of The Gathering, a multisite United Methodist congregation in St. Louis, Missouri, came to North Georgia last week to present an education opportunity for church leaders. I was unable to go, but dear friends called me immediately afterwards to chat about what they heard and one gifted me with the books discussed. As a student of church culture and a satisfied customer of the local church, I began reading Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches as soon as I got home because, in the words of the author, “We are all church planters now.” (p xviii)

In elementary science class we learned how healthy things grow, but not all growth is healthy. Same goes for the local church. The anecdotes shared by the authors are not intended as a blueprint for church growth, but hearing the stories of successful church planters of today these common virtues can’t be denied nor ignored. As Methodists, we are known as a revivalist movement. We are accustomed to breaking barriers, engaging in holy habits, disagreeing in love, gathering in community, and serving the marginalized. With all that in mind, the testimonies of the various United Methodist planters quoted in the book speak loud and clear for today. I’ll cover two here and two each week as it relates to children’s ministry.

Can I put out the challenge that if it’s good for children, it’s good for everybody? Just sayin’.

Virtue #1 – Rapidly Growing Churches believe in miracles and act accordingly

God is indeed working miracles in our midst. We have no idea what the children will do with their love for Jesus, but I know of the miracles that it has taken for some of their parents to be here.  “Acting as if the Spirit is moving changes everything.” (p 3). Praying fervently, specifically, and boldly can get us moving in the right direction. I am one of those miracles. I know the stories of some of my parents and they are those miracles. I need to remind them they are and call how they are claiming their kid’s lives for Jesus as a priority and call it the miracle it is.  “Rapidly growing churches have figured out how to not only take risks but also deal with failure in a way that does not thwart future bold decisions.” (pg 11) My home church where I received excellent ministry training from amazing clergy and lay folk was never afraid of taking risks. We’d try something, set the goals, debrief afterward with a clear look at what worked, wipe off the table what didn’t, and share how to edit to move forward. It wasn’t personal, but it had to be fruitful. We did ministry in love and with only one fear: the fear we would disappoint the Holy Spirit which led us to do ministry in the first place.

Virtue #2 – Rapidly Growing Churches integrate new people quickly

Deep in our Methodist DNA is an order, a method, to organize discipleship with Christian education alongside service. We must be great at assimilation, helping a guest to know the path for growing as a deeply committed follower of Jesus. We do this in relationships in small groups, around tables not rows, and in community. People need an organized plan. Children need an organized discipleship plan. Children go through multiple developmental stages from 0-5^th grade. We can’t depend on them ‘catching’ their faith.  We need a plan for developmentally appropriate faith formation experiences in Christian education and the systems in place to move everyone through their next steps. We are in partnership with parents and grandparents. When a child is baptized, we vow to ‘so order our lives in the example of Christ….’  We are not event planners, but rather disciple-makers and we can provide families with the next steps to ‘so order their families’ to love their kids to Jesus. “The question in Methodism is not ‘When were you saved?;’ it’s ‘How are you growing in grace just now?”  (p 20) “Assimilating people as disciples has to be our primary focus.” (p 22) The local church can do many things, but our marching orders are to ‘make disciples of Jesus Christ.’

More to come next week!

“Rapidly growing churches are like ducks. They look placid on the water. But underneath they’re paddling like crazy!” (p 17)

Christian educators are everywhere and it thrills me to spend time face-to-face and across the table with folks from other parts of the country. I was invited to Minnesota to share ideas to get some creative conversations to take place. Totally in my element and among friends, I walked through our discipleship plan for K5-5th graders of Meat, Milestones, Mountaintop, and Marvelous Moments. Each of these four Ms are laced with Bible reading, generosity, and serving elements. Why? Because of all the spiritual disciplines we practice as followers of Jesus, research tells us that these are the three that cause us to make strides in spiritual maturity. (Ken Willard, “STRIDE”) I want to be about making strides and moving beyond baby steps in building the faith of little people. Oh we include other spiritual disciplines in our teachings, but these three take priority in our filter for what makes a true partnership with families.

Partnering with families means we only offer what is excellent, not filling up the calendar, offering low-hanging fruit and easy wins for parents in the eyes of their kids, and Jesus in everything we do.

Meat elements – That which happens on Sundays. It’s our bread and butter. It’s what we’re known for. Sunday school, Childrens’ Church, CLUB345, Ambassadors, Parenting with a Purpose, and I’m currently working on Grandparenting with a Purpose. The average age of a new grandparent in the USA is 47 years old. This is a whole area and season of ministry that I’m deep-diving into right now.

Milestones – Those intentional teaching moments that are developmentally appropriate for specific ages/grades which are foundational to building a relationship with Jesus in the local church and at home. Holy Communion (Bread and Juice), Prayer (I Can Pray), Church language (I Love My Church), Wonderfully Made (faith and sexuality education), Moving On Up to Middle School, transitioning from nursery to children’s ministry.

Mountaintop – These are those full-on-sharing-the-gospel-experiences like VBS, retreats, and Ambassadors.

Marvelous Moments – These are the one-offs, the once-a-year or once-every-two-years specials which are invitational for next steps in discipleship including shared events like Faith Field Trips, Winter Ball Invitational, Splish Splash, Messy Church, Bible Ninja Warrior, etc.

Each local church has a culture and sustains a community, so how do you choose what might be a successful marvelous moment? (1) Dashboard research, and (2) lots of personal conversations.

Dashboard research requires a drive around the community at different hours of the day to find out what businesses are plentiful, what are the traffic patterns, how far will people drive to remain in the community, and find out what other ministries are already available by checking out online the closest churches to your church.

Engage in personal conversations asking questions of the connector folks in your church, but also the locals: grocery story clerk, the deli clerk, the coffee shop barista, the UPS store, the dry cleaners, librarian. Ask questions about what evening nothing is happening (when), when do the school buses run (start time), when do your kids have to go to bed on a school night (end time), what tv shows do you like (themes), where do you go out to eat (favorite foods), where do they go to church (tell me about your church), extracurricular activities (over scheduling is not partnering with parents, but rather burdening families), where does the local school need volunteers (outside service), and the possibility of fee-based ministry outside of Sundays and Wednesdays (recreation, fine arts, music, tutoring, relationship-building).

With the knowledge that people are always interested in new things and meeting new people, shoot some bullets before you shoot cannonballs. (Jim Collins from “Good to Great”) Try something based on your dashboard research AND your personal conversations with a specific goal in mind and JUST DO IT! Give yourself lots of grace and an understanding that you are in it for the long haul. Gather a partner or two to share in the labor because as we labor and serve together, there’s a lot of laughter. And we all need more laughter in ministry.

I woke on presentation day in Minnesota with the temperature of -11 degrees. Yeah…11 degrees below zero! But inside the home of my hostess and the church where I met these amazing Christian Educators, was the warmth of the Holy Spirit on fire for sharing Jesus with little people. Thank you Minnesota CEF for the lovely invite and your amazing hospitality.

“Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.” Proverbs 9:9

Invited to prepare stations of prayer for fifth graders attending the North Georgia United Methodist Conference retreat at Camp Glisson, we set the following challenges to be met: (1) Stations must be interactive, (2) Stations must be easy to reproduce at home, (3) Stations must involve movement. My amazing friend and colleague Kate Morris and I shared the prayer time for the retreat of a total of almost 90 minutes. We split the large group into two smaller groups and rotated in 45-50 minutes. Kate Morris prepared physical prayers using yoga moves making the yoga mat a sacred space and involved lots of movement and in community. Some of her resources included Yoga For Children and Yoga Pretzels. I presented the individual prayer component using God’s gifts of our five senses.

Smell
Psalm 141:2 May my prayer be set before you (O God) like incense; may the lifting of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

Citrus smells bring joy, particularly lemon, orange and grapefruit can help reduce stress and nervous tension. Research, conducted by Brazilian scientists in 2013, found that people who smelled citrus scents before a stressful test or stressful situation reported lower anxiety levels.
Smelling is the one scent which never decreases as we get older which is why you will be able to recall a memorable scent from childhood into your old age.

Repeat Psalm 141:2 ten times.
Write down ten things that bring you joy. One on each piece of paper. Fold paper in half, then place the ten pieces of paper into the bowl.

Application: A simple smell can change how you feel. Recording joys on paper can change how you feel like counting your blessings. Inviting God into your feelings can change how you feel.

I diffused a good bit of orange essential oil in a smaller room throughout the day. The overflowing bowl of joys were used as a visual element of the worship tablescape on Sunday morning in our worship space.

Taste
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge (safety and security) in Him.

Choose a lollipop. Unwrap and toss your wrapper in the trashcan. Find Psalm 34 in your Bible. Find a place to sit and just read. No biting, chewing, or crunching your lollipop, but read Psalm 34 over and over until you’ve eaten your lollipop until you are to the stick. Throw your stick away in the trashcan.

Application: Quick reads of the Bible are helpful, but long reads help us to enjoy reading the Bible and hearing God’s voice. Reading the Bible regularly help us to know God’s voice among the other voices in our world.

The smallest dumdums possible will still provide a lengthy time of reading Psalm 34 and plenty of selection for kids to make a personal choice.

Touch
2 Timothy 1:6 Let me remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Sit in a chair. Don’t get up, no matter how long it takes.
Wait for someone to come behind you, lay a hand on your shoulder and speak one of the blessings tied to the back of the chair.
After you’ve received a blessing, go to another who is sitting in a chair. Lay a hand on their shoulder and speak one of the blessings tied to the back of the chair.

Application: The hunger for genuine acceptance is common. A blessing provides that much-needed sense of personal acceptance. Jacob in the Bible waited until the Lord blessed Him. Wait for the blessing. Then speak a blessing over someone else.

Various prayers from the Psalms and Aaron’s blessing from Numbers 6 were printed on cards and hung to the back of each chair for the ‘blesser’ to choose. The waiting to be blessed and the voice of someone speaking over someone required patience and indeed ended in delight.

Sound
2 Timothy 3:14-17 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Pick up a copy of the scripture.
Carry it to the stairwell.
Read the personalized scripture aloud as you walk up and down the stairs 3 times…slowly.

Lord, But as for me, I will continue in what I have learned and have become convinced of, because I know those from whom I learned it., and how from infancy I have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make me wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, SO THAT the servant of God (I) may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Application: Prayer is a way to serve God (Luke 2:36-38). Through prayer, we have the opportunity to glorify and praise Him for all He is, all He has done, and all He is doing (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Praying scripture helps us grow to become overcomers.

The echo of the children as they spoke the scripture aloud was to help us focus when our mind tends to wander. And it sounded awesome!

Sight
Psalm 101:3 Don’t put any vile thing before your eyes.
Vile = extremely unpleasant; morally bad; wicked; of little worth or value.

Which of these images are you drawn to?
How might you enter into this picture?
How might God enter into this picture for you?
Once you have chosen an image, take the card to the station leader for a picture of you with the image.

Pick up a hand-mirror and find a place to stand/sit. Pray through your face.
Lord, about my eyes….
Lord, about my mouth….
Lord, about my ….

Application: Visual images can prompt us to pray, to think, to feel something, and to respond. Can you choose what you set before your eyes?

Using images from the children’s pack of the The Visual Faith Project was the perfect resource.

Debrief: Ask, “Did you sense a theme with the prayer stations?” Our great God has generously given us all the gifts we need to follow Him and reset our hearts and minds to do and even feel what will please Him which will please us. What was your favorite station? Fingers pointed to all five stations.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mathew 26:41

Last Friday evening I watched with wonder how my amazing colleagues served our Lord by serving one another and people they’d just met with such compassion and humility that the visual images will stick with me for the rest of my days. Many of these folks have been in professional ministry for more than twenty years using their gifts and graces, not their position, to be fully present for whomever God set before us. We registered early for the event. We attended the required training. We loved our colleague who led the charge so much that she didn’t have to worry about when or where we’d be. We’d be right there to do whatever was needed to provide an exceptional and unforgettable experience for our honored guests and their families. We arrived early. We set up. We stayed late. We mopped. We took instruction. We served. I’d never been so excited to be dressed all in black in all my life!

The weekend prior to Valentine’s Day is Night to Shine. Night to Shine honors teens and adults with special needs by giving them their own special night of games, dancing, food, fellowship, where every boy and girl, man and woman is crowned prom king or prom queen. The Tim Tebow Foundation started Night to Shine six years ago with 44 churches in 2014, now more than 700 churches around the world host the prom. My local church, in partnership with two other United Methodist Churches in our district, provided this special event for 125 honored guests.

Yes, our honored guests were celebrated and their families offered respite and an amazing dinner. But let me tell you what else I saw…

The event-leader was a part-time staff member who is a full-time Jesus gal who led a multi-church team which led hundreds of volunteers to be the hands and feet of Jesus. This didn’t even fall under her role on staff, but organized, encouraging, super-prepared, and all-in, her colleagues joined her in the charge because we love her deeply and whatever she leads, we know will honor the Lord. Her husband guided and directed all things transportation with an awesome team, loaded, carted, escorted, and ….

The Recreation Ministry Lead was assigned the most personal interaction as a buddy. I watched that man laugh, talk with, enjoy the company of, cut the food and hand feed his honored guest, then stayed for hours afterward to mop the floor.

The Youth Ministry Lead took photos and took down decorations. The Nursery Ministry Lead and her husband took professional photos for guest take-aways.

The Financial Department Lead greeted guests with energy and excitement and was the event lead’s gopher for the night, never leaving her post. The Head of the Finance Committee directed traffic in 30 degree weather.

The Worship Minister ran for the medical team when needed, ran messages for food allergies, danced with guests, announced the prom kings, and worked the room of buddies and guests making sure everyone was comfortable while her Choir and music ministry team provided a red carpet experience like no other.

An Admin served in the Sensory Room while another placed crowns on the heads of God’s precious.

One of my Super McEachern Kids Dads took bathroom duty. One new Sergeant and a new Dad took on security like the City Police Officer bosses they are. Another Super Dad shined shoes. A Super Mom cheered along with the Choir and Joyful Singers along the red carpet with her own Mom. Two Super Moms led a team to turn a gym into a Tiffany Blue Ballroom. Almost my entire team of McEachern Kids Sunday Morning Leaders were buddies, served food, played corn hole, ran the karaoke room, or danced all night long.

I didn’t see all the other 200 servant-leader volunteers, but what I did see reminded me how good the leaders of God’s church can be. I serve the local church with die-hard, hard-working, servant leaders who are the 6am workers Jesus talks about in Matthew 20 and the faith-builders in Nehemiah 6. I love these people so much as they live out 1 Corinthians 13 every single day.

In the words of our special musical guest Elvis, “Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

One of the most profound general sessions of the 2020 Children’s Pastor’s Conference was led by Darren Whitehead. Darren Whitehead along with Chris Tomlin wrote Holy Roar: 7 Words That Will Change The Way You Worship. Though I’m still in the middle of this small, yet delightful book, I keep coming back to how I felt when I heard Pastor Whitehead share about the seven Hebrew words for PRAISE. We have one word PRAISE in the English language. The first people of Jesus have seven very distinct words.

Yadah, yaw-daw’ – to revere/worship with extended hands. It is natural to raise our hands in celebration, but not everyone raises their hands in worship. Extending our hands up in celebration is natural on the ball field, at an intense board game with the family, and can be in worship. Psalm 67:3

Halal, haw-lal’ – to boast, shine, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish. It’s where we get our word ‘Hallelujah’. Think about the crazy, demonstrative joy of friends and family dancing at a wedding. There is great joy and we dance in celebration. Psalm 149:3

Tehillah, teh-hil-law’ – A hymn, a song of praise, a new song, a spontaneous song. Ever felt the need to spontaneously praise the Lord out-loud, in public, in gratitude and open joy? Ever listened to a song on repeat because you just couldn’t get enough of it?

Zamar, zaw-mar’ – to make music. Think of a soundtrack that would guide you through a remarkable moment of life. Or when God is in the music you hear at a time of celebration. Johann Sebastian Back was often quoted as saying, “I play the notes as they are written, but it is God who makes the music.” Psalm 144:9

Towdah, to-daw’ – an extension of the hand in thanksgiving for things not yet received; a sacrifice of praise. Ever been in a season where you sing yet your heart is broken? Ever choked through a song with tears streaming? Though my heart does not feel it, I will sing through the tears. Psalm 42:4

Barak, baw-rak’– a posture of praise to salute, to thank, to kneel, to bless God as an act of adoration. Jesus is THE King, but more importantly, Jesus is MY King.  Psalm 103:1-2, 20-22

Shabach, shw-bakh’ – to address in a loud tone. To shout. To declare glory and triumph. Pastor Whitehead shared a video clip of the spontaneous roar that took place when the Chicago Cubs finally won a World Series after waiting 108 years. Yeah…THAT spontaneous roar of praise. Psalm 63:1, 3-4

This little book has personal and group reflection questions at the end of each chapter AND after Chris Tomlin shares personal testimony about how he has written music and shared music which practices each one of these seven Hebrew words for praise.

After this teaching, I can’t listen to music the same as before. I can’t even worship the same as before. I’ve already purchased this book for others and I know of colleagues who have passed their own personal book to leaders admired. I have a freshness for worship today that reminds me of my first experiences of Christian music outside the local church and even before Christian radio. That CD made my car, my home, and my classroom a sacred space. My first? Phillips, Craig & Dean.

“Worship at its best is a social experience with people of all levels of life coming together to realize their oneness and unity under God.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

This was the second year I was invited to serve as a coach at the annual Children’s Pastor’s Conference sponsored by International Network of Children’s Ministry. It’s one of the many highlights of the entire week. INCM does a fabulously thorough job of training coaches to be great listeners to direct our fellow children’s ministry champions to understand they each have what it takes to fulfill God’s call on their lives where He’s called them to serve. With forms in hand to better clarify our time together, we begin our thirty-minute session diving into the deep end of being new to children’s ministry or whatever has him/her stuck.

Communication among staff was the common topic shared at my table. These are a few thoughts we shared together:

First, ask these inquiries of fellow staff members/pastor(s):
1. What is the best way to communicate with you?
2. What’s off limits?
3. Tell me about the best children’s ministry leader you ever worked with.
These three inquiries are good to ask of new staff members, as well, after he/she has been there a couple of days. And always come bearing a gift of some logo-ed swag or a tasty beverage from Quick Trip.

Second, when setting a meeting date for a face-to-face or phone call, follow it up with an email, “As per our conversation today in the hallway, let’s confirm we will meet next Tuesday (date), at (time), at (location.) Will that still work for you?” It’ll give time to check schedules and get a response that you heard properly. Then follow up with a text the morning of the afternoon meeting or the evening before a morning meeting. If a text reminder works for the dentist, it’ll surely work for you. Once confirmed, do your very best to not make changes. To make changes tells your colleague/pastor that your time is more important than his/hers, and it’s unprofessional and disrespectful. If it happens to you, make it a matter of prayer and forgive so your head can move on. We have an enemy who doesn’t want church staff to work well or be unified in purpose and it’s NOT your fellow staff member/pastor(s).

Third, pray for favor in the eyes, heart, and mind of your fellow staff member/pastor(s) for yourself and the ministry you lead. This may sound silly, but I also pray that the Lord would lead the staff member/pastor to like me. Yeah! It’s totally okay to ask in prayer that people would like you. Pray also that you would like him/her. The Body of Christ is better when working together in community which means we must talk and communicate well with one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord.

What would you add?

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13

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

It’s not just about VBS week, but the weekend after and every day until fall programming starts. I know of too many churches offering amazing Vacation Bible Schools as ‘outreaches’ yet plan nothing special to offer afterward to continue to build relationships, connections, and faith-formation experiences beyond a laid-back Sunday morning. We put in all that work, all those resources, and we’ve dropped the ball. We take a summer break. We think since most people are gone during the summer, we just can’t pull it off. I’m not gone. Are you gone? These are some of the holidays we’ll be celebrating intentionally the summer of 2020 in an effort for our church family to linger, build relationships, and invite our community to share.

5/31…5th Sunday/Pentecost Sunday – wear red to church (also the start of our VBS!)
6/7…National Chocolate Ice Cream Day – mini chocolate ice cream cones after 11am service
6/14…Flag Day – wear your Red, White, & Blue
6/21…Pops with Pops for Father’s Day…popsicles with Dad– photo booth in CLC
6/28…McPeachern…enjoy a BBQ lunch and all the peach fixins after all morning services during the height of our state’s peach season. This is the only McEachern Kids fundraiser of the year so the kids will be serving and we’ll all be wearing any McEachern Kids tshirt we’ve got in the closet.
We invite each age level to bring the following to the CLC kitchen first thing that morning:
Each Kindergartner & 1st grader: 3 huge bags of tortilla chips & 1 bottle of BBQ sauce
Each 2nd & 3rd grader: 3 large bags of rolls for BBQ sandwiches
Each 4th & 5th grader: 2 pans of homemade peach cobbler (we provide peach salsa, peach tea, and our fabulous men’s ministry prepares 140 pounds of BBQ pork)
7/5…National Graham Cracker Day (serve S’mores between services over Sterno in jars)
7/12…National Eat Your Jello Day (serve multicolored Jello cups)
7/19…National Ice Cream Sundae Day (7/20) – Ice Cream Truck Sunday. Other ministries get in on this one but giving tickets to each of their volunteers to get a free treat from the ice cream truck. Last year, we partnered with the adult education team and the nurture team of senior adult and counseling ministries, then split the cost three ways.
7/26…National Bagel Day – serve mini bagels & cream cheese in Welcome Center & 5th grade Parent breakfast – Next steps for rising 6th graders
8/2…National Ice Cream Sandwich Day – serve mini ice cream sandwiches; I Can Go To Sunday School Faith Milestone for all rising Kindergartners at 12:15-12:30pm
8/9…Promotion Sunday! Meet & Greet for Sunday school at 9:30am (Theme?)
8/16…Freeze pops with Parents after both services
8/23…Bubble Bash (fizzy drinks, soda, sparkling cider, Bubble gum, Bubble wands, foam pit, etc.)
8/30…5th Sunday – Everybody’s Birthday Party (Glee Club/Cherubs sing at 11am service); classic party games + cake & punch + party hats (decorate) + treat bags + Jesus message + balloon games + group games

Gather some of your leadership. Pull out a watermelon and some lemonade. Plan for some great summer Sundays!

“They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” Psalm 145:7