Last September the North Georgia Annual Conference received a new Bishop, as did several other United Methodist conferences all around the country. Since our new Bishop’s appointment, she has given folks a chance to share their hearts and hear her heart’s message in meet and greet receptions for the laity in each district. Last weekend, she was in our district.

In our district she preached at two churches on Sunday morning, held the meet and greet laity reception on Sunday afternoon, and met with the clergy of our district on Monday afternoon. Attending the laity reception, she gave a message and then essentially opened the floor to anyone who wished to speak. As the host church provided microphones, folks asked questions and shared celebrations as well as challenges in our district and in the global church.

I stood up to make a comment about my heart for children in our community, especially for those who serve the children in our local churches. I shared about the gatherings in every district of our conference of those who serve children in ministry to resource and offer training to engage children in worship, in Sunday school, and in mission at what we called “Done In A Day.” Then I asked about her thoughts and dreams about engaging children in the faith. The Bishop shared about her grandmother and her desire to see more intergenerational faith experiences.

Others asked and spoke about the homeless, the lonely, and how to share Jesus in their workplace. One fellow stood and asked if there were any 20-somethings in the room. One man stood. He was sitting in the back row. He was sitting among several students. This young man had brought his confirmation class. Two of his students were also given the microphone to comment and ask a question of the Bishop.

I had been running invites in the bulletin for six weeks. We made announcements from the pulpit for a month. For the last three weeks, our pastor spoke to say, “DeDe will treat you to lunch or you can meet her here to carpool to gather to meet our Bishop.” No one took me up on it.

Yet, this guy brought his confirmation class. How often will a group of kids get to hear a message from a great communicator like a Bishop? How often do kids get to ask questions of a conference leader? What a great idea!

The guy left before I could speak with him or get his name. He left before I could tell him that his presence and his gesture to invite the young people in his spiritual charge had an impact not just on his kids, but on me. Next time. Next time my invites will be different. I sure hope there is a next time.

“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Exodus 4:12

Every kid wants to be in the kitchen…using the coolest tools…making a huge mess…listening in on the family stories…because it’s in the kitchen where the action of family and food happen. Giving kids a chance to practice life skills that are yummy and easy was the goal for our second WC Academy Class. Housekeeping Basics was our first and we continue to hear from parents how the help at their homes has greatly improved since their kids took the class.

We ordered aprons to use another day and gave them chef hats to take home. No need for name tags since we used a food container to take from station to station with names.

We set up five stations, each with a different skill and different kind of food:

Item: Chocolate covered strawberries & pretzel sticks
Supplies: Microwave, glass bowls, wooden and metal spoons, wax paper
Shopping List: White and brown chocolate bark, strawberries, large pretzel sticks
Tips: Even a drop of water will mess up melted chocolate (which we had an example of).

Item: Punch & Peach Salsa
Supplies: Glass bowls, spoons, ladle, beverage dispenser, ice
Shopping List: Ginger Ale, cranberry juice, salsa, peach fruit cups, tortilla chips (different colors)
Tips: Ginger ale will lose it’s bubble if poured too fast; straining the peaches makes for a better, thicker salsa so let the kids pull back only a little on the fruit cups to strain the juice; using blue and brown chips makes for a more visually appealing plate; most had never seen a ladle before nor knew what it was called; dropping in orange slices or strawberries makes punch look pretty; we used a Styrofoam cup we tore down half-way to make for a dipping cup in the food carrier to keep the salsa from touching everything else.

Item: Fruit kabobs
Supplies: long toothpicks, plastic knives, paper plates
Shopping List: String cheese, green grapes
Tips: Teach to ‘saw’ rather than ‘chop’ food with a plastic knife to cut string cheese into cubes; pre-cut small bunches of grapes for students to wash and dry.

Item: Grilled Cheese Sandwich (gotta have an element of danger, right?!)
Supplies: Electric frying pan, egg turner/pancake flipper, paper plates, metal spoon to spread butter
Shopping List: tub/soft butter, bread, sliced cheese
Tips: Kids were taught altogether at the beginning of class how to make a grilled cheese because of the heat and the time constraints; a lot of my kids couldn’t spread the butter even though the back of a spoon makes it easier, so the ‘beautiful golden bread’ happened for some and not for others (They LOVED it anyway! Who doesn’t like butter and a lot of it?); leave the butter out of the fridge for a bit to get softer and make it easier to spread. Station signs were paper bags in the center of the tables to keep the trash and wrappers at bay. Cleaning up as you go is a life skill in itself, yes?

Item: Pinwheel Sandwich
Supplies: Toothpicks, paper plates, knives to slice roasted peppers, metal teaspoons for spreading cream cheese, vegetable peelers (got from the dollar store for half price after Christmas)
Shopping List: Large head of romaine lettuce, whipped cream cheese, baby spinach leaves, small flour tortillas, slices of oven-roasted deli turkey, provolone cheese, roasted pepper from a jar, carrots, toothpicks
Tips: Using whipped cream cheese (much easier to spread than original cream cheese) instead of mayo keeps the items in the tortillas rather than sliding so cutting the roll-up into pinwheels is much easier; the colors are beautiful from the side of a pinwheel; cut the hard center from a romaine lettuce leaf with a veggie peeler so it’ll roll smoothly; thankfully huge carrots are inexpensive so they could peel to their heart’s content over their own tall garbage can; when ordering the turkey and cheese, ask the deli to place a piece of paper between each slice; plan for 1 slice of turkey and a half slice of cheese for each pinwheel.

In between the 3rd and 4th rotation, we stopped for a beverage (punch) break as I shared the story of how Jesus fed the 5,000: he uses what kids have to offer, he blesses, he multiplies, we gather together, and leftovers. Jesus can and will do mighty things with what a kid brings to Him. Jesus can do anything!

Some students ate as they traveled from station to station. Some students snacked as they went. One student waited until she got home so she could show her parents everything she had made. This same student had her Mom send me a pic last weekend showing a beautifully grilled cheese sandwich she made on her own at home. Certificates were handed out at the end with testimony time with the items, supply and shopping lists printed on the back.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

When attending a children’s ministry conference, some of the best and most helpful information comes in the carpool to the conference. I don’t drive because I am an awful navigator. So armed with a yellow legal pad and a cellphone (to make online inquiries along the way), I ask questions and take notes of the multiple conversations that follow.  In response to a conversation at our monthly, district networking group, several of us gathered together for a day. The goal was to share a few things and take home a few things to help us in our local church ministries. Think: Carpool to a conference without the conference.

Instructions went out in an email like this:

Hello!

Bring 8 copies of what you have already done with LOTS of details AND ideas that have been simmering.   If you have supplies to share, then bring them too.  Got something you don’t know what to do with? Bring it!  Got a picture of something you’ve seen? Bring it.

We set up our computers, opened in prayer, then each champion answered the question: What do you HAVE to get out of today? What is your “If I don’t get anything else, I’ve GOT to get this”?

We put up big post-it notes with areas of interest and focus, then added what we’re already doing under each area with little post-it notes. We each offered a couple of ‘already doings’ with the prep paperwork and even emailed info to everyone if all we had were electronic copies.

We each walked out filled with at least two new ideas and the prep paperwork to tweak to best fit our contexts. We also walked out with encouragement, fuel for the journey, and memories of laughter and good food. Fruitful table life! These folks are ninja warrior champions when it comes to ministry with children. Some have been doing kidmin for more than 20 years, others just 3 years.  Oh how I love the connection!

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

Our senses are heightened when we step away for retreat. We wait in anxious expectation of sounds, smells, and sights which are different than our everyday. It reminds me of Abram called by God from his land of Ur (usual routine.) But it’s the people that we meet while away that stick in my memory most.

At the 5th grade Rock Solid Retreat on the beautiful campus of Camp Glisson, our students are prepared through workshop and practices for their next season as they transition not only from elementary to middle school, but also from children’s ministry to youth/student ministry. The connections with mine and other’s kids are different, slower, deeper, funnier. The connections are just….more.

One of the great delights of retreat is connecting with other champions of children’s ministry. As we walk outside, wake up to Mandisa’s “Good Morning” in the girl’s cabin, and take fantastic meals ‘family style’ with others, I get to hear their stories. Stories of their journey to director of children’s ministry at their church. Stories of how a student has overcome life challenges. Stories of exciting family events coming up. Stories of clarity for what one will do next year. Stories of grandparents who used to come to Camp Glisson so many years ago. Oh, the testimonies of old and new friends in the Lord.

This time we were invited to travel with a church we often partner with for special events like Splish Splash and Winter Ball. Our kids and chaperones make deep connections with hers. I’m the last one down at night in our cabin to be sure everyone is snoozing. She’s the first one up to take them hiking in the falls before breakfast. She brings cookies. I bring a wireless speaker for cabin dance parties. A chaperone from the third church represented in our cabin was a hairdresser. There was a line of 5th grade girls chatting and laughing waiting to get their hair braided.

There is so much more to an away retreat than curriculum and food…though both were fabulous. When I go on retreat, I seek out those I already know and see only online for a hug, a cup of tea, a conversation. When I go on retreat, I especially seek out those new-to-me. I ask a couple of questions. I make a new friend. I hear testimonies of champions. I hear how God is alive and active in their calling. I hear of challenges and celebrations. I hear delights and sighs and laughter. It feeds me and helps me to grow in my ‘champion-ness.’ What are you doing to build connection with other champions?

“There are essentially two things that will change your life – the books you read and the people you meet.” – Charles Tremendous Jones

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

Fifth graders in February are closer to sixth grade than most moms wish to admit. Many will be transitioning not only to middle school, but also from children’s ministry to youth ministry. Transitions can be no big deal for some students and completely terrifying for others even with the most intentional training-up. How can we help? A winter retreat for fifth graders.

The North Georgia United Methodist Church conference presented a retreat specific to and only for fifth graders at Camp Glisson just a couple of weeks ago. We arrived early in time for hiking and setting up cabins which we shared with other amazing local churches. Half expecting to hear about when we would be ziplining, swimming, or high swinging, not one time did my students wish to be somewhere else or to be doing something else.

We attended workshops specific to kid-friendly spiritual practices.  They learned and practiced multiple prayer positions from a pastor in camo with a heavy leaning toward Star Wars. They learned to communicate at all decibel levels and listen for the wisest voices that will get them to their goals. The activities and debriefing was inviting and done especially well in small groups. Not wanting to give away all the details, THIS event has best prepared my fifth graders to take on the next season with a greater confidence.

We attended multiple worship services with teaching elements led my Chuck Bell. Chuck is amazing at involving multiple worship preferences in a service beyond the music component. He also led a workshop on worship to offer students the chance to discover their own personal worship style preferences AND learn to appreciate other’s preferences. He used video, storytelling, and small group teaching. He even led each group to be prepared to participate in the remaining worship services in liturgy, music, motions, visuals, voice, and so much more. He invited the students to interpret a music video from Bethel kids that was spot-on in helping them grow their ‘fearless’ muscles.

I had multiple favorite moments, quick visual pictures in my head, and enjoyed amazing conversations. During our ‘cabin visit’ we shared time and space outside with another local church we do a ton of things with giving our students a chance to talk, pray, and give their hearts, minds, hands, and feet to Jesus. I mean, how can we do these intensive practices of giving our hearts, minds, hands, and feet to Jesus and not give them a chance to do just that? A place and a date for some. A reminder and another step forward for others.

HUGE difference from the first worship service on Saturday morning to the last on Sunday morning. During the first service, students looked around to do what they saw others doing…formal…cautious…reserved.  By the last service, students prayed in multiple positions. Students sang in multiple ways (voice, motions, movement, etc.) Students received communion and reminder bracelets to take home. Students were writing their contact info in other’s notebooks to stay connected. Made me smile.

We will go again next year. I can’t imagine missing it. Last Sunday’s worship at home was different with the students who attended. We were all so very comfortable in our own worship-style-preference-skin. We smiled at one another across the sanctuary. Pure sweetness. Will you join us next year?

“This day flew by.” C. Reed, WC 5th grader
“I’ll never forget this day as long as I live, Ms. DeDe.” A. Smith, WC 5th grader

Our church chooses a scripture focus for each year. The 2017 focus is based on Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” With my personal challenge of offering more testimony time in each setting for my kids, each month we will be inviting Titus 2 men and women of our church to speak to our students during Sunday school.

Titus 2 speaks of older men teaching the younger men and older women teaching the younger women in the church. The students won’t know who is coming, so we’ve called it “Titus 2 Mystery Guest Sunday”. Each person will be invited to share how they ‘shine the light of Jesus’ before others to glorify their Father in heaven. After each Titus 2 mystery guest gives testimony of how they came to know Jesus and shine His light in their world, the students will be invited to respond with a task, activity, or expected follow up.

Some of the folks we will invite will be a trustee, a gardener, a baker, a person who regularly volunteers anywhere and everywhere, a college student who goes on short-term mission trips, an Eagle Scout candidate working on his project, and others.

I want my kids to see how God uses His light within each of us to do good deeds to glorify our Heavenly Father. I want my kids to know they will always have a way to be in ministry and mission where they are with the gifts and graces they have today. I also want my kids to know the saints of their church…who probably attend another service…who probably don’t sit at their table on Souper Bowl Sunday…who they’ll never know unless they get some face time. I also want the saints of their church to know the children running in the hallways, accolyting in the worship service, and to know the names of those coming up behind them. They may also be more inclined to serve in ministry with children if they get a chance to look into their big brown eyes, hear their giggles, and answer their questions.

Our first Titus 2 Mystery Guest was Ms. Meg. She is part of the team of We Care. We Care provides meals for the sick, writes cards for the shut-ins, and coordinates receptions for bereaved families. After her testimony, the children were invited to write letters to two members of their church who just got home from a hospital stay.

Each church is filled with Titus 2 men and women. Who will you invite to tell their story of shining the light of Jesus in their world?

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

Lynley Jones of Asbury UMC in Lafayette, Louisiana is a KidMin Ninja and incredibly creative in how she shares Jesus with little people.  Thanks to this dear colleague who shared pictures and her organizational tricks with me, WC Academy started the first of four life skill classes for 1st-5th graders. WC Academy is a free community outreach of WCKids. We created the event on Eventbrite for free registration and to gather information of ages, names, and emails for a Friday night 6-7:30pm.

5pm: Volunteers arrived for training and set up (needed every minute of it)

6-6:10pm: Arrival games in the Children’s Hallway

6:10-30pm: Amazing volunteers (3 middle school youth and 3 adults) introduced themselves and told an interesting fact about themselves. We then welcomed and gave instructions.

6:30pm: Students received packets of handouts (all found on pinterest and noted below) to be used at each station and began rotating every 10 minutes.

After the 3rd rotation, we gathered for hot chocolate and I shared the story of Jesus making the Leper clean from Mark 1:40-42…including the shouting of “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!” Jesus makes us clean on the inside. Then we finished the last two rotations.

7:15pm: Huddled to give testimony about what we learned, favorite station, and what we can’t wait to demonstrate as soon as they get home. Handed out certificates (what’s an Academy without certificates?) and celebrated with an all-hands-in cheer at dismissal.

Folding Clothes Station: My adult daughter does this ninja-tshirt-folding-thing and sock-roll that totally amazed each student. Yep…one of their favorite stations. We received texts from parents later that night about students teaching their parents how to properly fold clothes! Supplies: kid sized tshirts and white tube socks.

Dusting/Sweeping Station: Set up in the corner of the room with a little baby cornstarch (with lavendar for obvious reasons) and Lego bricks to dust. Then to sweep up what fell on the floor. A huge mess by the end of the night, but with all the wet towels and washcloths from the dishwashing station, the students cleaned up the floors pretty well. Supplies: Baby Cornstarch, a few Lego bricks, 2 brooms, washcloths.

Bed Making Station: Set a twin top mattress on a long table and had the Eagle Scout teach how to make the bed with hospital corners. Interesting fact: Not one of our kids knew the bottom sheet was called a ‘fitted sheet.’ Supplies: twin top mattress (put out a request on facebook), mattress cover/case, top sheet, fitted sheet, pillow, pillow case.

Dishwashing Station: Learned the order in which dishes should be handwashed and how to load a dishwasher. We used a single sink and a dish drainer. Supplies: Dish drainer, bowl, silverware, 2 glasses, saucer, washcloths, dish detergent, gloves.

Ironing Station: Set up two ironing boards in an adjacent room with irons on lowest setting and ironed a washcloth first. Using the directions in the packet, students ironed a dress shirt and hung it on a hanger. Supplies: 2  ironing boards, iron, hangers, two dress shirts, 2 washcloths.

Next month: Basic cooking.

“A man with leprosy came to Jesus and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Mark 1:40

Every summer our Conference of the United Methodist Church holds its annual business meeting in June. For many of my KidMin colleagues, those are the weeks of Vacation Bible School and summer camps. Me, too. But what if you were able to carve out the time to be an at-large delegate to be part of the process?

For every clergy delegate there is a lay delegate. Some clergy delegates are retired, on medical leave, on loan to other UM Conferences. When we gather each year to discuss resolutions, share celebration reports, hear amazing preaching, and participate in various worship experiences, there are lay people who make ‘the representative pair’ of one clergy and one lay person.

I have been honored and thrilled to be an at-large delegate for my district for many years. My whys?  Networking, collaboration, table life with those I admire, face time with folks I have served with from day-one. I listen/participate in the debates of everything from church property management, promote and voice the needs of my KidMin colleagues, and vote on resolutions that help define our position in areas of social justice and mission.

There are specific activities for those engaged in Christian education, young adults, a fantastic team of youth delegates, clergy women, UM Men, UM Women, a 5K, and so much more. Baby Girl was a delegate in high school and college for years before I got involved. I would wait in anxious expectation for when she’d come home sharing stories of her experiences each year and decided I wanted in. I contacted our District Office and asked if there was a need or opening for an at-large delegate and the rest is history.

The district offers a stipend to cover hotel and meal expenses…our apportionment dollars at work to do intentional church business and give me access to people, places, and programs that can support our local churches and other KidMin champions in the trenches. Standing in support of colleagues at their ordination service, hearing the retired clergy speeches, and honoring those who have gone on to Glory in the last year are just a few of my can’t-misses.

Plans are in the works to have a gathering of KidMin champions while I’m there this year because we are better together in connection. Face time is always better than screen time. If you want to drink from the fire-hose of varied worship (as varied as our congregations across our Conference), have face time with folks who can make KidMin things happen, and get access to resources you didn’t even know were available in our own backyard, perhaps you’d like to join me in Athens to be an at-large delegate or a delegate from your local church at the 2017 Annual Conference. I guarantee it’s worth the conversations to get the ball rolling. And I’d love to share some table life with you.

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20

Ever heard of WordSwag? It’s an app from the app store that lets you pick a background, add text, then post on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. A great guy from a church from the Northeast USA showed me over lunch how to put out beautiful graphic text at a church administration training last summer to market my ministry. I’ve been learning a lot about marketing my ministry over the last 10 years. Lots of books, lots of reading, lots of training, lots of podcasts, lots of conversation.

Imagine we are having lunch or tea (and if we ever get the chance to do either, let’s do it!). Pull out your phone and download the WordSwag app. Open the app and press the ‘two photos’ button.

In the pixabay images search bar, type in ‘cup’ or whatever image background you wish. Pick your image, then choose to crop it or accept one of the various crop settings (I typically use ‘facebook post’) that shows up below the image. Press ‘SKIP’.

Double tap the ‘double tap me to change text’ which will bring you to a box to type the text you wish after x-ing out the ‘double tap me to change text’ or backspacing over the text in the upper right hand corner. Type in the text you wish.  Tap the ‘SAVE & CLOSE’ tab and move the text with your finger to where you’d like it to be on the background. Here comes the fun…

Tap the style tabs below the image and the various options to change how the text looks. The other tabs are fun to pick the color of the text and even change the background hue and shading. You can change the blur and even the brightness with a slider tab along the bottom. When you are satisfied with your image/text, tap ‘SAVE’. Don’t overthink it!

I typically get a ‘whoops couldn’t save it’, but just go on. I follow the couple of prompts to post to Instagram from here because after I add a caption to Instagram, it gives me options to post to Facebook and Twitter and other social media platforms so I don’t have to retype a caption. You can even add a location. Hit SHARE and it’s done.

Single images are better than a collage. Blues and greens cause folks to linger on your images longer than red or orange. Putting your image or announcement through WordSwag and posting it on Facebook will let you SAVE your image to use for everything else so to use the same visual for current and future marketing.

If you’re using it for an upcoming event, be sure to send it to the church admin who prepares the bulletin, sanctuary media folks, etc as soon as possible so to keep consistency in the visual marketing. These folks are your best partners in getting the word out and offering your image/announcement to be shared in-house and beyond social media.

How’d ya do?

“We will share with you whatever good things the Lord gives us.” Numbers 10:32

There are so many things that thrill me to the bone about serving Jesus with little people: singing, dancing, teaching, candy, nursery photos of baby silliness, games, the Bible, children’s moments, faith milestones, field trips, camping retreats, dancing (love me some dancing before the Lord so it gets listed twice), and the laughter, oh the laughter.

To keep it short, here are four things that will be thrilling me to the bone about serving my Jesus with little people in the next 90 days:

1. Testimony – I will be challenging my students to give testimony. Think “Show & Tell”, but about what God is doing in their lives and using the power of their spoken words to claim His presence in their every day. Our church 2017 theme is to “Let the light of Jesus shine through you” and I wish for their words to do just that with boldness and confidence.
2. Wesley Chapel Academy – We will begin a series of Friday evenings to learn life skills. After setting up the EventBrite registration, the first class filled up in less than 48 hours. I think we have something here! A dear colleague in my home state of Louisiana shared her organizational plan and the first Academy class is less than two weeks away. Keep an eye on the blog for specifics.
3. Fifth Grade Only Retreat – Our denominational conference is offering a two day retreat for fifth graders specifically addressing ways to worship at our favorite retreat center, Camp Glisson. The place is holy ground for our kids and I am thrilled to be going in March. Blogs will follow for sure!
4. Done In A Day Training – Anyone who serves the Lord with little people will find this Saturday training 9am-12noon super-duper-helpful. Video driven plenaries and workshops with multiple stops for discussion, sharing, and hands-on responses will focus on what we all do every.single.week. : Connecting Kids in Worship, Connecting Kids in Mission, and Connecting Kids in Sunday School. The best thing is that this is taking place in every single district in the North Georgia Conference, at the same time, on the same day! I can’t wait to see what we can get done in a day to bring home to our kids.

What is thrilling you to the bone in the next 90 days?

“I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.” Isaiah 61:10