Families with rising kindergartners are in shock. They are shocked their baby is old enough for school, may be riding a bus, and will be spending a long day away. These amazing families are wondering who their little one will sit by, have lunch with, and play with on the playground. We want to make this milestone a smooth one on Sunday morning especially if their kindergartner will be transitioning from the nursery into Children’s Ministry.

In the local church where I serve, I’m responsible for kindergarten through fifth grade. Moving from the nursery into a more formal Sunday school setting involves many more children and movement among spaces. The best way for this transition to be smooth for parents and children is to offer the Faith Milestone: I Can Go To Sunday School. This Faith Milestone takes place the week before Promotion Sunday, immediately after all Sunday services. It’s calm, quiet, and everything is still set up.

We meet in the Children’s Welcome Center since that is where they will begin and end their Sunday experience from this point on. We introduce the family to the self-check in kiosks and explain the security stickers/tags because Nursery has been manned-check in. Their amazing Sunday School teachers are present and introduce themselves.

We walk through a Sunday morning by moving first to their Sunday school room for small groups and the large group worship space. The children walk on the stage and touch things that are new. Parents and families are in-tow. We walk to the bathrooms and the water fountain, then return to the Sunday school room and sit at a chair and circle up to sing a song.

We return to the Children’s Welcome Center for the end of Sunday school, and then ring the bell which lets them know we are gathering to move to the Sanctuary for big church. We enter the Sanctuary just like we would if they stayed for Children’s Church and sit in the front pews. We look around us and talk about what we see and hear. We chat. We stand up for singing and we move to where we’d sit for the Children’s Moment, then walk as we would be dismissed on a Sunday morning returning to the Children’s Welcome Center for water and snack.

This precious time ends in prayer and with two gifts:
1. A 5×7 paper-framed picture of Jesus for each child (and any siblings who attend), and
2. A copy of “Little Steps Big Faith: How the Science of Early Childhood Development Can Help You Grow Your Child’s Faith” by Dawn Rundman for parents

How do you help families transition from the Nursery to Sunday school?

“When your child learns that church is a place where they are embraced by members of the whole body of Christ who love them dearly, they can make deeper associations with God’s tender love for them.” – Dawn Rundman from Little Steps Big Faith

Jesus is our model for worship, study, play, and prayer.  Prayer is one of those sacred practices which can be caught, but when we offer an intentional teaching time, students grow to have more confidence.  When practiced with their families, it’s a shared sacred memory.   This is the motivation behind the Faith Milestone: I Can Pray offered to our families with 1^st and 2^nd grade students. The event was scheduled for a Wednesday evening 5:45pm-6:30pm.

After students decorate a solid colored gift bag to hold all their take home goodies and printed instructions, we share that “Prayer is talking AND listening to God (Father and Creator), Jesus (God’s son, our best friend, and Savior), and the Holy Spirit (Comforter, reminding us as believers/followers what will please the Lord.)” Students are required to stay with and participate fully with their parents/caregivers. Students and families are then led to these stations spread throughout a large room.

Supplies:

• Berenstain Bears Say Their Prayers
• Bottles of Bubbles
• Snack packages of plain M&Ms
• Call bell
• Silly Putty
• Fidget Spinner/Spinning Top
• Composition books

These are the various stations with directions:

Find The Page – Choose a book. Find the page where the little bears are praying before bedtime and read aloud. Take one for your family prayer bag.

Spinner Prayers for Who’s At The Top – Each Day, pray for…
Monday – Teachers and Coaches (by name)
Tuesday – Local Government of Mayor and City Council (by name)
Wednesday – Pastor and Spiritual Teachers (by name)
Thursday – National Government of President, Congress, and Supreme Court (by name)
Friday – Law Enforcement & Firefighters (by name)

Teacher, Coach, and Spiritual Teacher names are easy, but finding out the name of your town’s mayor and a city council member may require you asking your parents. Ask your parents to also help you find out the name of your US Congressperson and find the name of someone who serves in law enforcement and a firefighter so you can pray for ‘by name’, too.  Names are so important and it will make your prayers specific and more personal.

For each leader, spin the spinner and talk to God about ‘Who’s At The Top’ until the spinner stops. If your top is still spinning when you finish the prayer below, you must be a master spinner! So keep praying until it stops!

Example: (Insert names)
Dear Lord, I pray for _________________ and _______________ to lead a life that is worthy of You Lord.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will please You in every way, God.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will want to grow to know You better, God.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will be strong and patient, God.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will never give up and be joyful, God.
(based on Colossians 1:10-11)

Silly Putty Prayers (W.I.T.H. Prayer)

• Take out your silly putty and stretch, mold, pull, tug on it as you sit quietly and ponder the following:
• Take a deep breath and blow it out slowly.
• Think of something that makes you say “WOW!” (pause)
• Take a deep breath…when you slowly and quietly exhale, whisper, “Wow, God!”
• Take a deep breath and blow it out slowly.
• Think of something that you’ve said, done, or thought that would not please God….something you’d want to say, “I’m sorry” about.  (pause)
• Take a deep breath…when you slowly and quietly exhale, whisper, “I’m sorry, God.”
• Take a deep breath and blow it out slowly.
• Keep pulling on your silly putty.
• Think of something you want to thank God for.  Several somethings. (pause)
• Take a deep breath…when you slowly and quietly exhale, whisper, “Thank you, God.”
• Take a deep breath and blow it out slowly.
• Think of someone you know who needs help…maybe they are sad, maybe they are sick, maybe they are poor, maybe they are hurting. (pause)
• Take a deep breath…when you slowly and quietly exhale, whisper, “Help them, God.”
• Then close to tell God whatever you want.  He loves to hear from you! Amen.
• Thankful to Mark Burrows for sharing this experience at National Christian Educators Fellowship Conference in Nashville several years ago.

Bubble Prayers

Blow a bubble.  As it floats to the floor, pray a help prayer.

“Lord, please help _____________________ because ______________________. Amen.”

Journal Prayers

1. Choose a journal.
2. Open to the first page.
3. Trace the hands of everyone in the family on individual pages and write their name on the page.
4. Put your hand in each family member’s traced hand and talk to God about that family member.
5. Then turn to a fresh page each day with a date to invite family members to write prayer requests. As you pray for that prayer request, place your hand on the family member’s traced hand.

A Wiggle Prayer

O God, who made my fingers (wiggle fingers)

O God, who made my toes, (wiggle toes)

O God, who made my eyebrows, (wiggle eyebrows)

O God, who made my nose, (wiggle nose)

You made my heart for laughter, (put hand to heart)

You made my voice for song, (make a “singing” pose)

You made my soul to dance, (dance in place)

And praise you all lifelong. (raise both hands in the air)

Amen

“Glory” Celebration Prayers –  Open a call bell.  Every time you think of a time to say, “Thank you, Lord!”, ring the bell and say, “Glory!” Place the bell somewhere in your home when anyone in the family wishes to express a thanks to the Lord, they ring the bell and shout, “Glory!”

M&M Prayers – Find a quiet spot, take a deep breath, and open your bag of M&Ms. As you put an M&M in your mouth, close your eyes and take time to feel and taste as the candy melts in your mouth. As the candy melts, turn your thoughts to God, and use the color code below to focus your prayers:

Red candy: Think about the greatness of God. Think about the great things God has made.

Take a deep breath, hold it counting to 5, then breathe out slowly and whisper “God, You are great.”

Orange candy: Thank God for the blessings you have received and the goodness in your life. Take a deep breath, hold it counting to 5, then breathe out slowly and whisper, “God, You are good.”

Yellow candy: Pray for those who are in need of basic human needs; food, shelter, water, peace.

Take a deep breath, hold it counting to 5, then breathe out slowly and whisper, “Thank you, God.”

Brown candy: Pray for those close to you or far away in need of God’s guiding spirit, that they will feel God’s abundant love in their life.

Take a deep breath, holding it counting to 5, then breathe out slowly and whisper, “Help them, God.”

Blue candy: Confess to God (agree with God) that you are sometimes weak and fail to follow God as you should. Ask God to help you stay strong.

Take a deep breath, holding it counting to 5, then breathe out slowly and whisper, “Forgive me, God.”

Green candy: Sit in silence as you ask God to hear your prayers, those spoken and those that are unsaid in your heart.

Take a deep breath, holding it counting to 5, then breathe out slowly and whisper, “Praise you, God, for hearing my prayers.”

Upon completion, we debrief by asking:

What was your favorite station?

What do you think you could do to pray tonight before you go to bed?

What do you think you could do in the morning when you wake up to help you pray?

What is prayer? “When we _____ & ______ to the Lord.”

Prayer is ‘caught’ AND ‘taught’. What other ways can we intentionally teach children and families to pray together?

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1

Anyone else tweak every event after each time? Anyone else just can’t do the same thing even if you repeat an event? Just a few weeks ago, we spent 3-5pm with 3rd-5th graders teaching them how use THEIR Bibles at an event we call American Ninja Warrior: Bible Edition. Cut strips of white, twin, flat sheet became our name tags so students tied them on their foreheads ninja-style and we got started.

The most important areas we wished to address were: Genesis 1:1 & John 1:1, Creation, Torah, 10 Commandments, Gospels, Disciples, Greatest Commandment, Paul & Timothy (letters), Lord’s Prayer/23 Psalm, Parables, Revelation, Shema.  Check it out!

Using a Rainbow Bookmark – As followers of Jesus, we are people of THE BOOK…the Bible. 2 sections, 66 books. Testament – covenant – promise. Asking the question: What is the Bible? We pre-made 1/4 inch ribbon bookmarks knotted at the top to be placed in different places in their bibles as a large group:

• black=Table of Contents;
• red=Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament;
• orange=Joshua, the first history book in the Old Testament;
• yellow=Psalms, the 2nd poetry book in our Bible;
• green=Isaiah, the first prophet book in our Bible;
• blue=Matthew, the first Gospel book in our Bible;
• purple=to mark Romans, the first letter book in our Bible.

1. Quintuple Steps

SAY – “How did the Bible come to be?”

PLAY – the Telephone Game = an example of the ‘oral tradition’

“The Bible is divided into 2 sections:  the Old and New Testaments.  It was written over a period of over 1600 years.  The word “Bible” comes from the Greek word biblia, which means “little books.” In all there are sixty-six “little books” in the Bible, 39 in the Old Testament (old promise/covenant) and 27 in the New Testament (new promise/covenant).”

• Have one student look up Genesis 1:1 and read it aloud.
• In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
• Ask another student to look up John 1:1 and read it aloud.
• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

“We are SO fortunate to have the Bible and the words written down for us.  The early people had to memorize it.  Those who were young, memorized the Torah, the first five books of the Bible (show them).  Once they got to High School, they memorized up through the Psalms and if they were going to be a Spiritual leader or Rabbi, they had to memorize the entire Old Testament!”

Activity:

Have the students jump from one platform to the other, saying the Scriptures. Each student should go through twice so that they can recite each verse.  (It is probably best if the whole group says it together as each student goes through.  That way, they will memorize both verses.  Help be loud and lead the way, especially for the first few times.)

2. Agility Ladder– Creation – Have students find and mark Genesis 1:1

This verse tells us who the Bible is about.

We serve a God of order & systems. (solar system, patterns in pine cones, spring/summer/fall/winter, day/night/day/night, birth/getting old, etc.) Ask kids “what else?”

Make a creation trail mix to save for later for snack and used an agility ladder to run through the 7 days of creation in order.

Day1         God created the light and the dark (oreo cereal)

Day 2        God separated the water on the top from the water on the bottom. The top was sky, and the bottom was ground (Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal for the clouds and the ground)

Day 3        God made the green grass, the trees, and the flowers (stick pretzels). God also made the fruit and berries (raisins.) “God made food before he made animals that would need the food. Our God is SO WISE.”

Day 4        God created the sun and the moon and the stars (yellow M&M candies; Cheerios)

Day 5        God made the birds and the fish (Goldfish)

Day 6        God made man and woman and all the animals that walk on the ground (animal cookies)

Day 7        God rested on the seventh day (marshmallow pillows)

Joke: Where does the Bible talk about baseball? Genesis 1:1 “In the big-inning.” Then back to the bible study tables.

3. Flip the Tires:

The first five books of the Old Testament are called the Penteteuch. “Pente” means “five” and “teuch” means “books”.  The first five books of the Old Testament are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.  This is also call THE TORAH.

Was originally written on scrolls (rolled up paper) that were found in jars.

Activity:

Have half of the students on one side and half on the other. Have them flip each of the five tires, while saying the first five books of the Old Testament.

4. Stepping Stones

“The Ten Commandments are found in both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Today, we are going to learn the Ten Commandments as we jump from stone to stone on one foot. Say the commandment as you go.  Remember that you have 10 fingers so you can transfer this to everyday life by looking down at your hands and reciting the Ten Commandments later.”

#1       God first

#2       Don’t bow down to idols

#3       Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain (misuse the Lord’s name)

#4       Remember the Sabbath & keep it holy

#5       Honor your Father & Mother

#6       Don’t murder/kill

#7       Don’t commit adultery (keep your marriage promises)

#8       Don’t steal (don’t take what is not yours)

#9       Don’t bear false witness (don’t speak ugly about others)

#10     Don’t covet (don’t want what is not meant for you)

5. TIps: Share the Good News

The Gospels are the first 4 books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Gospel = good news

Ask, “What is the good news?” That Jesus came from heaven to save us and reconcile (make us right) with God.

Get in pairs and throw a ball back and forth. Do this four times, saying the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

6. Hula Hoops:

Have a student find & read: Matthew 10:2-4 (NIV)

^“ These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”

Set up four hoola hoops and ask each student hula hoop to hula hoop while saying as many names as possible.

Ask: What did Jesus do before He called/decided on these guys? (He prayed)

Simon Peter

Andrew

James

John

Philip

Bartholomew

Thomas, the twin

Matthew

James, the lesser

Judas Iscariot

Thaddaeus

Simon, the zealot

Matthias (replaced Judas Iscariot)

7. Cornhole: The Great Commandment

Have the students look up:  Mathew 22:36-40

“You shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. YOU shall love the Lord with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself, UMPH!” (We chant it like a cheer).

8. Pass the Torch: Paul and Timothy

Have the students look up and read aloud: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so ^so that the servant of God^[a]may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Create two lines and have a relay, carrying a pool noodle with a plastic cup taped to top of pool noodle filled with marshmallows.  If they spill it, they must pick up the marshmallows and start over from the starting line.

9. Balance Beams – Walk the Plank

Look up Luke 11:1-4  The Lord’s Prayer

Look up Psalm 23  A Prayer of David

Discuss the many aspects of prayer (music, journaling, WITH, breath prayers, hand prayers, and silence.)

Activity: Walk the Plank in silence….everyone is silent…silent prayer walk.

Examples of how to pray…

WITH = What makes you want to tell God, “WOW!”

What do you wish to tell God, “I’m sorry.”

What do you want to THANK God for?

What do you need HELP with?

In between each one, repeat, “Thank you, Lord, that you are with me.”

Take a deep breath before each one.

Breath Prayer = Jesus, Be My Rock

Jesus (breathe in), Be my rock (breathe out)

Hand Prayers for Intercession (prayer for people)

Thumb – Those closest to me

Index  finger – those who teach me

Middle finger – those who are “over’ me (in authority)

Ring finger – those who are sick (weakest finger that can’t stay up on it’s own.)

Pinkie – yourself

10. Drag a Tire – Parables

Parables=stories that did not really happen, but that best tell a point Jesus wants us to know.

Have students look up Luke 10:25-37: Parable of the Good Samaritan

Discussion:   Who is your neighbor?

God wants us to help others, even if it’s a heavy load.

Pull the heavy tires across a long space.

11. Stack the tires – How does it end? With a new beginning!

Have the students look up Revelation 22:1-5

Say, “Jesus is coming back.”

Ask, “What would Jesus find you doing?” “Where would Jesus find you?”

Discuss: We are supposed to be growing in our knowledge of God and more and more like Jesus, though in this world. Once we learn one thing, we learn the next, and the next. Our growing in wisdom and knowledge of God stacks like these tires.

Ask, “How do we do we grow in the knowledge of god and more like Jesus?”

Stack the remaining tires one on top of another.

12. Medals: The Shema and Spiritual Discipline of taking 5 minutes each day to read the Bible and 5 minutes in prayer every day (even Sundays!) TAKE 5

Have everyone find and read:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Ask: How will you plan to Take 5 every day? 5 minutes reading the Bible and 5 minutes in silent prayer.

The first event looked like this. Each time, we tweak to make the experience better for the students and better for the leaders. And each time we offer this event I remember why I LOVE it!

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16

Chantal and I became quick friends during my family’s time in New England. I had accepted Christ as my savior at 10 years old at VBS, but she made Him Lord of her life as an adult. She was on the disciple-of-Jesus express train and I jumped on with all I had. We sharpened one another as iron sharpens iron in the Lord’s army as wives, mothers of little people, and weekday preschool teachers. One evening a week from 8-9pm we would call one another to share prayer requests and then pray our hearts out over the phone. At the top of our prayer lists were to become the Godly wives our Creator called us to be and that our children, all under 7 years old at the time, would love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, and minds at an early age. We fasted one day each week for God’s call on the lives of our children, even to pray for their future spouses. Yet even with all of our intentionality I felt limited in my prayer vocabulary, until I picked up a copy of Stormie Omartian’s The Power of a Praying Parent. Thirty chapters with thirty prayers at the end of each chapter along with scripture. Whatever day of the calendar month, that’s the chapter I would pray for my children. That was 1993.

Godly parents desire to be faithful to pray for their children. I’m thinking today’s parents are just as challenged as I was in prayer vocabulary. I have always encouraged parental prayers as part of a parent’s spiritual discipline, and The Power of a Praying Parent was the best resource I’ve ever used. Though I started this prayer practice when my littles were under the age of 7, it was when they were in middle and high school these chapters were especially helpful: Praying Through A Child’s Room, Learning To Speak Life, and Avoiding Addictions. A fruitful resource indeed and in paperback still available today.

“Having raised children from birth to adulthood, I’ve come to realize that one of the main things our children will take with them when they leave our realm of influence is their faith. If we can be sure they have strong faith in God and His Word, and the love of God in their hearts, then we can know they are set for eternity. Our prayers can play a big part in helping them achieve that.” Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Parent (p. 204)

While listening to the podcast , The Kid’s Ministry Collective I heard of a new book Bible Praying For Parents and immediately ordered two copies. Keith Ferrin and Judy Fetzer collaborated to publish a book of prayers straight from the Holy Bible. Mrs. Fetzer collected these 365 prayers and sent them to herself and others through her blog www.mamahenprays.wordpress.com. Y’all this book provides more than just a book of prayers.

Bible Praying For Parents is a great tool for brief, breath prayers for our kids for every day of the year. The book also includes a section for Bible praying by categories such as anger, anxiety, family relationships, temptation, and more. And if that wasn’t worth the $14.99 price of the book, the back section is entitled: Bible Blessings.

Forty-three blessings are listed in the order they are found in the Bible. Blessings to speak over your children at night, as they head out the door, while eating a meal, or wherever you wish to speak God’s Word and truth so they know the power and mystery of the One who loves them even more than you.

“From 2 Thessalonians 3:5 Blessing: ____________, may the Lord direct your heart into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (p 293)

When we read the Bible we learn God’s vocabulary and of His history and plan for His people. When we pray God’s vocabulary over our children, we hear His heart for our own, and our children hear His voice. This new resource should be beside every prayer chair on the planet because this I know: No one will pray for our kids like we will. Lord, may we be found faithful to do so regularly and well.

“A Godly Mother guides our steps…nurtures our growth, encourages our Spirit, molds our character, commits our lives to the One she’s been raising us for.” Julee Lynn Boren 1971-1998

We decided several years ago while evaluating our worship experience that we would be a local church which worships as a family. We plan nothing else and no other programming takes place during the two worship experiences. This way our kids can see their parents sing, give, pray, learn to engage and participate in the worship experiences of our faith tradition. This meant we would bring back the order of worship in the front of our hymnal which puts the sermon in the middle, add more visual elements through art, video, and space, and offer more music/liturgy with repetition. This was fine as our Ministry Insights reported we had no little-littles, and most of our kids were 2nd-5th graders.

Today there are more families moving into the area with little-littles. To offer a Sunday morning worship experience where the littles (and mamas) aren’t experiencing separation anxiety, when their little is too heavy to ‘wear’ anymore, and guest parents wish to get to know the congregation better through worship, we started talking.

We talked at Worship committee. We talked with our current mamas of littles. We talked with trustees. We talked with grandparents who wanted to worship with their adult children and grandchildren. We talked with the Lord in prayer.

The name “prayground” comes from Rev. Catherine Renken, pastor of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Kennesaw, GA who brainstormed with others when the prayground at Grace in Apple Valley, MN was being built. The name has caught on.

Though different churches have put it into practice in different ways, a prayground is a place in the front of the sanctuary where young children can experience worship through age-appropriate worship materials and tools that will help keep them engaged in worship. (Traci Smith)

We put together a packet of colored photos of what praygrounds looked like in other churches. We talked in every small group gathering. Even with the small group of ladies who prepare the Sanctuary and fold bulletins each Thursday afternoon. I wore it like a sandwich board and made it a topic of every single conversation at every table. We posted on social media every blog post or article we could find that would keep it at the forefront of our family’s minds and hearts.

A grandparent proposed preparing a prayground at the Administrative Council. Lots of discussion took place. A motion was made and approved unanimously for us to give it a try and re-evaluate come September. There are several intentional preschool entry events happening this summer so trying it out now would be a great next step to invite our community to worship as a family. Though the Ad Council meeting closed in prayer in the meeting room, everyone gathered for more conversation at the proposed space to get a ‘picture’ of what it might look like before heading home. The Staff-Parish Relations Committee Chairperson took the point of public champion and spoke about it at every service fielding all the questions for three weeks.

Promoted in person, bulletin and newsletter announcements, social media posts, and a sermon series on attitudes including the attitudes of gratitude and compassion kept the conversations going. Our pastor and trustees removed the pews, grandparents steam cleaned the floor space, rugs were ordered from Amazon, the senior pastor painted the wall, a trustee performed a safety inventory and made adjustments, other grandparents provided board books, foam blocks, receiving blankets, a bouncy seat, and a few small machine-washable stuffed animals.

We opened on the best day possible: Mother’s Day. The prayground space was used in both services, by two families, three generations each. A daughter-in-law led the first family when 20 minutes in, her preschooler was stacking foam blocks with his suited-up grandfather. A grandmother led the second family to the prayground when 20 minutes in, a toddler was engaged with his daddy in the front row and his grandfather in the pew behind. He bolted at one point and the youth corralled him before he ran up the steps of the chancel area. No one missed a beat. This endeavor was and is so worth the tension. We are worshiping as a family of faith. Prayers and praises for the champions who waved the banner!

“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14

What do we do after handing out a slew of new Bibles to 3rd-5th graders? We schedule a late night (6:30-9:30pm) on the following Friday for 3rd-5th graders to learn to use this new gift. Using the hugely popular tv show American Ninja Warrior as our theme, we set up bible and physical challenges that go together. Brainstorming for this event with another kidmin champion made for an awesome night.  The plan was to have it outside, but a rainstorm called for plan B – our gym.

Students were instructed to wear red, white, and blue, bring a towel (to lay on during the silence time), bring a bible (that’s why we’re here, but have some student bibles handy just in case someone forgets), bring a water bottle (the kids got thirsty quick), and use free Event Bright registration for signups (this made for quick notification emails of the change in venue and intake location).

Arrival activity: let students write names on headbands with a sharpie or a name tag for those who wore their own headbands, and lots of jump ropes.

Introduce the gathering attention chant with a leader saying, “The B-I-B-L-E” and the students respond “that’s the book for me.”

Using a Rainbow Bookmark – As followers of Jesus, we are people of THE BOOK…the Bible. 2 sections, 66 books. Testament – covenant – promise. Asking the question: What is the Bible? We pre-made 1/4 inch ribbon bookmarks knotted at the top to be placed in different places in their bibles as a large group:

• black=Table of Contents;
• red=Genesis, the first book in the Old Testament;
• orange=Joshua, the first history book in the Old Testament;
• yellow=Psalms, the 2nd poetry book in our Bible;
• green=Isaiah, the first prophet book in our Bible;
• blue=Matthew, the first Gospel book in our Bible;
• purple=to mark Romans, the first letter book in our Bible.

Quintuple Steps – Discussion and overview of the Bible. How did the Bible come to be? Play the telephone game (oral tradition).  The story of the Bible is about God and how God acted in people’s lives then and now.   Run the Quintuple side steps without touching the ground.

Agility Ladder – Creation – Genesis 1…We serve a God of order & systems. We made a creation trail mix to save for later for snack and used an agility ladder to run through the 7 days of creation in order. Joke: Where does the Bible talk about baseball? Genesis 1:1 “In the big-inning.” Then back to the bible study tables.

Flip the Tire – The Torah is the first 5 books of the Bible. Was originally written on scrolls (rolled up paper). Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Flip the tire 5 times and say the books that make up the Torah.

Over Under PVC Hurdles – God gave His people the 10 Commandments to live well with one another. Look up in Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5. Run under the pvc hurdles for the ‘do’ commandments and over the pvc hurdles for the ‘don’t’ commandments. Then speak loudly reading the commandments from a 10 commandment poster taped to the wall.

King of the Mountain – Look up the 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Step from stump to stump without falling off.

Hula Hoops – Look up Matthew 10:2-4 and discover the 12 disciples. 4 stations of hula hoops. Jump through each hoop 3 times each saying the disciples/apostle’s names.

Bean Bag Toss – Look up Matthew 22:36-40 to discover The Greatest Commandment. Toss a bean bag into a Rubbermaid bin saying, “YOU shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,with all your soul, and with all your might. YOU shall love the Lord with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself, UMPH!”

Pass the Torch – Gotta have some water, right? Look up 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and discover the relationship between Paul and Timothy. Pass or carry a halved pool noodle with a cup taped to the end filled with water to another bucket. (We were not able to do this being inside, but the plan was there.)

Walking the Plank – Look up  Luke 11:1-4 The Lord’s Prayer. We’ll discuss the many aspects of prayer using a gift from Mark Burrows, the Children’s Ministry Lead at FUMC of Ft Worth, WITH (Wow, God….I’m sorry, God….Thank you, God…Help me/another, God), then a 10 minute period of silence. Walking raised lengths of wood for balance beams.

Silence – At some point on the course have a rest time for a period of silence (10-15 minutes, depending on time) to eat the trail mix and a cold Powerade on their towels spread throughout the space.

Drag A Tire – Look up the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 and discuss who is my neighbor. Drag a tire with a rim by rope across a long space.

Perform Sword Drills for a whole host of things. (We did not have time for this, but we were ready just in case we did.)

Closed out the evening with awards of “Take 5” candy bars on 1/4 inch ribbons as we discuss taking 5 minutes each day to read the bible and pray.

My kidmin brainstorming partner’s husband came to pick up at night’s end. They have scheduled their American Ninja Warrior: Bible Edition late night at her local church in two weeks. With the help of parents and some gracious 5th grade boys, we had everything except the largest quad step packed in the van and ready to go within 20 minutes.  Most everything will be returned for next year’s event, because this turned out even better than I imagined. When parents arrived for pickup, they were able to watch their students ‘run the course.’

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

Praying together on campus can happen beyond the Sanctuary and Sunday School classroom.  For flip-flop night with our CLUB345, we prepared prayer books with dollar-store soft photo albums with prayer images and the following instructions. Then sent our 3rd-5th graders out in pairs to prayer walk our campus.

Page 1:  Did you know that you can talk to God?  Well, you can.  Talking to God is called PRAYING.  God loves it when you talk to Him. God loves kids. The Bible says so.  That’s why He always hears a child’s prayer.  In fact, He tells adults that they should act like children in their hearts if they want God to listen to their prayers.  You may be small, but your prayers are important to God.  That’s why when you pray, big things happen.

Page 2: Prayer Walk Suggestions 

You can take the prayer walk by yourself, but a partner is always more fun.

• First, choose who will be Reader #1 and who will be Reader #2.
• When you arrive at a location, do everything the book asks.
• Then, take turns reading the statements and questions outloud.
• Read the prayer aloud together.
• Part of praying is listening. Listening to God from the scriptures and listening to each other’s answers.
• Wait one full minute before going to the next location.
• Take your time and don’t be in a hurry to finish.

Page 3: Go to the stage area in the sanctuary where weekly worship services happen

Reader #1: On this stage, weekly, the leaders present God’s Word in song and preach the Scriptures.

Reader #2: Go stand where Mr. Michael typically stands.  Look at the church or congregation from his view.  Do you know how much time goes into preparing the worship music weekly?

Reader #1: Go stand in front of the pulpit and see what Pastor Jimmy sees on a weekly basis.  Can you picture where any of our people sit?  Point them out and name who you know.

Prayer: Lord, let Your Word be taught clearly.  Let the people respond to the Good News of Jesus.  Let our worship be pure and let us be ready to hear.  Amen

Page 4: Go to the Grateful Bread Kitchen

Reader #2: This is where we share a meal with our church family.  When was the last time you ate here?

Reader #1: This is also where the basketball league is open to the community.  Have you ever seen a basketball game here in the gym?

Reader #2: This is also the place where the youth hold their classes and small groups.  Where do you hear about Jesus with your friends?

Prayer: Father God, thank you for giving us food to eat and friends to eat with.  May we always be grateful for the people who teach us about You.  Amen

Page 5: Go to the Playground

Reader #1: This is where little people play.  This is where we play.  The preschoolers will grow to be kids and the kids will grow to be youth, then adults.  We need to set good examples for them how we play here.

Reader #2: It’s important to always be friendly to little people.  They are watching us in everything we do and don’t do.  Say out loud like a cheer, “Yay! Jesus!”

Reader #1: Remember when you were a really little child?  What questions did you ask of God, then?  They were probably different from the ones you ask now.

Prayer: God, help me to remember that you have the answers to all of my simple and hard questions. Help me to trust You like I did when I was a little kid to __________. Amen.

Page 6: Go to the Parking Lot

Reader #2: What does a parking lot represent?  It can represent visitors or new people, regular attenders, a place to park your car, or even a place to come hang out.

Reader #1: From our parking lot you can hear/see Sandy Plains Road.  How many people drive by who know someone from the church?  Count how many cars drive by in 1 minute.

Reader #2: Of the people that drive by, how many know and are walking with Jesus?  How many will never come to church unless someone invites them?  Why?

Pray: Dear Lord, we pray for the people who just drove by our church.  We pray that they know about Jesus.  Help me to tell people that I know You and the good things that are going on at Your church to teach us about You.  Amen.

Page 7: Go to the Pastor’s car, or someone else’s car that you know and put your hands on the car

Reader #1: This is how __(name)___ comes to serve here and how they go home.  Share with your prayer partner where you usually park when you come to the church campus.

Reader #2: This is where ___(name)___ spends a lot of time traveling all over to tell people about Jesus. ___(name)___  listens to music, talks on the phone, and runs errands to help them do ministry in this car.

Reader #1: Did you know that they pray for you by name?  They love Jesus very much and always need your help to pray for them.

Prayer: Father God, please keep ___(name)___  safe in their car.  Please keep them close to you because they love you so much.  Help him/her to __________ . Amen.

Page 8: Go to the top of the steps on the back side of the Christian Education Building

Reader #1: This is the highest place on the church campus.  Can you see the parsonage (where the Pastor’s family lives) to the right?

Reader #2: Can you see Sweat Mountain to the left?  It is the 2^nd highest point in all of Cobb County behind Kennesaw Mountain.  What is the highest you have ever been?

Reader #1: Jesus went up on mountains to pray all the time in the Bible.  Have you ever climbed or hiked up a mountain?

Prayer: God, thank you that today the sky is________. Thank you that I can walk this high.  Help me to ________. Amen.

Page 9: Go to the Outside Chapel area and sit on one of the pews facing the cross

Close your eyes.

Take 7 slow, deep breaths.

Reader #1: Romans 8:31 asks us the amazing question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Reader #2: This question is a source of great encouragement for people who believe in Jesus.  If God is for us, what else do we need?

Reader #1: Read these other endings to the phrase aloud.  If there are any that don’t feel true to you, tell your prayer partner.

Page 10: Read together aloud:

If God is for me, …

I will always have hope.

He will hear my prayers.

Life is an exciting adventure.

He will defend me.

I can view myself as His treasured possession.

My future is bright

I can expect things to work out for good.

I have no limitations.

I can expect His help as I live out the plan He has for me.

I cannot out-dream God.

He will not try to make me feel bad about myself.

Addictions can be overcome.

Nothing can separate me from God’s love.

He approaches me in love.

Stepping out in faith is natural.

He is rooting for me.

He is crazy about me.

Which phrase is your favorite?

Page 11: Go to the CLUB345 Classroom and find the knotted rope

Reader #1: Sometimes life seems to bring one difficulty or disappointment after another.  Going through a crisis can make us stronger, but there are also times when we seem to crumble under the weight.

Reader #2: We can encounter what at first appears to be a fairly small problem.  Then somehow it becomes overwhelming as we try to fix it on our own.

Reader #1: Such a circumstance is like tangles or knots that become tighter and more complicated as we struggle to sort them out.  Do you have a knot that seems hard to sort out?

(Get ready to untie a knot in the rope as you pray)

Prayer: Father God, as I untie a knot in this rope, please give me the courage to become stronger in the circumstance.  Amen.

Page 12: Go to a broken tree outside

Reader #1: God wants to speak to us more than we realize.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you that You love me.  Thank you that you hear me when I talk to you.  Help me to learn to pray more.  Help me to pray about everything.  Thank you for your answers to my prayers.   Teach me to hear you speaking to my heart and guiding me every day.  In Jesus’ name I pray.

Dear Lord, the other things I want to pray about today are _________… Amen.

Page 13: Go to at least 2 of the following 4 locations

Go to the prettiest tree near the playground – What makes it pretty? Define beauty. Name 3 items/objects of beauty to you.

Go outside the gym. Do you see the tall cross on the outside of the gym wall? What does it look like? What does it remind you of?

Go to the sidewalk steps between roses alongside sanctuary wall and 2 rose bushes to the left of sidewalk steps. These rose bushes were given by the landscaping company in memory of Mrs. Vickie’s husband. Have you ever had someone die who you loved very much?

Go to the silver box in the ground on the front lawn of the Sanctuary. This is the power box to the road sign along Sandy Plains Road. What gives you the power to shine for Jesus?

Page 14: Go to at least 2 of the following 4 locations

Go to the bird’s nest on the outside of church office window unit. What reminds you of Spring?

Go to the Sanctuary. Did you notice the artwork in the Sanctuary tells a story? What story? Where is the beginning and where is the end?

Go to the technical booth. What is the last movie you went to the movies to see?

Go to the Coosa Dogwood tree on the front lawn. Did you know this type of dogwood tree blooms AFTER Easter.   What are your plans to celebrate Easter?

We mixed up the pages in each book so everyone was headed to a different location throughout the night.  Last Sunday was the perfect weather to be outside. We did have  adult volunteers located in the Sanctuary and outside to help our prayer partners along their way if necessary.

In our debrief we discussed the places they had not known about before and the stories of their favorite prayer places.  We also discussed what it meant to follow in someone’s footsteps. Would they be the witness and friend of Jesus that someone else would follow?  If so, we used sharpies to write our names on the bottoms of each other’s feet as reminder that our friends and family follow our footsteps to Jesus…and He can count on us!

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good  news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” Isaiah 52:7

With the season of Lent as part of our church liturgical calendar, I wanted to give my parents some easy wins with their little people. So let’s engage in some habits of reflection.
Supplies: 5-6 rocks/stones/pebbles, a quart Ziploc bag of sand (leftover from the Christmas Eve luminaries), and an LED candle.
Place everything in a bag with these instructions:

Pour the sand into a wide, shallow container.
Place your candle in the sand.
Each night at dinner or some other regular time during the day, turn the candle on and say a prayer out loud.
Maybe choose a rock and pray for a special concern or a thanksgiving before adding it to the garden.
This I know: when hands are busy, minds are calm. So keep your eyes open and talk to the Lord out loud just like you talk to Mom and Dad. Draw in the sand with your fingers.
The candle reminds us of Jesus – the light of the world.
If you can get to your family’s Nativity Scene in the Christmas decorations, place the shepherd and the sheep back on the mantle to remind us of Jesus being the Good Shepherd.

Inside the bag, we also included a list of Lenten season activities ranging from the Jelly Bean Prayer to the recipe for Resurrection Rolls. Finding ways for parents to enjoy easy wins to pray with their little people is a beautiful thing.  Praying On The Go bags help us do just that.

“Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” John 17:1

Our pastor has been preaching a series about the characteristics of a Christian disciple. The ‘prayer’ sermon will be offered on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. On our staff retreat last fall, as we made plans for 2016, a fellow staff member shared an experience at a previous church to stick with prayer during lent. So we’re doing it!

Picking up large, wooden craft sticks from the local craft store, we wrote names on each stick. We used the directory, the phone list, the youth list, even the regular visitor sign-in sheets, to write names on the craft sticks. We’ll have them placed in red galvanized buckets (only because that’s what I’ve got in the basement…and it’s February!) throughout the sanctuary during lent for folks to pick a stick and pray for that person or couple.

On Palm Sunday, we will have our egg hunt, donkey appearance, and missions lunch following the last service of the morning when folks can bring their sticks and meet up with the one they’ve been praying for during lent. I know…not everyone will come, but maybe they will.

What are you planning to build family and community for the season of Lent?

“They all  joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 1:14

This is the Praying On The Go bag for October. Since October is Pastor Appreciation month, we will be praying for our leaders. I purchased plastic spinning tops in the party section at WalMart and had a slew of them in the supply cabinet.

In each bag were these directions and two spinning tops.

Spinner Prayers for Who’s At The Top

Each Day, pray for…
Monday – Teachers and Coaches (by name)
Tuesday – Local Government of Mayor and City Council (by name)
Wednesday – Pastor and Spiritual Teachers (by name)
Thursday – National Government of President, Congress, and Supreme Court (by name)
Friday – Law Enforcement & Firefighters (by name)

Teacher, Coach, and Spiritual Teacher names are easy, but finding out the name of your town’s mayor and a city council member may require you asking your parents. Ask your parents to also help you find out the name of your US congressperson and find the name of someone who serves in law enforcement and a firefighter so you can pray for ‘by name’, too.  Names are so important and it will make your prayers specific and more personal.

For each leader, spin the top and talk to God about ‘Who’s At The Top’ until the spinner stops. If your top is still spinning when you finish the prayer below, you must be a master spinner! So keep praying until it stops!

Example: (Insert names)
Dear Lord, I pray for _________________ and _______________ to lead a life that is worthy of You Lord.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will please You in every way, God.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will want to grow to know You better, God.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will be strong and patient, God.
I pray that __________________ and __________________ will never give up and be joyful, God.
(based on Colossians 1:10-11)

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. Colossians 1:3