Children’s Ministry
How can we shape learning experiences that will empower our children to explore the Christian Faith and make it their own? How can we show them that they are valued members of the church today? This forum will be a place for us to share the joys and challenges of Christian Education. Come and join us as we share ideas and resources, ask questions, and encourage each other in this vital ministry.
When Mother’s Day Hurts
A few years ago I sat across from a woman who told me she doesn’t go to church on Mother’s Day because it is too hurtful. I’m not a mother, but I had never seen the day as hurtful. She had been married, had numerous miscarriages, divorced and was beyond child-bearing years. It was like salt in mostly healed wounds to go to church on that day. This made me sad, but I understood. Continue reading
Soft Spaces
Notice that it is the adults of the existing congregation who are challenged to do what it takes to provide a welcoming community and sense of belonging. We need be talking about how can we create a sense of welcome for families. We might have to ask some hard questions. What is working? What changes should we make? How do we create accessible spaces where families feel at home during worship? What can we do to demonstrate to children and families that they truly belong? Continue reading
Looking After Your Volunteers
Volunteers are vital to all Christian Education programs. Not many churches have the budget to pay for staff, so recruiting and retaining volunteers is an important part of children’s ministry. In our increasingly busy society it is getting hard to find volunteers. Once you have managed to recruit some you really want to keep them with you for as long as possible. The best way to do this is to look after your volunteers really well. Continue reading
Greening Your Sunday School
As Christian Educators it is our responsibility to help the children make the connection between faith, stewardship, and environmental awareness. There are many ways to do this, but before we start thinking about lessons and projects I believe we need to take a good look at the way we do Sunday school. Do our learning areas and group sessions model environmentally responsible practices? Do we show our care for God’s creation by our choices of activities and the way we use materials? Continue reading
Recruiting volunteers
Enrolling and retaining volunteers is often listed as one of the most challenging tasks for those of us running Christian Education programs. How can we find volunteers? How can we recruit enough people to ensure that we don’t end up with a few faithful individuals struggling to do everything? Unfortunately there isn’t a magic formula that solves the problem (if only) but I would like to share a few things that I have learned. Continue reading
Wait ….. It’s not over yet!
As we know Easter is one of the most important feasts of the Christian year. It is so important that the church sets aside a whole season to celebrate and rejoice. The Great 50 Days of Easter are a wonderful opportunity to explore and celebrate Easter in all its fullness. We couldn’t possibly squeeze all that rejoicing into a single day! But can we really sustain a sense of celebration for seven whole weeks? How can we keep rejoicing when all the jellybeans are gone? Continue reading
Talking With children about Jesus’ Death
As a Christian Educator I have struggled to find the best way to explore Jesus’ death with children. This story is central to our faith and yet it is definitely not a suitable subject for younger ones. How can we retell this story for them without dwelling on the violence? How do we stay faithful to the scriptures and present the story in age appropriate ways? How do we even begin to explain its significance? Continue reading
Learning from the children
I could tell you so many stories about the ways in which I have learned deep spiritual truths from the children in my church family. Many Christian educators have commented how much they have learned from the children in their care. I would concur. In fact I think I have probably learned far more than I have taught. Children are natural teachers and their enthusiasm, simple faith and intuitive grasp of the Holy have taught me so much. Continue reading
What do you think?
As a Christian Educator I enjoy looking at new curriculum. Recently I heard about a new lectionary based curriculum called “A Place for Everyone” produced by Woodlake books. The entire session is printed on one place mat, which has Bible readings, activities, questions for discussion, suggestions for movie clips to watch and books to read, and raises issues of social justice and care for the environment. It is a very different approach to Christian Education and I’m intrigued. Continue reading
