Top 10 Ways to Love Your Volunteers

Valentine's Day isn't that far away. Plan ahead and use one of these ideas to let your volunteers know how much you appreciate them.

• Give a gift certificate from a local restaurant.
• Have children use a permanent marker to sign a thank-you T-shirt.
• Give 2 movie tickets.
• Give a small plant.
• Personalize a tote bag.
• Clean a teacher's classroom.
• Fill a coffee mug with a bag of ground flavored coffee.
• Create a bulletin board that features volunteers serving children.
• Have Psalm 71:18 printed in calligraphy and framed for a volunteer: "Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."
• Give Whoppers candies with this note: "Thanks for your whopper ideas!"

For more ideas, go to http://www.childrensministry.com/articles/thanks-a-million!

Top Three Ways to Handle Snacks in Kidmin

What do we do with snacktime in children's ministry when there are so many food allergies with kids?

It's a real issue and one we need to grapple with. I remember one of my fondest memories as a kid at church was eating an orange pushup at a VBS--regardless of the fact that we were standing on hot pavement for snack time. And now, it makes me sad in my 2-year-old class when little ones say to me "I hungy" and I have to say that we're not allowed to give them snacks anymore. Is this what we've come to?

We asked children's ministers on our poll at www.childrensministry.com how they handle allergy policies. Here are the top three ways they do it:

1. We rely on parents to inform us if there are any allergies we need to know about (79%).

2. We provide food but post the ingredients and make sure parents alert us to allergies (16%).

3. We don't allow any food in our programs (5%).

The fourth option was "We allow kids to bring their own food, but don't provide any." (This is actually what our church does.)

So how does your church handle food allergies in your children's ministry? Post to help us all grapple with this issue.

 

Are New Years Resolutions Wrong?

I can't bring myself to make any resolutions this year. Maybe it's because I know that all of my past self-willed hopes and dreams fall short year after year. So why bother? Or maybe there's something bigger.

This last year when I was in the Dominican Republic, I was struck by the humility of the pastors and leaders there. When asked what they did, they would humbly preface their answer with "by the grace of God." So..."by the grace of God, I am the pastor of..." or "by the grace of God, I am the site director for..." Over and over, we heard them speak like this.

Would I ever have the humility to talk like this..."by the grace of God, I am..." Would I be self-conscious about it? Would it become an issue of pride for me to show how humble I am? Would it matter?

As I stand at the beginning of another year, I'm reminded about what the book of James says about resolving to do things in the future. James 4:13-16: Some of you say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money." But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So you should say, "If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that." But now you are proud and you brag. All of this bragging is wrong. Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning.

Strong words. What if we learned from our brothers and sisters in Christ from the DR? What if we prefaced all our hopes and dreams and resolutions with "If the Lord wants..." or "by God's grace, I will..."? Are we afraid we'd feel antiquated and embarrassed? Part of me thinks so, but if I know to do right and I don't...it's sin.

I'm thinking this is my one resolution for this year: By the grace of God, I acknowledge that I'm nothing without God's grace and to purpose to know that every day what I do and don't do is in his hands. By the grace of God, I submit to his good and gracious will.

 

Heart Matters: Apples We Got

In “Apples We Got,” Amy Beth Larson confronts what seems like insurmountable need. She writes, “For every kid we pick up, there are at least a dozen others staring at our van from finger-smudged windows, street corners, and dirt lots. We've run out of van seats, room in the parish hall, resources, and volunteers. It's an impossible situation. An unfillable need. We can't keep up. Nor can we stop. We can't seem to walk away.”

Find out how God encourages her by reading her article on childrensministry.com.

Heart Matters: What Really Counts

In “What Really Counts” by Amy Beth Larson, she writes in the “Heart Matters” column from Children’s Ministry Magazine about what really matters.

When measured by a supervisor’s critical eye, Amy wonders what success really looks like. She writes, “It felt like an inquisition. She was attempting to create a report to bring back to a church that had given money to our inner city after-school program. Though well-meaning, her questions were ones I'd heard far too many times. How many kids have committed their lives to Christ? What kind of success stories can you tell me?...But is this what matters? Is the gospel a generator of statistics? Do we have the courage to believe that it's something more?”

To read the entire column, click here: http://www.childrensministry.com/articles/heart-matters-what-really-counts

Heart Matters: Living on Life's Fringes

“Living on Life’s Fringes” by Amy Beth Larson is one of my favorite “Heart Matters” columns because Amy helps us see into the heart of a little boy who faces so many challenges but longs to believe.

Amy writes: Tony became a Christian a year ago, but has struggled living this lifestyle out. His family members have been in and out of jail, and his greatest role model is a cousin who now resides in a residential treatment center. Because his peers naturally follow him, Tony, though only 10, is at high risk for the neighborhood gangs and youth violence. I know he believes in Jesus, but the arms of the world are wrapped so tightly around this boy that heaven seems awfully far away.

To read the entire column, click here.

Heart Matters: His God Is Not

“His God Is Not” by Amy Beth Larson is one of my favorite “Heart Matters” columns. I like it because I think that Amy is an amazing writer who artfully shares things from her heart. I love to read her writing. And the other reason I like Amy’s columns is because I know about the amazing ministry she was involved with when she wrote for us—an inner city mission. Amy lives what she writes about.

Here’s part of what she writes: So it's a few weeks before Christmas, and what does Filimon have? Not much. His situation is desperate, but his God is not. I must admit, though, that sometimes it's hard to believe in an active God when the kids I spend my days with are born and raised in such filth, poverty, hatred, hunger, and abuse that it damages their small bodies and threatens to destroy their souls. It doesn’t add up, but we still believe.” 

To read the entire column, click here.

Merry Christmas, Angel!

As you close the door on the last classroom this weekend….clean up the last piece of tinsel and reset rooms for future programs… and drive away from the church building, take this thought with you.

Your gift of service to “the least of these” matters for eternity! The baby you rock in the nursery. The toddler’s nose you wipe clean. The songs you sing with little ones. The Word of God you open up with all ages.

Your yearlong gift—not just at Christmas—to children is seen by a loving God who cared so much about children that he sent his son AS A CHILD!

God values you. God values your service. Know that God sees all the little and big things you do—and God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

And now, just rest. Enjoy the holiday. Read a good book. Eat some cookies (no guilt!) Watch a few movies. And nestle in with your family.

In my next few blogs, I’m going to feature some of my favorite “Heart Matters” columns from Children’s Ministry Magazine. I love the title of this column…it’s got that double message—your heart matters…and these are matters of the heart.

Enjoy! And let God love on you and minister to your spirit!

12 Days of Christmas for Children’s Ministry: Recap

We had so much fun giving away all sorts of children's ministry resources to our friends in ministry! Here's a quick list of who won what.

Day 1 - Nativity: Lights! Camera! Action - Joy Feemster
Day 2 - One Starry Night - Diana Scarberry
Day 3 - bulk subscription to Children's Ministry Magazine - Suzanne Olmsted Thorenson
Day 4 - Christmas Extras: Faith-Filled Ideas for Celebrating Christmas - Tina Marie Bentley
Day 5 - Group's Christmas Songbook - Susan Wilson Holbrook
Day 6 - The ParentLink Children's Ministry Edition - Shandra Ward Hathaway
Day 7 - All-in-One Sunday School Series- Michelle May
Day 8 - 25 Flair buttons and free registration for a preconference training session - Laura Aranda
Day 9 - Play-n-Worship: Play-Along Bible Stories for Babies - Vanessa Jones
Day 10 - Entire case of My First Hands-On Bible - Kimberly HolyGhost Carroll-McLean
Day 11 - Pockets, Whiskers, and Cuddles - Anette Shanks
Day 12 - LIVE Children's Curriculum - Tina Smith

God bless us, everyone, as we minister to children at Christmas and throughout the year!

12 Days of Christmas for Children’s Ministry: Day 12 Giveaway

Update December 18, 2011: Congratulations Tina Smith! 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we’re giving away a free subscription to our all-new LIVE Children’s Curriculum!

You’ll get three years of digital curriculum that you can customize and calendarize to make it your own. It’s great lessons that get kids into the Bible in fun and creative ways! You also get a great online system for communicating with your teachers and other volunteers.

Not only that, but we’ll send you 12 music CDs and 3 sing-along DVDs you need in one fell swoop with your subscription.

Your teachers can even download a free app to their smartphone or tablet to review lessons and/or teach from their device.

This really is an amazing curriculum delivered in the way our friends in ministry have been asking for—all digital. And you won’t believe the bells and whistles that come with this. Check it out here.

To enter: Tell us why you’d want the new LIVE Children’s Curriculum. Comment on this blog, our Facebook page, or send a tweet (using hashtag #LIVEcc) with your reason and you'll be entered to win! The winner will be announced Sunday, December 17, 2011.