Leaders,
When I got involved with Children’s Ministry almost 17 years ago (I started when I was 9), I was not called, chosen or bribed…I was dragged. I was asked to “do” children’s ministry for a “season.” I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t a big fan of Children’s Ministry. Everyone and everything scared me about Children’s Ministry. I gave the church leadership a “six-week notice” of my intended departure from said ministry. Well, as it always seems to be with our Lord, we had a “sit down” conversation in my office (formerly known as the “resource room”). Actually it was more of a monologue from God to me informing me that the season would be a long one and better get with the program. I didn’t hear Him audibly, but there was definitely a leading of the Holy Spirit that day. I put a mental line in the sand and vowed to never return to “normal” ministry again! In this month’s E4 I want to give you four ingredients that are essential in making a difference in the lives of the children you minister to each and every week. My prayer is that this month you realize the value of the work you do, and that you understand you are making impact and that you are making a difference in the world.
 
Serving along side you,
Craig

 

Quotes

No legacy is so rich as honesty.
- William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), All's Well that Ends Well, Act 3; scene 5

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'.

–Anonymous

I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.
- Bob Dylan

Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.
- Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)

 

Verses

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV

"’Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ If you obey this law, you are doing right.” James 2:8 NCV

“Do what God's teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 NCV

“And any of you who welcomes a little child like this because you are mine is welcoming me and caring for me.” Matthew 18:5 TLB

 




PDCM 2006 Complete Session Kit DVD&CD


SideStep Class


Illustration 1

Mayor of Philadelphia Story:

The Mayor and his wife had stopped at a gas station to get some gas and the gas station attendant got into a very lively conversation with the Mayor’s wife. The Mayor soon realized that they knew each other. So as they were pulling out he asked, “Do you know him?” She says, “Well, of course I know him...I used to date him! We were high school sweethearts.” He says, “You’re kidding!” When she answered no, he began to get this self righteous look on his face. Next, he says, “Well honey, just think what would have happened if you would have married him. Instead of being the wife of a Mayor you would have been the wife of a guy that has a gas station.”

She said, “No, that’s not the way I look at it. If I would have married him, he would have been Mayor!”

Illustration 2

John Blanchard and Hollis Maynell Story

Intro Thoughts:

- John Blanchard was home on leave from World War II.
- He went to the Library to read a book.
- Interested in what was written in the margins.
- Wrote to the woman who wrote in the book, her name was Hollis Maynell.
- A love relation developed.
- They arranged a meeting place—Grand Central Station at 7:00 P.M.
- She was to be wearing a rose.
- He was to be carrying the leather-bound book that he had read.

I will let Blanchard tell you the rest of the story:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like spring time come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. “Going my way sailor?” she murmured.

Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My finger gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.

I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. “I’m Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?”

The woman’s face broadened into a tolerant smile. “I don’t know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test.”

It is not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in the response to the unattractive. “Tell me who you love,” Houssaye wrote, “and I will tell you who you are.”

I tell my staff, we don’t want “warm bodies” to fill the classrooms. We want committed people who want to make kingdom difference.

 

 

Four Ingredients Necessary For Making A Difference

All of us, in one way or another, come in contact with kids. Maybe you’re a mom or dad, a grandma or grandpa, an aunt or uncle, a friend, an educator, a Boy or Girl Scout leader, a neighbor or maybe a leader in a child’s classroom on the weekend. In order to make a difference in the world, we must spend some time leading our children.

 1. EQUIP CHILDREN WITH YOUR LOVE

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 NIV

Right away you may say, “I don’t have what it takes to equip others; I don’t have the education.”

2. Encourage Children with your Honesty

‘I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.’ Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ's power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities. 2 Corinthians 12:9 TLB

Kids are honest, brutally honest sometimes.

“It’s not the sugar that makes the tea sweet, it’s the stirring.”

You must allow the Holy Spirit to work through the experiences in your life to transfom you .

3. Educate Children by your example (Modeling)

Things are caught not taught.

What is G.R.O.W.I.N.G.?

G oing to Church
R eading God’s word
O ffering our worship to God
W atching the friends we choose
I nviting others to church
N oticing the needs of others
G iving back to God

 Parent & Leader Responsibility in the G.R.O.W.I.N.G. Process

0-23 Months…………………………...Model For Them
2-3 Year Olds………………………….Mold Them
4-5 Year Olds………………………….Move Them
1 st-2 nd Grade……………………………Motivate Them
3 rd-4 th Grade……………………………Mature Them
5 th-6 th Grade……………………………Mentor Them

Model ..
“A standard for imitation or comparison.”

Mold ...
“To work into a required shape or form.”

Move ...
“Pass from one place or situation to another, to advance progress, to set or keep in motion.”

Motivate ...
“Causing or tending to cause motion, to provide with a motive, prompting to action.”

Mature ...
“To bring to development, to ripen.”

Mentor ...
“A wise and trusted counselor, someone who advises.”

4. Empower Children with your committment

‘Let the children come to me, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as they. Don't send them away!’ Mark 10:14 TLB

Our culture tells us to look out for number one. Be flexible with your time, don’t commit—there may be something better.