Motiv(ate)

        I have had the privilege to work on many ministry teams and to lead a few. I am by no means an expert or an authority on the subject, but over the next several posts, I want to share a few concepts I have learned along the way. Each post I will take what I call an (ate) word and talk about how it applies to your leadership and life. Each word that we will discuss ends with the suffix (ate).  The leadership guru, John Maxwell, says, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." I have found this to be very true in my own life. A good leader can make or break a department or organization. A good leader has the ability to figure out where your group or church is, where you need to go and chart a course to get you there. This post I am starting with the word:

          Motivate. This is where it all begins for a leader. Some synonyms of this word are- excite, stimulate, instigate, spark, provoke. This all starts with YOU! You have to get excited. You have to believe in your cause. You have to take action. Before you can motivate others, you must motivate yourself. One of the funniest passages of scripture is found in 2Sa 18, "v19 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies. 20 And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king’s son is dead. 21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. 22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready? 23 But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi."

        I love this guy, Ahimaaz! Talk about motivation. This man was so excited about what God was doing for His people. He just HAD to run and spread the good news. He did not even have any specific details to share. He just could not sit by idly. He was ready to run! This is how we must be as leaders. Full of passion and excitement for all of the great things God has done and that He is going to do. We need to get motivated and get ready to run! We might not have all the details figured out yet, but that will not stop us from running after the things of God. 

        There needs to be passion burning inside of you for what you are trying to accomplish. YOU must become the biggest cheerleader of your ministry/department. I am not saying you have to walk around singing and dancing like you are in a musical all the time (although your team would probably get a good kick out of it). I am talking about a God-given energy and enthusiasm. I know every person has a different personality and skill set, but in your own way, you must find the excitement and passion to lead. You must find your WHY. Why is this important? Why are we doing this? Why does it matter? This will help you develop a clear vision and purpose for WHAT you are doing and HOW you are going to get others to follow you. Be like a race horse itching with anticipation to hear the bell ring and signal the time for you to run!

        If you are full of fire and passion, there is a good chance that it will naturally overflow onto your team. If you are leading a ministry team, your entire team needs to catch that same purpose. You are the match that lights the fire of faith in your team! One of my favorite teams found in scripture can be discovered in 1Sa 14, "v4 And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah. 6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. 7 And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart."
 

        Jonathan peaked between two rocks and got a glimpse of what was happening on the other side. He was filled with passion and excitement and it quickly bubbled out onto his armor bearer. Jonathan said, "It may be that the Lord will work for us!" Perhaps we will accomplish something great. Possibly we will see good results. Just maybe we will have victory. The size of their team did not define the size of their dream! Let God fill you with the excitement of possibilities. In prayer, peak through to the other side. Let God give you a glimpse of the great things He has in store. There could be great things that come out of your ministry. Perhaps someone will be saved because of your team's efforts. Possibly an incredible revival could start with you and your small team. It does not matter the size of your church. It does not matter the amount of money in the ministry account. The size of your team does not define the size of your dream! Your revival will not be contained by the size of your building. God can save by many or by few! All it starts with is one person getting motivated by the possibilities. That one small spark God puts in you can soon spread through your church and team like a wildfire. 

        You can do this! God has given you what you need to get started. For now, all you need to do is get up and get moving. Run after the things of God and motivate everyone else along the way! What could it be that God wants to do through you and your team? 

The Power Of Your Pen

 

In our day and age, we have so many advantages. Many because of all of the technological advancements over the past several years. I can be in contact with someone on the other side of the world with the click of a button. I can share in the joy of someone's vacation with a quick comment thanks to social media. I can stay in the loop with members in my church in a few short moments. A click here. A text there. It is a world where we can stay connected so much more easily but in some respects we grow more distant and isolated. 

Outside of most of our houses is a very outdated lawn ornament. Perhaps your kids don't even know what this odd dinosaur is. It is called the mailbox. Nowadays it is not used to the extent it once was. In times past it was a main method used for communication. I encourage us to provide mailboxes with a little relief. The mailboxes of your friends, family, church members and volunteers need a change of scenery. Those poor mailboxes are tired of seeing bills, magazines and advertisements from car lots. Let the faithful postal workers be surprised with a sudden influx of handwritten cards they have in their care to deliver. 

I know I'm exaggerating a little and being silly, but allow me to remind you of the power of your pen. There is something special about receiving a handwritten note from someone you care about. I know it is easier to yell a quick "Thanks" to members of the church for helping with another project. I know it is faster to send a text message telling your team how awesome they are. We should continue to do these things but every so often, let us remember the art and power of the written word. 

Where would we be without the apostle Paul and his pen? It took much time and effort for him to sit slumped over a piece of parchment with his pen in hand passionately inscribing words inspired by God. His impact and effort are still felt by the church all of these years later. It was not good enough for him to simply speak to Timothy and Silas. He inscribed these life changing words for them to read and see over and over again. A constant reminder. Every time they saw these written words it were as if Paul spoke them directly to them once again. You can feel the passion from Paul as you read through 1&2 Timothy. 

With us approaching Mother's Day, I am thankful my mom forced me to write thank you notes by hand in cursive to those who got me gifts or helped me in some way. She would check the penmanship making sure it was legible. She would check the content to make sure it was heartfelt. This practice learned from my mom has stuck with me to this day. I have a stack of note cards on my desk at work and at my house almost at all times. I am far from perfect, but I do my best to still send thank you/thinking of you cards to those in my life. It brings me such pleasure to visit the home of a friend or church member and see one of my cards proudly displayed months and sometimes years later. 

There is power in your pen. Just like the words you say are powerful. The words you write can be powerful. God can use you to write an encouraging word that will help build faith and confidence in those that God has placed in your life. I still have a note card one of my youth leaders mailed me over 15 years ago. I still smile when I look at it all these years later. I also have a stack of thank you cards the kids ministry team and children of the church wrote me several years ago. The words still move me to the brink of tears although penned so long ago. That youth leader could have "said" those words to me and they would have made me feel good for about 2 seconds, but those written words still encourage my spirit all these years later. The kids ministry team could have yelled, "We love you!" It would have felt nice for a moment, but they took the time and wrote some words that continue to edify me to this day. 

I encourage you to implement note writing into your life and ministry. This simple task can be such an encouragement and blessing to those you care for and work with. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when writing notes:

Be consistent. Pick a particular day of the week or month to write your notes. We all have the best of intentions, but we get busy and can soon forget the important tasks with the urgency of life. One thing I do the week before a vacation or time I will be out of town for an extended period of time is write notes. I choose several people in the ministries I work in. I drop them in the mail right before leaving town. This way my impact is still felt in their lives even when I'm not physically there. Also make sure to have a surplus of note cards and stamps on hand. Keep them on your desk or another visible place to serve as a reminder. 

Be specific. Do your best to think of something specific to share with each person you are writing a note to. What is something specific that this person has done to bless you, your family or ministry? Recall a specific instance or event where their presence and skills were a blessing to you and the others they serve with. 

Be genuine. Use an inside joke or recall something special or funny that happened when the two of you were together. Do more than say, "Thanks for everything." Make each note personal. Let them know by the words you use that this is not generic note being sent to the masses. This note was intended for them and them alone. Communicate your feelings for them. You don't have to draw hearts all over the paper and be overly sappy, but just let it come through your writing that you care for them. Genuinely compliment their strengths and build this person up. Make it your goal to encourage and lift the recipient of each note. 

This simple act will be a blessing to every person you send a note to, but will also bless you. You can feel a sense of purpose with each note you send. If you are feeling unappreciated, begging to write others appreciating them and watch as you begin to feel better about yourself. It's a small way to make a big difference!

Ministry Markers

I remember once, many years ago, I was driving home from an event and I was in a great mood. I was all by myself and having fun just singing songs and enjoying life. I jumped off the interstate and made a quick pitstop at a fast food restaurant. I found myself deep in thought but quickly jumped back on the interstate. Things were going well and I was cruising. I was making pretty good time too! 

At least I thought I was until I realized I was going in the wrong direction! I had spent the last 30 minutes or so driving farther away from my destination. I wasn't paying attention when I had left that fast food joint. I had to backtrack and make up lost time and miles. All because I was not paying attention to my direction.

I think this can happen to us when we are working in Children's and Youth ministry. We are just cruising along, having fun trying to get through the next fast paced event, but from time to time we need to look around and make sure we are moving in the right direction. We need to implement milestones at every age level to make sure our programs and ministries are moving in the right direction. Yeah, we're going somewhere, having lots of fun and everything is fast-paced, but where are we going? Are we moving in the right direction and how are we getting there?

Just like there are mile markers along the interstate letting you know where you are and what direction you are going, we need ministry markers to let us know where are kids are at spiritually and what direction they are going. Below is a brief description of ours. 

We can spend more time in depth looking at each one but this will give you a good overview and something to think about. This does not have to be anything complicated. Just two or three things for each age level. Simple things that each leader can point to and say, "This is where we are going. By the end of this program/timeframe this is where my group of kids should be."

Of course, I cannot save anyone or make them do something they do not want to do. This is simply a method for me, as a leader, to make sure I am teaching the right material and leading the staff and students in the right direction.

Below is the scripture we use and a few markers we seek to reach by the end of each age group. It's nothing fancy or groundbreaking just something simple to help us make sure we are going in the right direction. 

Col 2:6-7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 

2&3- Receive. This is a families first introduction to our Kids Ministry. We want to receive toddlers with open arms and show them love. We want families to know their children are safe with us. In turn, toddlers will receive us by having fun and feeling comfortable with our staff. 

4&5- Walk. In this age group, students are figuring out how to walk, or how to get around, in the Kids Ministry. They are learning the basics. Students are learning the procedures. They learn how to focus and pray, how to behave in a classroom setting, and what is expected of them.  

6&7- Root. Deep development begins here. A foundation and understanding of the doctrine is imparted. By the time students leave this group, we pray they have either received the Holy Ghost & been baptized in Jesus’ name or have an understanding and desire for it. They are beginning to get rooted in the faith. 

8&9- Build. These students are under construction. In this group, we strive to help them develop and build a walk with God. We desire them to grow in their Christian lifestyle. We are helping them build on Christian foundations such as- prayer, Bible reading, and giving.  

10-12- Establish. This is the finishing stage of the Children’s Ministry. We want preteens to be established spiritually before entering the Youth ministry. Upon entering the youth group, these students should possess a basic understanding of the Bible and a desire to serve in ministry. There should be an established faith and walk with God upon leaving the Children’s Ministry. We desire students to enter their new phase of life confident in their love of God and hungry for more of Him. 

These are a few of the things we discuss when focusing on our age groups. I will do my best to take some time and look at each age group more in depth in future posts. It is worth your time to plot a course. We aren't just on a joy ride. We are doing our best to direct kids to heaven and help them reach everything God has in store for their lives. We must make sure we are marking the path clearly and moving in the right direction. 

SCORE- Altar Working Session

 

This weekend I am doing some Children's Ministry training at The Pentecostals of Gainesville. This incredible church is pastored by the one and only Bro. Jeff Arnold. I have been looking forward to this event and can't wait to be with their top-notch Children's Ministry team! Here is a list of the topics I am speaking on:

Friday Night

-SCORE. Effective Altar Working

-Think Small. The Power of Small Things

Saturday Morning

-The Basics of Sunday School

-The Basics of Children's Church

-KerPlunk-Proof KidMin

If you're in the area, feel free to join us as we grow together, hone our abilities and renew our passion for Children's Ministry.   

The attached PDF is the notes for the session I am teaching on praying with kids- SCORE. 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2rROna3TrBoZUFYa3RSR0lqaFk 

What do I do if...

     There are all kinds of things a seasoned Children's Minister does without thinking. After years of trial and error, you learn what works and what doesn't work. You learn how to conduct yourself in even the most awkward of situations. Still at times, we all need to be refreshed on proper procedures. Below are a few questions with answers that we provide our new volunteers in the Children's Department. New volunteers are typically our assistants so they are not the main ones leading a class or event at that time. So you might have to interpret the question a little differently if you are the main teacher/leader, but the main information is still correct. 

     Most often, I think we rely on trial by fire or "on the job training" when it comes to our new recruits. We must seek to arm our staff with solutions long before the problems arise. Knowledge provides our children's ministry team with power and confidence. To some, these might seem so basic or even unimportant to cover, but we live in a world where we must be very cautious how we conduct ourselves and lead our departments. This might not be the most inspiring post ever, but I pray the information helps you develop a safe and orderly Kids Department. So here goes!  

What do I do if...

1. A child needs to use the restroom? Take them quietly without disturbing the teacher, lesson or activity. NEVER be in the restroom (or any room) with a child completely alone. Stand outside until they are done (of course you can open the door and check on them every minute or two.) Romans 14:16 tells us to not let our good be evil spoken of. 

2. A child talks out during a lesson? If you are the one teaching, position an assistant to sit next to them. If you are assisting, immediately sit down next to them to help them keep quiet.  Anytime they talk when they aren't suppose to, lightly touch them on the arm or lightly tap on the table in front of them and tell them (nicely) that this is not the time to talk. Be consistent and do this EVERY time they talk out. We want to avoid the teacher having to openly correct the student during the lesson/activity. This gives the student causing the problem the attention they were seeking and disturbs the flow of the class. Any momentum that was being built is lost.

3. A child is sick? We don't want to spread a sickness to other children. Speak with the Kids Ministry leader and let them determine if the student should be taken down to their parents. If the child must be dismissed, make sure the child and parents know that they did nothing wrong and how concerned you are about their health. Tell them you will have the class pray for them and look forward to seeing them next service.

4. A child is crying for their parents? Do whatever you can to distract them from being sad. Get them involved in the games, play with them, talk with them. If after 10-20 minutes they are still crying consistently, bring them to a leader and they will take them down. 

5. A child is violent, or cursing? For most problems that a child cause, I lean on the side of mercy. After all, we want the student to enjoy Sunday School and be present so they can receive what God has for them. Also, we want parents to be able to engage fully in the worship service. When there is violence, profanity or something extreme, we must protect the rest of the students and staff. For violence and profanity, get them out of the class right away and find a main leader.

6. An adult, child (or anyone that's not staff) comes to the children's ministry area? Ask them very nicely and politely, “HI! Who are you looking for? I can help you find them!” Then ask them to wait in the “Lobby” while you find their child. For the safety of all children and staff, we cannot have people wandering the halls.

7. A parent comes to the children's ministry area angry or frustrated? Calmly ask them to wait a moment and find the leader. They will handle it. Please don't ever argue or get in a debate with parents, or the children for that matter. Imagine in every situation where someone is upset or angry that it's a fire. You carry a blue bucket filled with water and a red bucket filled with gasoline. You can either help put this "fire" out or you can make it much worse. Choose to be understanding, calm and apologetic if there has been a problem.

 These are just a few of the countless questions I'm sure that we have each had to answer at some point. I would love your feedback! Care to elaborate on an above mentioned question? Are there any other questions you think I should cover in the next post?

February Series- I Love My NEIGHBORS

February – “I LOVE my…
Week 4 – I Love My NEIGHBORS

Group Leaders
This month, we are focusing on love and relationships this entire month. We want to stress how much our kids need and are dependent on- God, the church, and their leaders (parents, grandparents, pastors, authority figures). Just as the kids need these people, their neighbors (lost and hurting people) need them. Our love must go beyond words and must be shown by our actions.

Review from last week

We focused on Elisha and his relationship with his leader, Elijah.

Big Idea: Our walk with God is sweeter, when we learn to love our leaders.

Memory Verse: Heb 13:17- Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

Game

Keep it up!

Since our lesson today is about helping and being kind to others, this game is about working together not competing with each other.

Supplies needed: balloons and stopwatch.

The object of the game is to keep the balloons from touching the ground. Use enough balloons to make it a bit of a challenge for the kids. We want them to need each other’s help. Time the kids and see how long they can “keep it up”. Add more balloons as necessary to make it challenging and encourage the kids to help each other.  

Lesson

Big Idea: Show your neighbor that you care, let them know God’s always there.

Memory Verse: Luke 10:27- So he answered and said,"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" NKJV

Main Lesson/Story- The Good Samaritan
Start off with a general question to get them engaged in the story- what is your favorite cartoon?  Have them raise their hands and get them excited about this.  Now introduce the phrase that all movies use when in production.  “Lights, Camera, Action (make sure you emphasize action).  Each step plays a very important part but above all, the acting or action is what makes the cartoon or the play.  The action is what makes you laugh, what makes you cry. It is what makes the movie come to life. Without action, the actors would just be standing there doing nothing. That would be pretty boring, huh?  The same thing applies when it comes to your relationship with God.  Lights, Camera…you can be at church and say you’re Christian, but without the action, without the worship, without the sacrifice you miss the most important part.  Now let’s get into the story of the Good Samaritan.  First in this story you must know who Jesus was talking to. He wasn’t talking to children or people that are new to the church. He was talking to the people that were Biblical Scholars. They knew all of the right things. They looked right. (Lights, camera)

Luke 10:25-37 (This is here for your study. Tell the story to your students.)

²⁵ And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

²⁶ He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

²⁷ And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

²⁸ And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

²⁹ But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

³⁰ And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

³¹ And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

³² And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

³⁴ And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

³⁵ And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

³⁶ Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

³⁷ And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

What if the Good Samaritan just walked over to him and said “I Love you” AWWWW.  That is a great phrase but without the action that the Samaritan took, that poor, hurt man would have died. The Good Samaritan didn’t just SAY I Love You, he SHOWED I Love You.

Our neighbors aren’t just the people that live next door to us. Jesus said your neighbor is any person you CHOOSE. It’s any person you decide to be kind and neighborly to. We must decide to love the people in our lives. The people we see at school, Walmart & McDonald’s. These people need a neighbor that loves them enough to help them and be kind to them. There are people that we meet every day that are hurting, and they need someone to be their Good Samaritan. We must share God’s love with them and let them know they are not alone.

Wrap up:  It’s important to tell Jesus, Leaders, Parent’s that we love them, but it’s more important to SHOW them we love them. Love to the point of action with everyone that you know. What actions can you do for your parents? Now what are some things that we can do to show love to God? Neighbors?

Review Questions & Group Discussion

1.      Who did we talk about today?

2.      What’s our Big Idea for today? What’s our scripture?

3.      What are some things we can do to show love?

4.      Give some scenarios of ways to show love to their “neighbors” (friends, school mates, etc.) Someone being bullied, crying, needing help…

Kids Sermon/Object Lesson

LifeGuard. Supplies needed: life vests, pool floatable toys like rings/noodles, red shirt(for you to wear since you are the lifeguardJ) and a whistle.

Who here likes to go to the pool or the beach? Do you enjoy playing in the water? Swimming and playing games in the water can be lots of fun, but it can be dangerous too. If people can’t swim good or if there’s an accident, someone could drown. (That’s why we should always be very careful around the water, and should always have an adult supervise.) At most public pools and beaches, there is someone there to watch and help people. Does anyone know who that is? Yes, it’s a lifeguard!

Most of the time, you don’t know the name of the lifeguard and he/she probably doesn’t know you either. But if there’s an emergency and you need help, that lifeguard will spring to action to help you. That’s their job. I’m sure if they could not swim out and reach you, they would throw you a rope, a life vest or anything they else to help you. (Act it out, by throwing the life vest or pool noodle to a kid in the audience.) They would do anything they could to save someone that’s hurt or drowning.

We need to be lifeguards for Jesus! There are people in this world that we pass by everyday that are hurting. They might not be screaming, “Help!” but they could be in trouble. There are people in this world that are hurting from problems in their family. There are people drowning in sin. We have to step up and pay attention. We need to be like the Good Samaritan we talked about and help them. (Throw out your noodles and rings while saying this) Every time you invite someone to church, help someone at school or do a kind deed you are throwing out some hope to them! (Have all students come up front to the prayer/altar area.)

There are people that need your help. Make up in your mind to be the lifeguard that’s looking around for those that are hurting and needing help. Be willing to throw out some help to them.

Good song for prayer: Cortt Chavis- Help Me

I Love My NEIGHBORS - PDF Lesson Download

February Series- I Love My LEADERS

February – “I LOVE my…
Week 3- I love my LEADERS

Group Leaders
This month, we are focusing on love and relationships this entire month. We want to stress how much our kids need and are dependent on- God, the church, and their leaders (parents, grandparents, pastors, authority figures). Just as the kids need these people, their neighbors (lost and hurting people) need them. Our love must go beyond words and must be shown by our actions.

Review from last week

We focused on the life of Samuel. Samuel grew up living in and loving the house of the Lord.

Big Idea: Love the church with all your heart, from His kingdom never part.

Memory Verse: Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.                

Game

This is an interactive game that is done with the students sitting in a circle. There is one leader in the circle who chooses what all the other children (followers) will do. Example: clap, snap, raise hands, sway from side to side. The followers must follow their leader’s movements. Here’s the catch, you will have one student who waits outside the room while you choose the leader. After you choose the leader, the student waiting outside the room must come in and stand in the middle of the circle. It’s this child’s job to try and figure out who the leader is in the circle. The followers in the circle can’t just stare at the leader the whole time. They are trying to keep the leader protected from being called out. Each child gets 3 guesses. 
Here is a link to very detailed instructions of the game: http://www.group-games.com/action-games/follow-the-leader.html

Lesson

Big Idea: Our walk with God is sweeter, when we learn to love our leaders.

Memory Verse: Heb 13:17- Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

Elijah and Elisha

The Prophet Elijah found Elisha working in the field and knew that this was a man that would follow him and work for God. He knew that Elisha was a man that would eventually take over and follow in his footsteps. Elijah threw his coat over Elisha and walked away.  Elisha knew what this meant and his heart was touched by God. He was ready to leave all to follow Elijah. He ran after him. Elisha‘s heart was in the right place to be touched by God. He had a relationship with God and a willingness to work for God. This was in a time when so many of God’s people were worshiping false idols instead of God. They were raising their children to worship false idols. The kids didn’t even know who God was. God led the prophet, Elijah, to Elisha. Elisha’s love for God caused him to be aware and sensitive to the man that walked up to him and threw his coat on him. God had chosen Elisha to follow this great Prophet.

From that day on, Elisha went everywhere that Elijah went. Even when Elijah told him to stay one day, Elisha said as the Lord liveth and you live, I will follow you. One day when Elijah knew that God was going to take him away, he asked Elisha if there was something special he could do for him. All Elisha wanted was a double portion of his spirit. Elisha loved Elijah so much that the only thing that he wanted was a double portion of his spirit. He wanted to be like him. He wanted the kind of relationship that Elijah had with God. He wanted the anointing that this great Prophet had. Elijah told him that this is a hard thing for him to do but if he kept his eyes on him when God called him away, then his request would be granted, but if Elisha did not see him when he was taken away then it would not be so. They continued to walk and talk and suddenly God sent a chariot of fire and Elijah went up in a whirlwind. Elisha kept his eyes on him until he could no longer see him and then Elijah’s mantle fell and Elisha picked it up. God placed the spirit of Elijah on Elisha and Elisha became the great Prophet. Elisha did twice as many miracles as Elijah! This was not done for fame and glory for Elisha; this was done because of his love and willingness to be used by God and for his love for his leader. God performed many great miracles through Elisha all during the rest of his lifetime and even after he died.

It’s important to love and respect your leaders if you want to be used by God. If Elisha had not been following and watching Elijah when God called Elijah home, he would not have received the double portion. This is how it is for us. We need to keep our spiritual eyes open and on our leaders.  We want to keep our eyes on our leaders and carefully follow them and learn from them. There might be times that we don’t want to follow our leaders or we might not like what they tell us to do, but if we will keep our eyes on our leaders and stay faithful, just like Elisha, we can become mighty leaders in God’s Kingdom.

Review Questions

1      Who was the Great Prophet?

2      What did Elisha want from Elijah?

3      What did he have to do to get it?

4      What are some ways we can keep our “eyes” on our leaders?

5      Who are our Leaders? Parents, pastors, SS teachers, etc.

Kids Sermon/Object Lesson

Stay Connected
(Objects needed: a long rope, good picture of rock climbers on the side of a mountain.)

Who here has ever climbed a tree? It can be lots of fun, but you have to be careful. Do you have a favorite tree to climb? I want to talk you a little bit about climbers today. Not tree climbers, rock climbers! Rock climbing is a pretty cool sport. It can be pretty dangerous too, so don't go home and try to do it. Can you imagine climbing some huge mountain? (Either show a picture of someone climbing the side of a mountain or if you have screen/projector, have the picture displayed for all to see.) I wonder what it would feel like to be 100s of feet up in the air. Would you be scared or excited? I think I would be both! 

                                             

I’m no rock climber, but I’ve learned a little something about it that I want to share with you. There's one type of climbing method where climbers will be on a team. You will have a lead climber and a follower climber. (Get out your rope and hold it up to see.) Now, it's probably not a rope like this but this will give us an example. The leader and follower are connected to each other. They are tied to each other and need each other's help. The lead climber will go up first figuring out the best route and the best way to go. Along the way, the leader will put anchors in the rock to help catch him if he falls. After he makes it to the destination, it’s the follower turn to now climb up by following the path of the leader. The follower can know he is safe because his rope is connected to the leader. The leader will catch him if he falls. 

Elisha is such a cool character in the Bible. He stuck with his leader. He stuck with Elijah. He followed Elijah everywhere he went. (Take the rope, tie it around your waist and choose a student and tie the other end around their waist. Have the student follow you as you walk around the room.) Elisha knew if he was going to ever reach the high things God had for him, he would have to stay connected to the leader. 

That's exactly what we have to do. We have to stay connected to our leaders. God put people like our parents, pastors and teachers in our lives to help us- not to hurt us. Just like a lead climber is there to figure out the best route, your leaders are trying to help you follow the route God has for your life. At times, our leaders might make us mad because they make us do things we don't like, but don't disconnect and untie from your leader. That is very dangerous for you. You won't reach all of the great things God has for your life without your leaders there to help you along the way. Stay connected to your leaders and they will help you follow God's path. They will help you reach all of the high, great things God has in store for your life. 

Great song to play for prayer time: Chris Tomlin’s I Will Follow You

After a few minutes of prayer, have all the kids come up and hold onto the rope with you. Say: God has great things in store for each of you. God wants to take you higher! But if you want to reach all of those great things, you have to hold onto the rope. You have to hold on  to and stay connected with your leaders! (Have the children hold onto the rope while praying. (Tell them to squeeze the rope tight as they tell the Lord they will hold onto their leaders.)

Week 3- I Love My Leaders (Link for PDF download)

February Series - I Love My CHURCH

February - I LOVE my…

Week 2 - I love my CHURCH

Group Leaders: This month, we are focusing on love and our relationships. We want to stress how much our kids need and are dependent on- God, the church, and their leaders (parents, grandparents, pastors, authority figures). Just as the kids need these people, their neighbors (lost and hurting people) need them. Our love must go beyond words and must be shown by our actions.

REVIEW FROM LAST WEEK

Focus time begins. Ask a few review questions from last week. We talked about David. What did he do before he was king?
Memory verse- Psalm 42:1- As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you my God.
Big Idea- Love the Lord with all your heart; that's the most important part!     

GAME

Freeze tag or hide and go seek. (If space allows for it.) If not, you can talk about the game and how it works. The point to bring out is that you are safe on base. Talk about the whole goal is to make it to safety, to make it to the base. Talk about how the church is our base. We are safe in the church. We should be excited to get to church! Run to church, get to church as often and as fast as you can.

LESSON

Big Idea: Love the church with all your heart, from His kingdom never part.

Memory Verse : Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.                                           

A fun song to play at the start of class is Big House by Audio Adrenaline. Here is a link to some simple hand motions to add to the song http://youtu.be/OLaw5tVbZuw . I don't know the publishers of the video so this is not necessarily an endorsement of them or any of their other material. ;)

Samuel

Have you ever woke up so tired on a Sunday morning that instead of going to Sunday School, you just wanted to roll back over and catch some extra sleep? Or how about when you are ready to leave the church and your parents just keep talking and talking to their friends? Maybe your parents have come to a church work day and while they are cleaning, you are dreaming of being home, playing your favorite video game. Well, imagine your parents telling you they are dropping you off at the church to live with the preacher and that’s where you are going to live from now on? How do you think you would feel about the church then? Well, Samuel did just that.

When Samuel was very young, his parents brought him into the house of the Lord where Eli, the priest, lived. Little Samuel lived with Eli and soon was able to help him take care of the house of God. Eli was an old man, and he was going blind. Eli had 2 sons, but his sons did not love the Lord or the church. They didn't stay in the church like they were supposed to. They took for granted the awesome opportunity they had growing up in God’s house. Isn’t that sad, that Eli-the priests sons had the opportunity to live in God’s house and work for God, but they didn’t appreciate it? They took it for granted! Because his sons were wicked men, Eli could not turn to them for help, so, little Samuel was taught to do many things. Samuel stepped up, took their place and did lots of work around the temple. 

The Bible says, “…and the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli.” Samuel was probably about twelve years of age at this time and had many responsibilities around the temple. As a child, Samuel learned to love the house of God. As Samuel grew into a man, the bible says he grew in favor with God and man. He became a mighty prophet and judge. Because he loved the house of the Lord, the church, God used little Samuel.

Our scripture today shows us the kind of attitude we should have about coming to church. We should be happy to be at church. We should be excited on Saturday night because on Sunday morning we get to go to God's house! In God's house we get to have fun with our good friends, get to play games in Sunday school, have lots of fun, AND, most importantly we get to be with Jesus. We get the opportunity to be in the presence of Jesus. I love my church! Like Samuel, we should desire to dwell in the house of the Lord. Not only that - like Samuel - we should love working in God’s kingdom. God loves to see His children faithful to His house. If you will fall in love with being at AND working in His house, God can use you just like Samuel.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Who was the little boy who went to live in the temple?

2. What was the priests/preacher’s name that he helped?

3. What are some things we can do to be like Samuel?

4. What's the memory verse?

5. What's the big idea?

MESSAGE/OBJECT LESSON

*You will need several umbrellas and squirt guns/spray bottles.

Do you know what this is? (Holding open umbrella up over your head.) Umbrella! What's it's purpose? What do you do with it? Exactly! An umbrella is there to protect you when there is bad weather. When the rain is falling hard, you can open the umbrella, get under it and you will stay nice and dry. It will keep you from getting soaked!

Let's try it out. (Bring a student up and have them stand in front of the class. You stand on top of a chair or ladder and proceed to squirt them with the water gun.) See, without anything to protect him, he is going to get soaked by the water gun. That's what an umbrella is good for! (Repeat the process of shooting them with the water gun, but this time they are covered.)

You see, in this world we live in, there will be all kinds of storms that we go thru. There will be bad things that happen and the enemy would love to attack us, drench us and drown us.  The church is like an umbrella.  God has given us the church to cover us and keep us safe from the storms of life. The church is there to help us. That's why our scripture says Ps 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. We should be glad, happy and excited to come to church. Because no matter what this world is raining on you, you can come here and you are covered. (While you are saying this, have a child walking slowly. While they are walking, you walk next to them and keep squirting them on the head. As you start talking about being excited to get to church, they run up and get under the umbrella.) You're safe and covered in the church!

Good song for altar: Better is one day.

(After the kids pray in the altar for a few minutes, have other staff members bring up and open umbrellas. Have the kids gather around and help hold the umbrellas up.) Today, make up your mind that you are going to hold onto the church. Stay in the church and you will be safe during the storms that come. Take a minute or two and pray while under the umbrellas.     

Lesson 2 - I Love My Church (Link for PDF Download)         

Curriculum for Valentine's Day/February

     

       

        With Valentine's Day fast approaching, everyone's thoughts move to L-O-V-E! All you have to do is walk around Wal-Mart and hearts are everywhere. This is a perfect time to talk about love with your students. I will be posting a lesson each week in February that is from a series we have done with great success in the past. The series is called- I love my... Each week we focus on showing love to a different person/group. The 4 weeks topics are- God, Church, Leaders & Neighbors. This series will help empower your students to move from saying they love, to showing they love! Feel free to apply the entire series or portions of it to your programming. Please comment or email me with any questions or thoughts on the topic.

Included in this attached document is a lesson, big idea, scripture, craft & object lesson/message.

Lesson 1- I love my GOD

Vacation Bible School Ideas

   
        I know we have many months until Summer rolls around, but I figured I would help you get a jump start on your VBS planning. Vacation Bible School can be a great way to help rejuvenate the kids in your children's ministry. It also can serve as a perfect method of outreach to bring in new kids and families into the church. These are some of our past VBS themes and a brief description of what we did and focused on during that year. If I could find them, I included a picture or two just to show you some of the decor we used. If you would like to see more, you can go check out mine and my wife's pictures on Facebook. Feel free to comment if you have any questions about one of these. I'm happy to share and help.

        Master Builder was our Lego theme. We focused on different aspect of the Lego toys and our ultimate point was, "If you want to be a Master Builder, live your life based on the Bible." Lesson/Message topics included- Follow the Directions: Follow the instructions found in God's Word and Connect the Pieces: You need the help of your church, leaders and friends to become what God wants you to be. Below are a few pics of the decor. It was lots of fun and 6 kids received the Holy Ghost during the event!

        Kids of the Kingdom was a fun theme where we were able to dress up like knights and royalty! I think the staff had more fun than the kids. ;) Focus for this one was the story of Esther and how the kids were brought to the kingdom for such a time as this. I believe we also used young David being anointed as king by Samuel. This was a very empowering theme where we could talk to the kids about their purpose.

        Our circus theme we called- "The Greatest PLACE On Earth." This one was all about understanding the importance of the church. We really stressed that the church is where the kids belong and are safe. It's the greatest PLACE on earth and there is a PLACE for them in the church! Of course, we were able to do all the silly stuff that goes with a circus. We had stilt walkers, clowns and lots of yummy snacks.

 

        (com)MISSION POSSIBLE was an exciting and adventurous spy themed VBS. The mission (should you choose to accept it) was all about evangelism. We focused on the great commision. We focused on preparing our cadets to go reach the lost. We started by first covering salvation and how they needed to make sure they had repented, been baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Ghost. These were the tools they needed before they could go save others. We had many guests from this and several children were baptized in Jesus' name that very Sunday!