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!

Q & A with Justin J

This is me and Justin at their Kids Day in September 2015. This properly depicts our relationship. ;)

 

About Justin Jeter

In 2014, Justin and Hillary joined the Calvary Tabernacle (Bentonville, AR) family to lead the Children’s Department. Justin and Hillary desire to see children built up in Christ, rooted in doctrine and established in faith. They also believe that learning how to follow Jesus should be dynamic, fun and exciting and they seek to infuse that energy into all of their children’s events and activities. Justin began his work with children’s ministry in 2006 in Belleview, FL. This was the church he grew up in, with his entire family. So Justin understands the excitement and uncertainty of being the "new guy" in a new church in a new city with a new position. Justin has some insights that might help a "new" children's pastor or ministry leader. Transition can be tough, so here's a few thoughts and ideas that might make it a little easier. To learn more about the children's ministry in Bentonville, visit: http://www.ctbentonville.com/

1) Who’s your favorite superhero?

Wolverine. Love the backstory of how he obtained his abilities. Love the movies because Hugh Jackman is awesome! We can all admit that at some point in our lives we have put butter knives between our fingers and pretended to be Wolverine. I know some adults who still do it. Don’t worry Daniel, I won’t tell them you do.

2) What’s something you wish you would have learned before becoming a Children’s Pastor?

I wish I‘d studied more about leading different age groups. I have read multiple books on leadership, but the greatest impact on my life was having great leadership over me. I learned a lot from my Bishop, Pastor and Children’s Pastor(Daniel Autrey). I gained most of my experience from being a leader over teenagers and college and career aged volunteers at the church I grew up in. At the time, those were the majority of people helping in children’s ministry. When I came to Bentonville, AR, it was completely different. 95% of the volunteers were older than me. I was leading adults and not teenagers. I didn’t feel I could interact with them the same way. It was a bit of a shock. Fortunately, the adults that we work with are fantastic. They love our kids and support me. It took me a while to get over the thought that maybe they just think I’m a kid. Even though they have never acted that way, it was my mindset. I have pushed through that and feel like I have stepped into a role of leadership that our staff, parents, and children support. Wherever you are in ministry, whether it be a volunteer or Children’s Pastor, you can always sharpen your leadership skills.

3)  What’s the hardest part of being a children’s pastor?

The hardest part but also the best part of being a children pastor is working with my spouse. We have learned so much within the past year about ourselves, and our relationship. It has only made us stronger. We both work full time jobs, church functions several nights a week, staff meeting, music practice for choir, and try to stay married (just kidding). Unfortunately, the latter gets the left overs depending on the workload of projects and events that are happening at the church. We do our very best to give ourselves 1-2 nights a week to “check-out” from responsibilities and enjoy each other’s company, which could include a movie or playing Skipbo (that’s my jam). The point is to be present and in the moment. If we are lucky, we get to fellowship with other adults on the weekend, which is a real treat. What I have come to realize is that it’s such a privilege to work in God’s Kingdom with your spouse. We have the same passion in ministry. Our motives are the same, “To see kids be saved”. Yes, you need to invest in your marriage. It is vital. If your marriage is not strong, your ministry will not be strong. But I know that God has brought Hillary and I together for a purpose. It is our reasonable service to be a living sacrifice for Him.

4) How do you keep things fresh and change things up?

It's so important to keep things fresh. We have made numerous changes since we've been in Bentonville and the CT kids staff just get behind us and go with it. Here are few things I've practiced and that have helped make changes smoother.

-Keep your staff in the loop. We have tag-in meetings every Sunday morning where we address week-to-week operations and issues that arise. We also have quarterly meetings reviewing curriculum and future ideas.

-Get their input. Great ideas come from the people in the trenches. Want to make the rotation schedule more efficient? Ask your staff and teachers what they think.

- Don't change everything at once. Small changes make big changes. Take small steps to get where you want to be. Children’s ministry is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. We are in it for the long haul. You don’t have to make big changes overnight. Of course, there are situations that conflict with my statement, but it stands true in most cases.

5)   What’s your best advice for new children’s pastors?

Build relationships! Build relationships with your pastor and the pastoral team, kidmin staff, parents, and the kids. This means spending time with them in small groups and individually, if possible. Don't get so busy you forget you're working with people. The best curriculum and world's coolest facility means nothing if you don't focus on the needs of the people you are trying to reach. In our case, children. Do they come from a split family? A single parent home? Does grandma bring them? Know your kids. Let them see that you care and love them. Who knows how long it’s been since someone has showed them love. Kids have their “phoney boloney” detectors on all the time so be REAL!

Momma T's Top 3 Teaching Tips

     Theresa May has worked in Children's Ministry for over 30 years. She told me, "Back then, we had to memorize all the lessons since paper hadn't been invented yet." Ha! ;) Theresa, or as she is affectionately known around these parts- Momma T, played a vital role in my involvement and development in Children's Ministry. She has also helped develop teachers and kids ministry leaders all throughout the Florida District UPCI. Where would I and countless others be without her?!

     Momma T has seen a lot of new programs and ideas come and go over the years, so I asked her to give me 3 of her top teaching tips. These are 3 things that can be applied whether you lead a group of 2 or 200 kids. These are timeless truths that I pray we make sure are implemented in every class and program of our children's ministries. I hope every church and district is blessed with a Momma T. Until then, enjoy a few words of wisdom from her below...

Momma T's Top 3 Teaching Tips

 1. Don't be boring. 

Keep their attention! It doesn't matter if you have the greatest story ever told or the coolest game ever played, if you have lost their attention you are wasting your time. It's not always about getting to the point of your story or skit if they are not getting to the point with you. Sometimes you have to stop and change directions. Maybe it's time to throw in a few questions, bring someone else in to do the game or have one of the kids join the skit and help act out the lesson. Always be aware of the attention of the class. If you have lost them, stop what you are doing, go find them and drive your point home with everyone on board!

2. Know your stuff. 

Know what you are talking about. You can't keep their attention if you don't know what you are talking about or how to play the game. Put your heart and soul into that lesson as if you are the one who wrote it or the game as if you are the one who created it. Don't just stand in front of them and read it. Put that paper down and tell it from the heart. If there are times that you must read something from the book, bring it alive by master story telling. Change your voice to the characters, be the movie star and have all eyes on you. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time and theirs and they will think you are boring. A successful Sunday School Teacher can never be boring! Know your stuff and know how to do it right.

3. Love them all. 

Find something to love about each child that walks in your room.  Let's just face it, not every child seems lovable. There may be a time that a child walks in your room that seems to get on your very last nerve, find something to love about that child. That child needs your love. Does that mean that child can get away with being an unruly or bad mannered child while in class? NO! Set the boundaries and rules for the class that everyone must follow and show love to each and everyone. You are not alone in thinking that you just can't wait for one certain child to have the next birthday so they can move on to the next class. We have all been there a time or two, but when that young child grows up to be an anointed, Holy Ghost filled Child of God, working in God's Kingdom, it will be worth it. It will be worth it when that child returns to you to say it is because you showed loved to them when no one else did. You will find that to be the most rewarding moment ever. How are they going to believe that God loves them if we can't find something in them to show them that we love them too? Find it and show it.

1) Don't be boring. 2) Know your stuff. 3) Love them all...even the unlovable! 

  *Momma T pictured with Lloyd Squires (The King's Clown). 

A little trivia: Bro. Squires gave her the nickname- Momma T. I love them both!