Wild Things

We took the kids to watch the changing of the guard in front of the Parliament Building in Ottawa, Ontario, this summer. Every morning more than 50 furry-hatted, red-suited guards (from behind they look just like the wild things from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are) begin their synchronized march across the bridge and around the corner, arriving in front of the Parliament Buildings precisely at 10 am. They file onto the field, divide up into equally sized small groups and stand perfectly in position. The presentation takes exactly 30 minutes, and no matter how hot it gets (88F/31C when we were there) the guards remain rigid, responding only to their leader's commands.

Kind of like the opposite of children's ministry, right? At my church each Sunday morning, approximately 3 to 25 kids walk, run, skip, and wiggle out of the worship area somewhere between 10:35 to 10:50 am. They straggle into the room, gather randomly with whoever else came that day and flop to the floor. The large group presentation takes around 15-25 minutes, and no matter how exciting it gets, someone will always ask to go the the washroom, and a preteen will remain rigid, pretending not to hear the leader's commands.

When Sunday morning chaos hits it's tempting to wish our programs were as organized as the army--imagine kids entering orderly and focusing intently on our every word until being given permission to move! Of course if that happened we'd be giving up thoughtful story interruptions ("Teacher, why didn't God just tell Peter instead of sending him a dream?"), spontaneous prayer requests ("I can't find my dog--can you ask God about that?"), shared stories and empathetic hugs ( "My dad said he isn't going to live with us anymore"), smiles during songs (as leaders attempt to get their groove on), and wide-eyed reactions ("Wow! God is AWESOME!").

As you get ready for another church education year, thank God for all that is unique about your program and the kids (and leaders!) who are a part of it. And know this--perfect children's ministry programs don't exist. (Neither do perfect guards--the one on the far right kept falling asleep.) We're all dealing with things like tight budgets, wide age gaps, uneven attendance, and stoic preteens. Our programs--like our kids--are a work in progress! The key is to find creative ways to work with your unique challenges. I hope this blog will provide a way for us to do that as we bounce ideas off of each other--feel free to leave comments so we can share ideas and consider solutions together.

Something I'd like to share with you today is the letter I'll be sending home with kids when we begin our program this fall. Feel free to cut and paste, personalize, and use it in your program. And God bless you as you faith walk with the kids that straggle into your room this year!

Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Friends of Kid Connection Kids,

Welcome to the 2009-2010 edition of our children’s ministry program! We’re looking forward to connecting with your kids as we learn about God.

Here’s what happens on a typical day in Kid Connection:

We open with large group where we praise God, play a game, and participate in the telling of a Bible story. This year’s large group leaders are Karen and Lena.

Then we divide into small groups to connect with each other and God as we dive deeper into the Bible story in an age-appropriate way. We’re excited to have Jen, AJ, Sam, and Ty as our small group leaders.

Here’s what kids will be bringing home each month:

Memory Card. Each card contains a short Bible passage that we’ll be looking at in our small groups. Challenge each other by learning the passage together at home!

Guess What! Family Magazine. Designed for busy families, each issue is filled with games, stories, and activities, a cool calendar page (with things that are easy to do!) to hang on the fridge, a family worship page, and a parents page with practical tips for you! Keep it in a place where you’ll come back to it together throughout the month—you’ll be glad you did!

Here’s what you can do:

• Read the Memory Cards together and use the Family Magazine.
• Include our program and our leaders in your prayers.
• Connect with us if you have any feedback or questions.
• Bring us your kids! (We love having a full house!)
  

We can’t wait to see what God has planned for our program this year!

Your Children's Ministry Team