The LOVE Patrol

What is the most important volunteer role in your Children’s Church service? You might think it’s the teacher on stage, but actually it’s the members of the LOVE Patrol! What is the LOVE Patrol? The LOVE Patrol is what I like to call my volunteers that are “out and about” in the room among the children. In my kids service, which we call The Outpost, our official name for our helpers is Trail Guides, but I let them know they are on the “LOVE Patrol” during the service. I borrowed the name “LOVE Patrol” from a church that I visited many many years ago and I think it’s fantastic! It sure is better than “crowd control” – because it communicates that their purpose is not control, but to love on the kids and help them get the most out of the service. Train your volunteer helpers that their role isn’t to just sit in the back, or along the sides of the room, but to constantly be “on patrol” and watching the kids during the service. Contrary to what is often done – they are NOT looking for “bad behavior,” instead they are  actively moving about the room, studying the…

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Touring a Legacy

This week, my pastor took the staff from my church, Highpoint Church, on a field trip to visit every location of Highpoint Church since its founding in 1933. A few of the buildings no longer exist, but we stood where they once were and thanked God for the faithfulness of those who came before us and their vision for our city and their faithfulness to their calling. The church made such an impact in it’s community, that the city of Aurora, Colorado gifted them the land for their second location. Imagine your city appreciating you so much that they give you land so your ministry can expand? This building was purchased debt free as the ministry continued to grow. At the third location we watched a drug deal happen in the middle of the street as we gathered. This is the location Highpoint was at the longest. Land was purchased and a new building was begun when the economy tanked, construction was halted and Highpoint had six weeks to vacate this building and became a mobile church for a refining season. It was a journey through amazing stories of nearly 90 years of God’s miraculous provision through the years, many…

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Host an Easter EGGstravaganza!

Folks have asked me to describe the Family Show we do before our Easter Egg Hunts, so I’m providing some files and a video walk through to help describe what you we do. The EGGstravaganza Show is a high-energy interactive game show experience that will involve both selected volunteers from the audience, as well as full audience participation elements. The theme is “That’s Impossible” as participants attempt to do impossible feats! At the end, they will learn that the Bible says (twice), “…with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible!” They will learn that Easter is about the Ultimate Impossible Feat: Jesus, who raised Himself from the dead! We all face challenges in life – you may be facing something right now that seems impossible – but with God, the impossible can happen! THAT is the true meaning of Easter – we have a risen Savior who can do the IMPOSSIBLE: save us from our sins and help us be victorious in life! Pre-Show walk through: Post-Event highlight video: The games I either bought on Amazon.com, have owned for years or found the items around the church. The key is big and fun. The TP Bazooka…

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THE NO RULES GAME!

Why did God give us commandments and rules? Was it to spoil our fun? Rather than merely explain it, have your kids experience it! Play the NO RULES GAME! Randomly divide the kids up. Put out a bunch of game stuff. Blow the whistle say “GO!” As the kids start to try and play with the stuff, start awarding points AND penalties and declare a winner and loser. See how the kids respond. They won’t like a game with no rules where it is unclear how to be a winner! Finally stop the game and explain that’s WHY God gave us commandments. A life lived without rules leads to chaos. We need rules in order to win in life! WATCH THE GAME IN ACTION: LIKE GAMES THAT TEACH? Be sure to check out The Game Zone on Kidology!

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The LEAST vs. GREATEST GAME!

The LEAST vs. GREATEST GAME! “The Last Shall Be First” Prep: Number the Chairs: ROW # and SEAT # (Signs Provided at Link Below) Points: You need something physical for points – popsicle sticks, beans, etc. Something that can be passed out quickly that kids can hold so the points are tangible. PLAY: Kids Move Around and Choose a Chair, then the next RULE is read! (Option: You can make it appear that the rules are random by drawing a rule from a hat, just make sure you draw the final rule last.) Don’t mislead or lie to the kids, but you can make it appear that the winner will be those with the most points. This is a natural assumption. The final rule will turn that around! Those who thought they were doing poorly will win, and those who thought they we were winning, weren’t. The last slip taped to side so it can be drawn last. NOTE: When you have many winners (like Odd or Even numbers) to speed up the game, just say “If you won come up here and get a point.” Don’t challenge any kids who may come up to get a point who didn’t…

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