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Category: Parenting

Boost Your Volunteer Recruitment with the Back to School Checklist

As the fall season approaches, children’s ministry leaders across the country are preparing for a familiar challenge: the return of full classrooms. With kids heading back to school, families are settling back into familiar routines, and churches are seeing a surge in attendance as parents seek to reestablish their children’s spiritual growth alongside their academic education. This seasonal influx is exciting, but it also brings a pressing need for more volunteers.Finding creative and effective ways to recruit new helpers is crucial, especially during this busy time of year. That’s why we’ve developed a tool that can help you meet this challenge head-on: the Back to School Checklist. Introducing the Back to School Checklist Recruiting Tool The Back to School Checklist isn’t just a handy reminder for parents – it’s a powerful recruiting tool for your ministry. It’s designed to creatively engage families and encourage them to get involved in their children’s spiritual education by volunteering in your ministry. Here’s how it works: 1. Distribute the Checklist to Families: As families return to church this fall, give them a Back to School Checklist. It’s more than just a list of school supplies; it’s a guide that includes spiritual resources their children…

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Truth to Youth is Different Today

One of the most powerful workshops I ever attended was taught by my good friend Dick Crider several years ago. It was about the changing of the very words we use. When we talk to young people today, we THINK we are saying one thing, but the very words we use have been redefined to have completely different definitions. This is intentional, and it is devastating to the Church and to Truth. These are the pictures I took of some of this slides as he taught. Let them sink in and realize that when you talk or teach today, you have to be extremely intentional in how you communicate. We have to make extra effort to be clear about the Truth. Definitions may change but the Truth remains constant. How each person responds to the Truth hasn’t changed either. (Hebrews 9:27)“Tolerance” doesn’t mean the same thing to us, as Christians, as it means to the secular World. We are the most tolerate of all people… they would disagree. We also are very accepting. But the World has a different definition for accepting. You must not just accept the person, but endorse and even praise their actions. We separate the person…

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Ikinagagalak akong makillala kayo! HUH!?

What if I said to you “Ikinagagalak akong makillala kayo! Would you know what I meant? Likely not! What if I said it more slowly, enunciating each syllable clearly? Or perhaps more loudly? Or I could have some dancing armless vegetables sing it to you in a clever rhyming song? No matter what I did, unless you were Filipino and spoke Tagalog, the native language of the Philippines, you’d have no idea that I just said, “Nice to meet you.” It wouldn’t be your fault. It would just be that I wasn’t speaking your language. I’ve been to Manila, Philippines a few times. In fact, it’s where I met my wife. She grew up there as a missionary kid. While I was there, I quickly discovered I had to adapt my American ways. Luckily for me, they spoke English, so I only learned a few phrases in Tagalog for fun, but I did have to learn some things about the culture in order to more effectively minister to the kids there. I had to change my humor because my jokes fell flat. I had to adjust my stories so they could relate to them. I had to eat some things that…

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An Awesome Adventure with Parents

How do you make sure your kids know the BASICS of the Christian Faith? At our church, we offer a course for kids to take with a parent. It’s called the Awesome Adventure Small Group and it’s for 4-6th graders but they must attend with a parent. It’s a twelve week class because there are 12 lessons in the Awesome Adventure Guide that my wife and I wrote. It covers topics from Salvation through how to read your Bible and Pray through how to discover your Spiritual Gifts. Kids memorize Scripture each week and quiz each other (tested by a non-family member!) and earn points for attendance, bringing their Bible, knowing the verse and get BONUS POINTS when mom and/or dad know the verse too! But it’s not all hard work – they play some games too because forming and growing relationships is also a part of discipleship. Like this game where they were dropping gold fish crackers into their parents mouths! In our busy world, we need to help families carve out time to discuss spiritual things. That why I create Family Table Talkers every month to help families be more strategic at their meal times. I also try…

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100 Ways to Show Your Kids LOVE!

Here are 100 EASY (and FUN) ways to show your kids you LOVE them!   1. Say “I love you” often. 2. Say “I like you” as well. (Like is optional!) 3. Pay attention to them when they are talking to you. 4. Sit with them and read stories together. 5. Ask what the best part of their day has been. 6. Sing worship songs with them. 7. Play along with them, whether it is blocks, coloring or video games. 8. Read a Bible Story together. 9. Tell them that you love them no matter what. 10. If you are wrong, say you are sorry. 11. Play in the rain and splash in the puddles together. 12. Never compare them to other children. Assure them that they are the best “them” there is and ever will be. 13. Make paper airplanes together. Have fun measuring distance and time flight duration! 14. Wrestle and roll on the floor with them. 15. Laugh and giggle about silly things with them. 16. Each time you greet your child, touch them. It communicates warmth and love. 17. Tell your child each day that you are so thankful to have them. 18. Go into detail…

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