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I could not be more excited to begin my fourth session of my online children’s ministry class entitled – “Children’s Ministry as Leading Spiritual Education.” Not only do we grow together as we study and evaluate our current ministries, but we also make ministry connections that last beyond the class.

Interested in the class or know of someone that might be? The course begins October 11, and below is the class description. You will need to password equip to register. Comment and let me know if you have any questions. 


This will be an examination of the role of the educator in supporting the faith development of children and families in the congregation. We’ll cover pedagogies, models of ministry, and administrational tasks. Not only will we discover how to intentionally plan and lead long-term, but we will examine best solutions to the in-the-trenches children’s ministry elements.

This course will equip you with techniques for the following:

  • Creating and Maintaining a Gospel-Centered Ministry
  • Different Models of Ministry (what’s best for your ministerial context?)
  • Partnering with Parents
  • Strategic Planning, Budgeting, Outreach, Service and Follow-Up
  • Building, Leading & Maintaining Volunteer Teams
  • Consistent & Creative Communication
  • Serving Families with Special Needs
  • The Preteen Bubble
  • Family Worship
  • Using Your Facility to set your teaching/worship up for success

Recently we were given the challenge to create, launch, and weely produce a guide that would engage kids grades 1st-5th in corporate worship each week. Thankfully, I work with the most amazing dawson kids team that loves rising to a challenge and delivering an excellent product. We are thrilled to be launching the dk Guide this Sunday, September 12.

I thought I would share some key elements in launching this new resource that will partner with parents to help families be confident in Christ.

THE WHY – Our team is passionate about and believes the Bible supports kids worshipping alongside their families in corporate worship. We have spent the last 18 months (since Covid began) equipping parents to be the primary disciple of their kids. Here is a copy of the letter to parents to way emailed out a week before launch.


dk Guide

THE GUIDE – This is a weekly resource that will be available to all 1st-5th graders in all worship services. The first half will be updated weekly and the second half will be updated months. You can see we used pages from our Children’s Bulletin subscription as well as other free resources on the internet. My favorite part is where we introduce the kids to staff and church members and kids can win a prize by meeting that person and getting their signature.


THE PROMOTION (see below) – We had a very short runway to launch this new resource and a ton of information to communicate to families, so communication was essential. (I get really geeky about this stuff.) Below you can see a copy of our September communication schedule for the dk Guide.


WEEK ONE – For the first week we wanted to give kids all the tools they needed to be engaged in corporate worship, so we made special bags. (These bags are just for week one.) Each bag contains a dk Guide, a parent information sheet (with another copy of that parent letter), crayons, a pen, and a fidget toy. After this week guides, pens, and crayons will be available each week and kids can win other fidget toys by getting staff and member signatures.

What did we miss? What more does the guide need? What do you provide for your kids to help them engage in corporate worship? I would love to hear your thoughts. Comment below and share. I am always thankful for the kidmin community.

Recently I was trying to check out and reschedule appointments at the pediatrician’s office with my two littles. We had to have a bit of discussion about the shot record and rescheduling due to court dates, so it was apparent I was not your average parent. One little was crying, wanting another sucker because the color I had chosen wasn’t good enough. The other one, the highly contagious one, kept walking off and touching everything as I continued to reign them back in. Obviously, we were holding up the line. Finally, I glanced at the patient lady behind me and said, I am so sorry. she kindly said, “it’s okay, I am just impressed you are a foster mom.” she smiled and moved to another window. I was grateful for her flexibility, but as the day went on, the word impressed kept nagging at my soul.

Impressed, no, please don’t be impressed. I realize the woman was trying to be comforting or encouraging, but the last thing I wanted her to be was impressed. The very thought of people being impressed by my simple, obedient act of being a foster parent is what has kept me relatively quiet on social media and this blog (until now) about my new normal. The last thing I want is a spotlight on me when the children and their stories and struggles deserve all the attention. So, I began to think about what I wish non-foster parents were instead of impressed.

Instead of being impressed – be informed.

Before I entered this faith journey, I was clueless about the staggering statistics involved in foster care. As I looked at the needs of Alabama, I was reminded that these are not kids halfway around the world; these are children within a day’s driving distance of me. Want to learn about the numbers involving foster care in your state? Check out this interactive map at the Christian Alliance for orphans websiteinteractive map.

This graphic that has impacted me most is another powerful one (below) from the Christian alliance for orphans. The top number is the number of foster children in each state. The bottom number is the number of churches, not people in churches, churches in each state.

Knowledge leads to power, conviction, and action. What will you do now that you have come face to face with the staggering statistics of children right in your backyard?

Instead of being impressed, be involved.
i love the quote that not everyone can be a foster parents, but everyone can do something to help a foster child/child. this couldn’t be more true. maybe you weren’t called to be a foster parents or maybe you can only foster a limited number of children. that doesn’t mean you have to stop being involved with helping them. did you know most foster children move to their foster home with all of their belonging in a garbage bag?

Instead of being impressed, be an encouragement.
There is no way I would have made it without the many encouragers God has put in my life. Now that I am not actively fostering, I try to do what I can for those who are. So maybe you aren’t called to foster kids in your home, but you can do something. First, you can pick a foster family to encourage and support with meals, supplies, and babysitting. Second, you can pray for and encourage overworked and underpaid social workers. You can volunteer to be a CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate. You can go through training to be a respite home for fostering families. Finally, you can buy Christmas and birthday gifts for children such as magnetic necklace in foster care. You, we, can do something.

I am so thankful that not one of these children is a surprise to God. He has equipped His body of believers. The question is, will we just be impressed by those that serve as foster parents, or will we roll up our pants and jump in the trenches with them?

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It is one of my most favorites Sundays of the year – the day we place the living Word of God into the hands of 1st graders. This is our second year to do a walk-thru instead of a brunch, and our kids ministry team truly prefers this style more. In the brunch, we felt like we were talking to a bunch of first-graders and their families. In the walk-thru, we got to talk with each family as they rotated through the stations. 

Below is a brief recap of each station with pics and links to resources.


Station 1 – the welcome balloon arch
We wanted a place to begin the walk-thru, and we knew families would want a family picture. Can I say I am such a fan of balloons? in my humble opinion, they are the quickest way to decorate a large space. 


Station 2 – pictures with the pastor
Each child gets to get a picture with the pastor and their new Bible. The great thing about the Sunday afternoon walk-thru is that our pastor got to spend quality time with each child instead of quick Sunday morning pictures in between services. We are so thankful for our pastor’s investment in these kids and families. 


Station 3 – bags and bookmarks
Everyone needs a bag to carry their new Bible in, right? Plus, the Bible is a great big book, and we want to give kids some ideas of scriptures to start looking up in their Bible. This is why we make a special bookmark. On one side, it has all the favorite scriptures from the ministry staff, and on the backside, it has the favorite scriptures from their 1st-grade investors. This is such a simple gift that can have an impact for eternity. 


Station 4 – the Bible
I will never tire of seeing the expression on each child’s face as they receive their Bible. Each year I am encouraged and convicted to treasure the Word of God like the first time it was placed in my hands. We love the one big story Bible and buy it in the pink and blue for the kids to pick what color they would like.


Station 5 – Bible embossing cards
We are so thankful that our outstanding preschool ministers joined up for this special day. Their station allowed them to congratulate their former kindergartners on moving up and getting their Bible. Also, a cool side note, our preschool ministers bought a Bible embossing machine from a closing Christian bookstore. They use this embosser for their baby dedication Bibles, and they made cards for parents to fill out and return so they can emboss their kid’s new 1st grade Bible. 


Station 6 – time in a candy jar
Time means more when you can see it, so we put time in a jar for the parents. Each parent gets a jar with 556 smarties that represent a week in their child’s life until they graduate high school. (I first saw this example at the orange conference using marbles. We use smarties because there are 13 smarties in a pack and it makes the jar stuffing much quicker.) We challenge them to make the most of the precious time they have being their child’s primary discipler. 


Station 7 – lunch box goodies
To equip parents to lead their kids in the home spiritually, we give each family a pack of lunchbox truths from tiny theologians. (if you have not seen their amazing resources, check out their website now.) They gave us a bulk discount for these cute lunch box truths, and we added a yummy cookie from our fantastic kitchen staff.


Station 8 – free ice cream

After the families made it through all the stations, we had an ice cream truck outside to offer free ice cream to the whole family. 


here are some more of my favorite pictures of the day!


Do you do something special when you give Bibles to your kiddos? I would love to hear about that. Comment and share your ideas!

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