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for me to discuss how i feel about yancy really has to take on a three-probed approach – how i feel as a ministry peer, a church ministry leader, and as a mom.

i first met yancy at one of several kidmin conferences we were both a part of at the time. i heard her heart about kids and worship and i stood and watched her lead weary ministry leaders in worship. she was humble and approachable and people flocked to her and her booth every time she was there.

then, i brought yancy to my church to lead worship, once at 24 hours 4 Him and another time at a family worship that she and her dad led together. she was professional and so easy to work with each time. as soon as the kids entered the room she was engaged with them and their families. she not only “led songs”, she explained their meaning to the kids and taught them about true worship. while her voice is definitely concert level, her passion for a time of worship was much more center stage.

then my toddler was introduced to her music in our preschool ministry. i will never forget last easter when every night of Holy week my two-year-old would jump and sing her heart out to hosanna rock. i mean i knew yancy had an amazing place in ministry, but now she was greatly impacting my home. as i watched my baby worship, i thanked God for the ministry He gave yancy to point even the smallest to Him.

so, of course, yancy had to be a part of this 5 questions series. she has seen it all. she has played in big and little venues near and far. she has talked to countless kids leaders, so i wanted her wisdom and insight shared with all of us through this series.


1 – what do you see kidmin and family ministry leaders doing right? 

I love the awareness that I’ve seen come into focus the past few years of partnering with parents. The reality is even the most faithful families of your church no longer attend every week. Watching leaders explore, navigate and create ways to connect, support and help families is something that excites me as a children’s ministry leader and parent.

2 – what do you see as the greatest need in kidmin and family ministry right now? 

Last year I took my son to see Paw Patrol live. The families there paid a pretty penny to attend. They carved out time in what I’m sure was an already crowded schedule. They spent money on snacks and overpriced Paw Patrol merchandise. Why? Because they want to create memories with their kids. They want to have those fun moments that as a family they can point back to and say “remember when we….”. They want to put a smile on their child’s face and not just have a picture of it but instead be IN the picture of that fun thing. It made me super thankful for the churches that I get to partner with to do family concerts and events. I realized that day that churches have opportunities to help the parents of their church create memories with their kids. I challenge leaders to look for ways that you can create fun for families that often times may still have the gospel at the heart of it. Let’s help their “remember when” moments to be faith shaping adventures as a family.

3 – if you could have coffee with every kidmin/fammin leader, what would you want to make sure you shared with them? 

Thank you for the work you do. Thank you for the seeds you plant, water and nurture. Thank you for the sacrifices you make. Thank you for the sacrifices your family makes. Your hard work is not in vain. It doesn’t go unnoticed. You are a difference maker. Never forget you are running a race that the Bible instructs us to run to win. Don’t give up. You can do it. Finish well.

4 – what word of encouragement do you have for today’s kidmin/fammin leaders? 

I had amazingly supportive parents and know how blessed I am to say that. I knew from an early age what God had called me to do with my music. I sang at church from the time I was a kid every chance I could get. As I reflect on my formative years what comes to mind are all the church volunteers who cheered me on. They believed in me. They encouraged me with my talent. They gave me opportunities. They stretched me to become a leader worth following. I know that their words spoke life to my heart and dreams. Their investment of time and presence made a difference in developing my faith. Looking back I’m so grateful and wish I could tell and every one of those volunteers THANK YOU for believing in a little girl and her dreams and for showing me the love of Jesus.

5 – why are you passionate about children’s and family ministry? 

Kids are awesome. They are in such an exciting phase of life. It’s a new construction stage rather than a major demolition and renovation. I love how soft their hearts are towards the things of God. I love how they so often feel and respond to God speaking to their heart. I love helping kids connect with the Lord through worship. I want to help raise up a generation to be after God’s heart just like David was. He found His hiding place in God’s presence. I want to help kids do that. It’s a gift we can give this generation: help them learn to run TO God no matter what happens in life, rather than FROM God. That my friends is a game changer.

Yancy is a worship leader and songwriter for kids that travels the globe doing family concerts and training worship leaders. She grew up a kidmin PK that knew God wanted to use her music for His glory. She has a passion for the church and produces many worship resources for kids including the series “Little Praise Party” and “Kidmin Worship” used in churches around the world. Her life is made even more complete with her husband, Cory and sons, Sparrow and Rhythm, where they live in Nashville, TN. Check out her website here.

10672280_1499499846959104_2651752240705181044_napples and oranges are not the same. that’s what i kept trying to say when we were working on a way to bring two ministries together on one night. (two ministries that had always been on separate nights at my previous church) maybe you can never make apples and oranges be the same, but it can be quite exciting when you allow them to collide. that is what my friend and co-worker, john woods – music and worship pastor, and i did when we brought dawson kids midweek discipleship and children’s choirs together for a whole new look at wednesday nights.

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 6.51.38 PMteamwork, creative dreaming, collaboration, and compromise were all part of our dawson collide process. john’s heart is for children to be life long worshippers of Christ. mine is for children to become authentic disciples through God’s Word. i am also burdened to create a place where those that may never enter through the “white columns” of a sanctuary on sunday morning can have a place to get plugged into our family of faith. oh what joy it brings me when i have to make it a point to learn the names of children because there are new faces at collide each week.  it is amazing what happens when you dare to dream and see ministry lived out in a new way.

IMG_0107-1024x768has then process been perfect? absolutely not, but through the struggles i believe we have become even more intent on making sure this ministry hits the mark. we tweak and work on collide weekly to make sure we are doing all we can to help our collide investors (leaders), kids, and parents experience Jesus and become lifelong worshippers and authentic disciples of Jesus Christ.

as we are still seeking to understand all the many ways God would want us to use collide, i thought i would share some of the basics below. i would also love to hear what you have done to bring two ministries together. comment below with you thoughts and ideas.

 

collide themes

fall 2014 – grace, God’s love collides with forgiveness to create grace.

spring 2015 – worshipSpirit and Truth collide to create worship.

 

collide elements

here’s a brief description of the collide elements that all grades will participle in collide.

collide blue collide orange collide green

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.23.29 PMopening rally: think kidlife worship rally colliding with wednesday night church.  we will begin the rally right at 5:45 in the lore lobby of the FRC.  we will have worship music, high energy activities, creative prayer time, a missions moment, exciting time in God’s Word and more. all kinds of elements will collide 

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.22.31 PMcollide choir: after the opening rally, it’s time to head to collide choir. here colliders will sing the very best music, no matter the style. with the goal of nurturing well-rounded worshippers, able to worship through any style or genre, collide choir is the place where a soundtrack for life begins. 

collide missions: God’s Word commands us to go and make disciples of all nations.  in this track children will collide with what missions is, learn about missionaries, discover how they can be involved in missions at their age, and develop a desire to sure the Good News of Jesus through hands-on activities.

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.21.59 PMart studio: when things collide, there’s usually a mess. and each week the art studio will be full of students learning through hands-on activities. sculpture? sure! oil paints? of course! pottery? why not! god made us to be creative, so let’s get busy!

music lab: there more to worshipping through music than just singing. in music lab, colliders might find themselves playing drums, writing a song, planning a worship service, or playing instruments used in worship. anything could happen in music lab

Screen Shot 2014-10-21 at 7.22.46 PMrec lab: kids can learn in a creative way when Bible truths collide with movement.  this track will include games with a purpose and will end with a time of debriefing on image1-1024x768how to apply what they learned in the game to their everyday life. 

collide discipleship: here kids will collide with the powerful word of God.  kids will dig in and learn about the Bible, how to use the Bible, how to study God’s Word, how to apply God’s Word to their daily lives and much more.

 

collide schedule 

collide blue collide orange collide green

5:45p.m. – 6:05p.m. – collide opening rally 
6:05p.m. – 6:40p.m. – collide choir
6:40p.m. – 7:15p.m. – collide tracks

** all children will participate in each of the elements of collide.  each grade will spend three weeks in each of the five tracks offered: music lab, missions, art, recreation, and discipleship.

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collide dress-up nights

collide will have dress up nights this fall the first wednesday of september, october, november and december.

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collide dress-up night schedule

september 3 – collide hat night

october 1 – collide superhero night

november 5 – collide jersey night

december 3 – collide Christmas night

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