My 6-year-old and I are going through one letter a week this new year. Last week was A and we were reminded that God knows everything. The jury is still out on who is going to learn more in this exercise, me or her. Thanks for this great resource
Check out this amazing resource here.
each year as we usher in a new group of preteens (5th graders) we try to make an intentional effort to get to know them, help them grow closer to one another, and help them grow closer to God. we call this event mission smasH. (our 5th grade name is smasH – students’ ministering and serving Him.)
i am attaching the schedule below and will give a brief description of what that activity looks like.
clue hidden in smasH ball and bandana room. – this clue is hidden in a room that has a circle made out of bandanas on the floor.(the bandanas are in the color of the smasH group – each year has a different color.) in the middle of the circle is a large playground ball with the word smasH written on it as well as the name of each child attending that night. kids are given the rules of the smasH ball. these are also simple, but it sure gets complicated and fun as the night goes on.
the smasH ball has to have a 5th grader’s palm on it at all times, even when going through other activities and missions. the only exception is that each chaperone can hold it once during the night. all kids have to have had their palm on the ball at some point in the night. if at any point a chaperone sees the ball without a palm on it for more than three seconds (the chaperone will count aloud) the kids have to add another palm. some years the kids are focused and have great strategy. some years they end up needing eight palms on the ball.
after they hear about the ball they are giving a teamwork challenge. (they do have to make sure to get their flashlight to take with them for the next challenge.) the smasH leader, that was voted on by their peers in the first room, will pick a helper of the opposite gender to assist them as they are challenged to lead the entire ground downstairs blindfolded to a room behind the sanctuary. kids usually get in some sort of train with arms on the shoulders in front of them. oh how eye opening it is for the group when they complain about people talking and not listening. ultimately to kids work together to get to their next destination.
clue in foyer behind sanctuary – once the group makes it safely to the foyer behind the sanctuary they can take off their bandanas and look for the next cd clue. this pre-recorded clue calls on a child to read matthew 5:14-16. we then have a devotion with the children about how as believers they are to be a light in the darkness. they are then instructed to take out their flashlights are are guided into the dark (it works best if it is perfectly dark) sanctuary.
before the night began we have ordered smasH shirts – they are always same design tye dye – just a different color each year. we have taken that shirt and put an smasH student info sheet inside it and rolled it up and put tape on the outside with their name on it. then we take all the& shirts and hide them in the sanctuary. we try to stay off the platform or away from instruments.
once inside the dark sacntuary, they are told they have to be completely silent and use their light to find their shirt. if they find someone else’s shirt they cannot take it to them. they can find that person and take them to the shirt but not the opposite way around. when kids find their shirt, they bring it to the sanctuary lobby and open it. rolled inside is a smasH student info guide. it includes info like their school, their favorite Bible story, what they want to learn in their smasH year, etc. after they complete this, they put on their shirt for they “mug shot.” we use this pic to put on the card for their secret prayer partner.
8pm- mugshots in shirts/ info sheets (lobby) – after they finish with mug shots and sheet, go to the vestibule steps for a group picture
Clue in lobby
8:45pm- make masks (266)
the mask activity, asks kids to gather around a table with a blank white, plastic mask. they are told to draw or write things on their make that they want people to believe about them, even though they may not be true. (i.e. i’m always happy, i’m not scared, etc.) after kids decorate their mask they share with the leader assigned to their table how they may wear a ;”mask” sometimes.
we then assign a student to read 1 samuel 16:7. we talk about how God isn’t looking at the outside but the inside. we also share with them that so many people come to church like everything is okay, when it really isn’t. we challenge them to be real with one another during the year.
then we give each table group a pair of scissors. we invite the kids to say “i will not wear a mask this smasH year” and then to cut their mask in half. they are to take home their half mask as a reminder.
God writes the best stories. Not the easiest and not the most predictable, but like He authors our salvation, He is faithful with the script of our journeys.
In ways only the Lord works and with circumstances that only he could orchestrate (I’d love to share with you sometime.), we are in a season of change and one of full circle. In this next chapter, I will return as a minister of children at Belle Aire Baptist Church, where I was called to ministry and served for 15 years as their first Minister to Children. Middle Tennessee is home for me and a place full of people I dearly love and stayed closely connected to over the last 10 1/2 years.
Even though I’m returning somewhere I love deeply, that doesn’t mean the goodbyes are easy. Saying goodbye to the people of Dawson has been and will be brutal at best. An interstate exit I once only knew as the halfway point to the beach contains a town and a church full of people that will always be dear to my heart. Dawson received me with all my quirks and ways and loved me well. You precious people wrapped me with love and encouragement during the most exciting (and scary) season of my life when I became a mom through adoption. And those of you who have prayed for, poured into my daughter, and given me advice and support, are treasurers straight from the heart of the Lord.
I’ve had the absolute privilege to serve alongside the most amazing kids ministry investor team, who have taught me what sacrificial service is and have wowed me weekly with their willingness to go to the second mile to share the gospel with their kids on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. The precious families and kids I have had the joy to know and serve over the years, I still consider mine and love following the stories God is writing for you. So much to ponder as I remember many kidmin events like KidLife (high five guys, you know you are my favorite) and camps, staff adventures and laughs, lunch table topics at various elementary schools, and a church body faithful in their love for Christ.
My daughter was also raised through an amazing preschool program with leaders and teachers who loved her so well and pointed her to Christ. Only Heaven knows your investment, but this mom is oh so grateful.
While I may be changing location and returning home, the town of Homewood and the church on the corner will forever be a part of me, and the deep relationships I made here are not over; they will remain forever. Dawson family, thank you for trusting the girl from Tennessee, loving my daughter and me, and making me a better follower of Christ. I hope you will stay in touch because I promise I will often think of your faces and our memories. Before I turn the page in my story, I want you to know how grateful I am for you, how I will miss you, and how much I love you.
Some moments you dream about your whole life, and recently I experienced one of mine.
As I was reading “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” to my daughter, we came to the chapter where the white witch kills Aslan on the stone table. Tears streamed down my cheeks. My sweet baby girl wiped them with her tiny fingers and said, “it’s okay, mommy.”
After the chapter was done and Aslan was dead, my tears fell even more freely. At first, my daughter said, “well, that is an inappropriate story for a kid.” Then she quietly thought and replied, “wait, mommy is this an example of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins?” I nodded and smiled and then reminded her He would live again.
She snuggled me and said, “I need huggies.” Then I prayed aloud with her wrapped in my arms. I thanked God for the gift of Jesus and prayed that one day she would clearly see her need for Him as a Savior.
It was a holy, unforgettable moment on the couch in my living room, strewn with toys and folded laundry waiting to be put away. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Thank you, C.S. Lewis, and THANK YOU LORD!!!
Etch attendees, I know I promised to post these when I got back from the conference, and I apologize for the delay. I got home and got sidetracked. I have downloaded my presentations in a portable format for mac. It would not let me upload them to this post in the Windows version. I hope this is helpful.
Helping Children Develop a Biblical Worldview
Ministering to Today’s Family
