If the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not the goal of our ministry then how is our ministry different from the world?
sometimes we simply can’t communicate the gut level honesty of service like a volunteer. that is why when i received a copy of this email at the end of our kidlife (vbs) last summer, i knew i wanted to use it as a recruitment tool for this summer. i don’t think i have ever heard a more beautiful description of serving with children. i took her precious words and added pictures and the video below is the final product. may God use it to stir many to serve, but also to reveal Himself to those that step out in faith.
this week is the week we reveal dawson’s 2017 kidlife theme. while we have been working behind the scenes for months, our vbs leadership team will hear the theme and daily truths for the first time. before coming to dawson i thought i never wanted to write and craft my own vbs. why would i, there are so many great vbs publishers out there? here it is a tradition, as is calling vbs “kidlife”, and while it has challenged and stretched me, i have to say i love formulating a plan and theme for our culture and community.
so before we dive in to this year’s theme (which so excites me because the 1st-5th grade daily themes are based on the Gospel project’s, the gospel God’s plan for me) i thought i would look back to my 3 biggest takeaways from last year’s vbs.
- staff involvement – i serve with an amazing staff and i was blown away by all the ways they made our 2016 kidlife a greater experience for all the kids that came. (i blogged about that here and here.) we want to make sure to build on that concept from last year, so we brainstormed this year’s theme with staff back in december. i am thrilled about some fun things we have up our sleeves for them. (some of them don’t have a clue what is coming for them, but they are amazing servants that jump in and become a part of kidlife.)
- the mascot – we love champ and our friendly lion was a great addition to kidlife 2016. from the very moment the kids
stepped on our property, champ was there with a high five, a hug or some bling. we can’t wait to take champ to the next level this year since he already has so many friends. last year he was an athlete at the kidlife olympics, this year he has another important job. - intentional Gospel and visitor follow-up – before our kidlife week ever begins we have written, copied and ready to mail letter for guests, kids that want to know more about what it means to become a Christian, and kids that give their life to Christ. we want to build the bridge from the week of vbs to their home. i also love how our ministerial staff are on call each day to be paired up to talk with a child that wants to know what it means to be a Christian. i am a big fan of one-on-one conversation (out in the open of course) with children ready to make this decision. we want to make sure they understand the truth and we are there to guide them through this important time. our ministerial staff also take time to go meet and email the parents of each child that doesn’t mark a church home on their registration form. it excites me to know that new families not only hear from the kidmin staff, but also another minister ready to help them with any questions.
check out our kidlife recap video below:
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i was so excited to be invited back to a great event my friend nate holder puts on for his association each year – the etowah baptist association kidmin and stumin summit. one of my breakouts for this year is on family worship. below are my notes for this workshop.
before you think this post is all about adding another worship service or event to your already busy kidmin calendar, think again. as we explore this topic i am going to ask three things of you:
- think out of the box. family worship doesn’t just have to be a time of worship with families.
- how can you apply these principles to events/program you already have in place in your ministry?
- quality verses quantity – families are busy. make sure the times you plan areprayed through and well crafted. offer less that is better than a whole lot of more.
now i believe in simple steps so i can focus on what is most important – Jesus. so this is my checklist, or recipe if you will, for family worship experience.
after i shared the recipe we experienced this model in six different activities.
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read colossians 1:16-17 God created everything. God is in charge. God is Holy and the boss of us. give families a jar of play-dough. allow them to decide what they should make with their play-dough. as the families shape their play-dough, pretend the play-dough is speaking to you and says it is not happy with the shapes they have decided and it wants to be something else. give them another shape to form. say the play-dough wants to change shapes several more times. (you will hear the groans.) families discuss: should the play-dough decide what it should be made into? how is this like us trying to tell our Creator what to do? families take home the play-dough.
read romans 3:23. share that we can’t ignore sin. ask who is hungry for a snack. bring out very burned popcorn and share it with the class. (remember smell is a great sense to make an impact.) tell the families you are going to just pretend the popcorn isn’t burnt and they should just eat it. after they look at you strangely, explain that you will just pick off all the burned parts and surely they will eat it. of course, no one wants the popcorn. you can’t pretend it isn’t burnt. discuss as families: how is this sin like our bag of popcorn? families take a snack bag of popcorn home.
romans 3:23 and romans 6:23 go to a stairwell and get all the children to stand at the bottom of the stairs and the parents stand at the top. ask one of the dads to play the part of Jesus in this experience. turn tot he children and ask what is separating them from Jesus. (the stairs) explain the the stairs are hot, hot lava. the kids can’t touch the stairs, the rail, the walls, or leave the stairwell. ask them how they will get to Jesus. allow kids to think of fun ways. (i.e. try to fly, try to jump, etc.) families discuss: what was our problem on the stairs? how do the stairs represent our spiritual problem? families take home lava rocks.
as a family read romans 5:12. the family member closest birthday gets wrapped in cling wrap. families discuss: how is this cling wrap and crepe paper like sin? families read: John 8:34. families discuss: what does it mean to be a slave? family activity – stand in a circle and include the person that is wrapped in cling wrap. tell them their goal is to pass the ballon quickly around the circle five times and everyone has to take their time passing the balloon. families discuss: how does being a slave to sin affect those around us? as a family read: 1 john 1:8. families discuss: what if the person at the just tried to pretend they weren’t wrapped in saran wrap? how is this like us pretending we do not sin? family read 1 john 1:9. families discuss: what does 1 John 1:9 tell us about our sin? now take off your family member’s sin. families leave with cling wrap.
give all family members a yellow lego. read revelation 21 aloud. as this chapter is read instruct family members to write on their block the one thing that excites them about heaven the most. families then are instructed to build something out of their blocks and share everything they wrote. families leave with their lego structure and are instructed to put it in the middle of their family table.
this is done during our 1st grade Bible lunch. families are given take out boxes with lots of spiritual discussion starters. next we read a deuteronomy prayer. family member share when they got their first Bible. kids leave with a devotional book and a bookmark with staff and 1st grade teacher’s favorite scriptures.
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i often say, “the longer i am in ministry, the less i put on the calendar.” i believe the families i minister to are not 
interested in just another “good” event, but are looking for deeper quality over the church’s tendency to push quantity. our theme for dawson kids this year has proved to be a great tool as we seek to cast a vision filled with more depth than width. this theme works not only as a filter, but as target for all we put on the calendar in dawson kids.
the theme we chose for this year (back in august) is one based on the story of mary and martha in luke 10. let’s face it, churches are professionals at scheduling many good things, but what would we find if we held each program/event under the microscope of the one thing that matters most – sitting at the feet of Jesus? this question not only challenged me in my personal life, but also as i shepherd kids and families.
what freedom, but also guidance, we have found in knowing our one goal for the year – helping kids and families sit at the feet of Jesus. and guess what, they don’t have to be in the church building to do that. (did a minister just say that?) from 1st grade Bibles, to family worship, to investor training and beyond, we are seeking to make each moment about the one thing that matters most – Jesus! it is amazing the distractions that are dissolved when you have one singular focus. the more i think about it, every year should simply be all about one thing – JESUS!