dawson kids | dandibell

In kidmin

confident in Christ

October 22, 2012 1 Comment

in ministry, i desire direction, desperately need a filter, and highly respect evaluation. that is why one of my first projects at my new church home was to work with a team to develop a ministry signature before we simply continued on or began charting a new course.

i have the great pleasure of working with a group of parent champions that pray and dream God-sized dreams for dawson kids. we have also worked through a uniques process to come up with our ministry signature. at first, i didn’t think they were enjoying themselves. the room was silent and their faces were serious. when i reminded them that they could smile during this activity, their response assured me they understood they were about serious business. hearing their hearts and looking on their intense faces so endeared each one of them to me. they wanted God’s best for their children and the children dawson kids gets the privilege of ministering to each week.

direction

our signature is dawson kids – confident in Christ. this simple, yet power statement now becomes the vehicle in which we will direct the ministry. what programs, curriculums, conversations, ideas, and strategies need to be put in place to ensure we are a ministry where children become confident followers of Jesus Christ? how can we help them understand their salvation in a perfect Savior and stand confident in Him alone?

filter

next, this phrase acts as a filter. (i love that, because i have a hard time saying no.) as new ideas are brought to the table and old traditions are examined, confident in Christ becomes the filter for a yes or no. we can’t just do things just to say we do them or because it has always been done. we also can’t add something just try something new. we want to be purposed. if an event is not an agent to help children become confident in Christ, we either tweak, change, or cut it.

evaluation

lastly, confident in Christ becomes our standard for evaluation. when children are in our ministry are they understanding the Gospel as the only way to live confident in Jesus? are tools being provided for children and families to walk daily as confident followers of Christ? when the world’s foundation begins to shake and peers insist on a more worldly approach, have we armed these children to stand firm in the One who was, who is, and is to come?

no, confident in Christ is not just a t-shirt slogan or a ministry byline. we strive for it to be the very core of what dawson kids is about. we want to lead children to a confident relationship in Jesus, help them walk boldly in His Truths, teach them to share the Gospel with a dying world, and see them stand firm in the One in whom they have placed their trust.

In kidmin

sermon notes & school lunches

September 13, 2012 3 Comments

i believe children can participate, contribute, and learn in corporate worship. i also hate sitting behind the desk in my office all day. how do these things go together? i call it the sermon note school lunch tour.

each week children can pick up special worship bulletins just for them. the folded bulletin addresses the same topic as the pastor’s message for the day. then, inside is a half sheet (front/back) to guide the child’s participation in worship. here are some of the things it includes:

a picture of the previous week’s winner.
a worship challenge. (i.e. go introduce yourself to someone you don’t know in the greeting time, as you sing the worship song think about what that song is saying about or to God, practice the church’s monthly memory verse, etc.)
the scripture passage for the day so they can look it up and follow along.
three to four questions, activities, opportunities to draw, apply, and share what they are learning through the sermon that day. (i get the pastor’s sermon points ahead of time so i know what questions or activities to provide.)

what does this have to do with school lunch? well, i love to meet kids on their turf during the week, but i want to be careful about “picking” kids to eat with to avoid showing any favoritism. so, each week the names of children that turn in sermon notes are put in a pile and i pick one. i make arrangements for my assistant and me to meet them at school for lunch and the rest is an adventure. the lunch table is always interesting and i enjoy meeting other children and then having some focused time with one of my church kids. these brief visits begin to foster a relationship that carries back into the church walls. honestly, it is like my favorite part of the week!!!

as children become consistent with their sermon notes we give them a celebration tag and recognize them in a church publication when they reach 25, 50, 75, and 100 completed notes. truth is, it isn’t about the number of sermons they take notes in during church. my goal is to build stronger relationships with them outside the church walls and for them, after hearing God’s Word, respond to it and apply it to their daily lives.

In kidmin

a first with the 1st graders

September 9, 2012 2 Comments

in my years in ministry i have never been a part of a 1st grade Bible sunday. today was my first. 🙂 i was so excited to continue in this important tradition of giving 1st graders their very own copy of God’s Word and challenging them to seek it out for His life-changing truths! little did i know what joy it would bring me to hand out Bibles and watch those sweet little hands grip them with pride. i thought to myself, do i hold as tightly to God’s Word each day? am i as thrilled to pick up my very own BIble (of which i have many translations) as these children were to receive their first copy? their fresh eyes and eager hearts were a sweet sight to my soul today. so, i thought i would share some pictures of some of my favorite parts of the morning.

dr. fenton had the 1st graders hold their Bibles high as he shared with them that there is no other book like the one they are holding.

at our family celebration lunch, two middle schoolers (one boy and one girl) shared testimonies about how their first grade Bible helped God’s word become a part of their daily lives. they were amazing.

families spent time sharing and laughing using group publishing’s gabbit.

families prayed over and for their 1st grader!

of course we had pictures made with the pastor. look how proud this 1st grader is of his new Bible.

1st graders left with goody bags that included a gabbit, a seeds family worship cd (this includes songs made up of only scripture), and a special bookmark that has all the favorite scriptures of the ministers at dawson and their 1st grade teachers.

In kidmin

ministry flats

September 7, 2012 5 Comments

tap. tap. tap. who knows how long my tire had been making that sound. with my blaring music or loud mouth on the phone, i usually can’t hear the sounds from outside my car. thankfully, today i was sitting in silence and heard the dreadful sound coming from my front right tire. i don’t care for the quiet, but today it allowed me to hear the warning signs from my tire’s damage. i just wish i had been quiet enough to listen earlier, because i ended up with a flat tire in my hair dresser’s parking lot. (don’t worry ladies, of course the tire was put on hold for a much needed color treatment.)

all this led me to think through the effects of the drowning sounds of programs, events, and weekly stresses in ministry. are we heading into a flat or is there an area that is so slowly losing life we will be caught off guard when it can no longer move forward effectively?

there are plenty of “sounds” and busyness that can keep me from hearing the warning signs of ineffective ministry, weary volunteers, concerned parents, or hurting kids. the motions of ministry can become so second nature that stillness must be scheduled to evaluate and seek God’s direction.

i am thrilled and honestly relieved to begin the first of three carved out times of quiet reflection and vision casting with a group of kidmin parents this sunday evening. this is not another meeting, but an intentional time to slow down and seek God’s best for dawson kids. in the first month we will honestly evaluate all areas of the ministry. the second month brings a time of vision casting and formulating a ministry signature that will act as a filter and compass for the road ahead. the third and final phase will include mapping out future ministry opportunies and matching parents to champion each cause that supports our new ministry signature. (the signature comes in step two.)

my time with this group does not end after three meetings. i need these “parent champions” to hold me accountable, to partner with me in ministry, and listen closely to the warning sounds of trouble. hopefully together we can embrace some quiet moments, intentionally be still, avoid flats, and safely stay on God’s directed route.

as i sit in the tire repair shop i can’t help but think that my tire oversight is costing me only money. what a greater cost we pay in ministry if we refuse scheduled stillness and silence to listen for the warning signs.

In kidmin

making the Gospel the goal

August 15, 2012 No Comments

last may i was overwhelmed with a personal sense of urgency when i read anne graham lotz’s newsletter challenging believers to “live like they were going to see Jesus.” this truth i know in my mind, but struggle daily beholding it in my heart and actions. fast forward a year, and i was challenged again last week when reminded from a friend that our time is short. this statement coupled with “live like you are going to see Jesus” struck a chord in the children’s minister in me. we don’t have much time. days are fleeting and the fraction of the week we get with the children is minimal. oh how we must be solely devoted not only with our personal walk, but with the precious time we are given to minister to children.

so, as i was wading through all we do in kidmin and how it barely fits into the time we are given, i was struck afresh at how our goal should be nothing less than the Gospel. not events, not moral truths, not just fun and relationships; our job as those privileged to minister to children is to point them to the Gospel. you can’t stumble into this. you can’t hope it happens. plain and simple, we have to be intentional.

i brought this challenge to our dawson kids investor training this past week. as i shared with them, i also asked them to help me infiltrate this goal into all aspects of our kidmin. as we grappled with this challenge, we started to flesh it out a bit. i divided the room into eight groups, each taking a slice of what makes up dawson kids ministry. their questions was, “what would the Gospel being the goal look like in the area of:” large groups, small groups, week before preparation, class prayer time, seeing kids in the hall, music – kids worship – cooperate worship, early arrival time, and seeing kids around town. with this one goal came only two rules: 1) no sunday school answers, and 2) don’t write down anything you are not willing to do.

their honest answers allowed me to see the hearts of this volunteer team i am just beginning to get to know. they so long for children to see and experience Jesus. how excited i am to see all God will do through such a dedicated team this year. i have shared their lists below and hope to hold our team (starting with me) accountable this year to making the Gospel the goal. what ideas could you add to helping make the Gospel the goal in all areas of kidmin?

week before preparation
-pray for each child by name
-don’t put off preparation
-study the lesson all week (meditate on it daily)
-think of ways to introduce the Gospel
-be friendly to the children
-learn their names
-be ready to take late children and make them feel welcome
-be early to the classroom

seeing kids in the church hallway
-remember names and speak
-build relationships by asking about them
-maintain past relationships
-smile and tell them how glad you are to see them

early arrival
-ask, what has God done in your life this week? what did you learn about God this week?
-remove distractions (toys brought, if they seem upset talk to them about it)
-friendly welcome, by name. ask something specific to what the child cares about
-be early so that you are able to greet the children

large group time
-make connections between the bIble and their lives
-tie each lesson back to Jesus
-help them like sunday school
-make every child feel accepted

small group time
-tie the activity/craft into the lesson
-enforce scripture reading
-engage each child (eye contact, names)
-contact outside of church

class prayer time
-voice sentence prayers
-talk about each prayer request
-have children lead in prayer
-follow-up on requests
-positional prayers
-an open line – any time
-learn verses to help children with learning how to pray

children’s church, music, coorperate worship
-use music that hides God’s truth in their hearts
-participate with kids in music. be an example
-use the Bible on their level. make it meaningful, applicable, and personable

seeing kids outside of church
-know their name and recognize something about them
-stop and take time to speak to them
-speak to the parent about them/brag on them
-try to attend an event they are involved in

About Me

Danielle has over 25 years of kidmin experience and she possesses a great fervor for sharing, discipling, and shepherding children and families with the message of Jesus Christ. Danielle is a well-respected leader and trainer in the area of Children's Ministry and has spoken regionally at local churches and nationally at children’s ministry conferences. She is a curriculum writer for Gospel Project Kids. and Awana brite. She has also written the following resources: “God’s Brave Girl” Leader and Student Guides (Lifeway), “The Gospel God’s Plan for Me” Leader and Student Guides (Lifeway), and the Younger KidMin chapter for “Children’s Ministry Volunteer Handbook” (Outreach). Danielle is the lead instructor for the Children's Ministry Certificate at beadisciple.com. In 2010, Danielle was named by “Children’s Ministry Magazine” as one of the top 20 Children’s Ministry Leaders to watch. Danielle’s blog, dandibell.com, is one of the top 100 kid’s ministry blogs.
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The posts on this site are my own personal opinions. These posts do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the companies I write for or my church.