Advent While Suffering- With God’s help, we remember. Advent is a special time for individual families and for our covenant church families as well. The decorations, the music, the lights, the nativity scenes all invoke a true thrill in the air. But seasons of joy are often accompanied by seasons of affliction [...]
Now the Light of Life Has Come!— “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). To live in December is to know the yearning for a spring sun and the light that it brings. The long, dark days can dampen even the cheeriest of hearts. [...]
How to Encourage Parents to Fear Not When You Are Not a Parent Yourself— Being a Children’s Ministry Director can be very rewarding. It can also be challenging. No surprises there, right? But add to that another layer, such as being single, not having children of your own, or being younger than [...]
Be Present— He repeatedly screamed at the top of his lungs, “Shut the _ _ _ _ up!!”, spitting in my face, as I did my best to hold this terrified 4-year-old stranger. His relentless violence toward me left me clueless of what to do, so I simply held him and prayed. [...]
Fear Not Suffering— Oh, the bliss of being engaged to be married. As a young Christian, I remember being surrounded by godly women who were already parents to a couple of children. They loved Jesus and their spouses and would jokingly but seriously say, “Marriage will really sanctify you. You will see [...]
Fear Not Family Worship- “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation [...]
Fortune Cookie Theology For Parents and Ministry Leaders— I love Chinese Food. Truly I do. White rice or fried rice, hot and sour soup or egg drop, General Tso's chicken or beef with broccoli—it all works for me! But my favorite part of the meal is (by far) at the very [...]
Going Outside the Grounds— **This is an interview between Jimmy Brock (Pastor at Resurrection Community Church) and Heather Williams (Nursery Director at Chesapeake Presbyterian Church)** How did you all get started doing backyard Bible clubs? It's something that our previous children's ministry director had done at a church before and brought to [...]
The Missional Family— Chuckling and shaking my head, I recently retold the account of the time my oldest son re-broke his arm the same day he got his cast off. I had signed up through Meal Train to take dinner to not one, but two foster families with new placements and was [...]
Making Sundays Welcoming— My mother has served in children’s ministry for most of her life, leading programs at three different churches in the DC area: one as the volunteer Sunday School Superintendent, and two others as the full-time director of children’s ministry. I asked her to share some thoughts on making Sundays [...]