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 [...]
The Fruit of Certification— This year we celebrated 5 years of our Children’s Ministry Certification program! 5 years equals 160 men and women who have spent 12 months evaluating and growing children’s ministry in their churches. Children’s Ministry at CDM comes alongside churches by helping them pave the way for intergenerational connections [...]
Finding Rest in Ministry Rhythms— I love an old-fashioned paper calendar. I spend time marking it up with all kinds of colors based on the occasion. Later this month, there is a week outlined bright orange and blue with BEACH written in big letters. Beach Week happens towards the end of every [...]
Long Term Planning with the End in Mind— Long-term planning has always excited me. Seeing the big picture, setting goals to get there, and visualizing the end-product is one of my favorite things to do. I sit down with my paper planner, pens in a rainbow of colors, a cup of coffee, [...]
Ready or Not, Let Go! Short-Term Planning in a Church Planting Context - One Thursday evening, my senior pastor texted me the news. Our permit for Sunday worship in the local high school that week had been canceled. Not again! My head immediately began to go through a mental checklist of next [...]
Hop Off the Hamster Wheel: Getting Ahead of the Coming Sunday— Is nursery covered? Did I remember to make copies of the lesson for Children’s Church? Who texted me last night to tell me they weren’t going to be here on Sunday? Do I have enough volunteers? Which teacher asked me for [...]
A Family of Faith Across Time and Geography— The theme of “Knit Together in Worship” strikes a powerful cord for me because we had young children in the pew with us for over thirty years as our nine children grew up. My husband and I realized that we are knit together in [...]
Discipleship Is Not a Distraction - I’m a mom of two “littles,” ages four and two, with two more on the way. When my oldest was two, my husband and I decided to begin bringing her into corporate worship. We had been learning more about the benefits of having children in worship [...]
Grief and the Gift of Corporate Worship— I grew up in a family that attended church services every Sunday, no exceptions. Although I will admit this habit wasn’t especially inspiring to me at a young age, my parents’ commitment to regular corporate worship built a similar habit in me. During and shortly [...]
Messy Reminders of God's Faithfulness— “Look at this mess.” That thought often crosses my mind at the conclusion of the benediction as I survey the floor and pews around me. On any given Sunday you may find ripped up bulletins, paper-airplane care cards, books, drawings, markers, the occasional spilled water, and maybe [...]