Family Traditions— Yikes! It’s that busy, busy time of year—parties, play practices, Christmas concerts, cookie baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating—whew! You may find yourself wondering, “How on earth can I do it all, make the holidays meaningful, and still survive?” Well, dear parent, let’s start off with taking a deep breath. Recognize that [...]
Illustrating Hymns for Young Hearts— My love of hymns began at a very young age. Both my parents have a great love for hymns and had a large impact on my desire for singing songs of praise that are packed with deep biblical truths. Growing up, I also had the opportunity to attend [...]
Christmas! A Wonderful Way to Connect with Parents— I’m one of those people who loves Christmas. The lights, music, decorating, special foods and family traditions are a welcome part of the season for me. As a young mom with young children, I looked for ways to make Christmas into a joyous celebration of [...]
Little Hearts Prepare Him Room with Holly Mackle— In the midst of the hurry and scurry of the Advent season, how do you best prepare your heart to meet Christ? Join Holly Mackle and Karen Hodge as they discuss both theologically rich and tremendously fun ways to celebrate Advent with your family. [...]
The Long View of Discipleship— The annual Leadership Training Retreat has easily become one of the things I most look forward to each year. Three days spent in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, delicious food shared with new and old friends, worshipping with other believers, and learning alongside others in similar roles [...]
Engaging Pastoral Leadership in Child Protection— Sadly, I have seen it happen far too many times. The children’s ministry director attends a conference, signs up for a seminar on child protection, brings home some good resources, and starts to write child protection documents. They invest a lot of time in making church [...]
Reflecting on Summer Ministry— The transition time between the summer season and an academic season of ministry is often an overlooked opportunity. Sustaining summer ministry requires a good amount of effort, as does being ready for the fresh new season of ministry that comes with the beginning of the school year. These [...]
Teaching Children to Bring their Cares to God— The children who enter the children’s ministry classroom each week do not leave their baggage at the door. They arrive with all the feels accumulated throughout the week. They carry with them worries, sorrows, and cares from life lived in a fallen world. One [...]
There is Still Time to Plan for Summer— Are you in the middle of planning your summer for children's ministry? Are you still thinking through a VBS option for the summer? CDM offers a curriculum that provides in-depth Bible lessons, emphasizes Scripture memory, is Gospel centered and is FUN for children and [...]
There is Still Time to Plan for Summer Are you in the middle of planning your summer for children's ministry? Are you still thinking through a VBS option for the summer? CDM offers a curriculum that provides in-depth Bible lessons, emphasizes Scripture memory, is Gospel centered and is FUN for children and [...]