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CDM’s mission is to strengthen the Church through connections. Through articles, podcasts, and resources we want to help connect you with people and tools that will help you in ministry.
Ministry to children can often feel lonely, but we hope this site will be a place that will encourage you and equip you for a lifetime of investing in the next generation. You are part of God’s covenant community and your investment in the little ones really does matter to God.
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Ready or Not, Let Go! Short-Term Planning in a Church Planting Context
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 steps. Make a new plan for Sunday, check. Notify volunteers, check. Notify parents, check. Purchase a new box of crayons for Sunday, check. Determine what other supplies I need to gather or print, check. Having moved twenty-two times, between eight locations, in fewer than seven years, this [...]
Hop off the Hamster Wheel: Getting Ahead of the Coming Sunday
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 stickers? Is check-in going to work? Did I remember all the things? Round and round the wheel goes. Sundays, unfortunately, can be stressful. We are so caught up in all of the details, that we oftentimes let the actual purpose of Sunday—worshiping and spending time with our [...]
A Family of Faith Across Time and Geography
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 one huge Church family which spans time and geography, and we are a piece of that Church family in our community today. As a Sunday school teacher and author of biographies for children, I’d like to share a few insights from history that encouraged us as we [...]
Discipleship Is Not a Distraction
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 early through people in our church and through reading Jason Helopoulos’s Let the Children Worship. We wanted to be aware of her age and teach her that corporate worship was for her, too. We started with small steps. She would come in for our time of praise, [...]
Grief and the Gift of Corporate 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 after my college years, my parents were both diagnosed with serious illnesses: mom with ALS, and dad with cancer. In the years following, my husband and I lived with my parents while we started our own family. We were a multi-generational household for about ten years, and [...]
Messy Reminders of God’s Faithfulness
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 even pen marks on the pew Several families, including mine, sit in this section of the sanctuary, so there are a lot of children squished tightly into the pews trying to sit by each other. During the services the parents are regularly navigating all the fidgeting, crying, [...]
Join Us For Grow Virtual
Join us for Grow Virtual— I love people! Relationships with others help me thrive. If you know me, you may be surprised to learn that I am an introvert because relationships are so richly rewarding for me and always worth my time. This is where I confess that the virtual conference is hard for me. Sitting behind a computer in preparation and in front of a camera for presentation are not my idea of fun. However, Grow Virtual is an important part of our ministry! Not everyone is able to travel to make meaningful connections with others in children’s [...]
Inviting Children Into Prayer
Inviting Children Into Prayer Prayer. One word that encompasses many opportunities for those who are in Christ. It’s an action, a command, our part in a relationship with our Savior, and a calling we, both as parents and as adults within the covenant family, are responsible to bring our children into. Where do we even begin? We recount the events from Mark 10:13-16. Chances are that if you have been called to children’s ministry in your own church, you have read this account numerous times, finding solace and hope and encouragement to keep on serving in this particular ministry. [...]
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