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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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Nursery: Where It All Begins
Nursery: Where It All Begins! — When you hear the word nursery, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Some of us think, “Oh, I love holding babies!” Some of us think, “I need more help!” And some think, “I want to teach them, but I’m not sure what to do.” Let’s look at the divisions of nursery, the musts for a successful nursery, and the nursery connection to children’s ministry. Divisions of nursery are important to understand as we launch into nursery leadership: Infants – our youngest who simply smile and gurgle (with a little spit-up [...]
Ages and Stages: How To Teach Children Well
Ages and Stages: How to Teach Children Well— If you have been around children at all, it does not take long to see how much they change and develop even from week-to-week. In the nursery we see them go from only laying on their back to crawling in what seems like the blink of an eye. In preschool we see them go from talking in a few words to carrying on seemingly long conversations to counting to 100. How did that happen? When they arrive in elementary school we go through the sometimes painful first steps of reading where [...]
Thank You God for Autism
Thank You God for Autism— The police came again. My husband got to share with them about our son, John, who lives with autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette syndrome. John loves to walk and pace on our neighborhood street these days. This past week I came out into our front yard to search for our John and found my 6-foot son walking down our neighborhood street shirtless, with his head turned upward towards the sky, marching in the middle of the road. He was so free and so focused. John’s freedom at this moment was confusing and perplexing to some of our neighbors [...]
Fear Not Parenting—Fear Not Disability
Fear Not Parenting: Fear Not Disability— I can still remember the question the nurse asked my wife and me in the hospital room not long after our son was born: “Are you familiar with Trisomy 21?” We were not familiar with this term until she explained it was the more technical term for Down Syndrome. This was the first time we heard that our son was going to be different than we had imagined, and the life we had envisioned would be taking a significant detour. Disorientation The disorientation of having a child with a disability can be all-encompassing. [...]
Fear Not Technology
Fear Not Technology— You may have already seen the videos of young people walking down the sidewalk, riding the train, eating at restaurants, or even driving a car with the Apple Vision Pro® plastered across their faces. These images are concerning and scary. This new technology is an amazing tool for connecting the user to the world online but blinds them to their surroundings and isolates them from the people around them. The pattern is true almost any time a new technology is released: we see the blessing of its benefits along with the possible challenges and dangers to [...]
Fear Not Parenting in the Present Age
Fear Not Parenting in the Present Age— In our house, the evening routine includes watching the local news before we turn in. I’m often ready to shut off the TV long before the half-hour newscast is over, as coverage of national and world circumstances gets harder and harder to watch, especially when sleep is the next thing on the schedule. War, famine, genocide, politics, the economy, and changing cultural norms weigh heavy on our minds and hearts. Our older daughter was just a year old when the events of September 11, 2001, occurred. I well remember working through a [...]
Fear Not Parenting—Encouraging Parents to Parent without Fear
Fear Not Parenting: Encouraging Parents to Parent without Fear— I just heard about another school shooting. My neighbor told me her daughter brought home a pornographic book from the school library. A friend had to pull her child out of school because he was bullied so badly. Those great little fruit pouches might have dangerous levels of lead. Transgenderism is a fad among our nation’s youth. This is the worst season for RSV, colds, and flu in decades, not to mention Covid is still out there. This world is scary! Our kids are in danger physically, emotionally, and spiritually, [...]
God Never Stops Hugging You
God Never Stops Hugging You - Once a month during the school year we have a program called “First Wednesday.” On the (you guessed it!) first Wednesday of the month, we switch up our midweek Bible study and do a topical study with three different age groups. Staff members come and teach while we “beef” things up with games, music, and a dress-up theme. This year, we’re studying the Attributes of God. I do music, games, and the lesson with the 4s, 5s and Kindergarteners each month. As I prepare for my lesson, I always think about the one [...]
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