Good signage in a must-have in kidmin. Not only does good, quality signage add a touch of decor to your space but it also helps families navigate their way through your ministry area.
Last summer, our ministry had new logos designed (one for each of our 4 ministry areas) and those logos were a part of new signage for our entire Children’s Ministry space.
Here are a few of the signs that were added to our space:
Our ministry has two entryways; this is the sign above one of themNursery entrance signOne of my favorite walls – leads to our Preschool areaPre-K room signAcross the hall from our Preschool classrooms is a corresponding wall signOne of our directional signsAnother directional signChildren’s Library signSign above our Elementary Ministry entranceDirectional sign to our Preteen Ministry area
If you look closely, you’ll see that we were not afraid to use bright, kid-friendly colors on the walls. We’ll save the story behind that for another post.
In the meantime…How do you use signage in your kidmin? Share below – pictures are welcome!
Last week, I received an email from Target’s CEO regarding the store’s recent data breach. The email contained an apology for the incident and steps the company was taking to be proactive in remedying the situation.
No one in a leadership position is perfect. We all make mistakes. The real test comes when things go wrong. Will you own the mistake and take steps to correcting the situation or will you sweep it under the rug, pretending that nothing happened or – gasp – passing the blame onto someone else?
In my opinion, smart leaders:
listen intently before speaking
take ownership for any wrongdoing
ask for forgiveness
work to find a solution to make things right
listen some more
Doing these things will not only make you a stronger leader but you will gain and keep the trust of those you lead.
What would you add to the list? What else can leaders do to remedy situations gone wrong?
One of our adult leaders called me last week to let me know what a fabulous job the student leader working with her was doing. So, I wanted to acknowledge the student leader’s service with a personal note. Here’s an edited version of what I wrote:
Dear [Student Leader},
I wanted to let you know how wonderful it is to have you serve as a student leader in [Children’s Ministry]. I’ve heard how great you are with the children – how you welcome them, help them get settled, how you make them laugh and how helpful you are to [the adult in charge].
Keep up the good work. Serving as a student leader is a big responsibility. When children come to church, it is our opportunity to share God’s love with them. That opportunity is a gift from God, one that is very important and one that we must take very seriously.
You are doing a fabulous job of sharing Jesus with the [children] and we are blessed to have you on our team. You are awesome!
Love,
Miss Kathie
Do you have students serving in your ministry? How can you encourage them this week?
Happy New Year, friends! I hope your New Year is off to a fabulous start! My New Year started with a vacation – my first cruise – to the Caribbean. It was a long overdue vacation and I did not have any problem relaxing…the weather was warm, the food was great, the company was sweet and the views were amazing. See for yourself:
The view from my room on the cruise ship – Sunset over the Atlantic Ocean
When I returned home, there were lots of things to catch up on – opening mail, unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, email, catching up with my family (who stayed behind while I was away). “Where should I start?”, I asked myself.
Have you found yourself asking the same question? Ministry – and life in general – can be filled with long to-do lists. It can be overwhelming knowing where to start. Here are a few pointers that have helped me:
Make a to-do list. Simple, right? It is a burden lifted when I take a few minutes to simply write down all of the things swirling around in my head.
Prioritize the list. Take an honest look at what you’ve listed and determine what’s immediate, what can wait, what can be delegated, what can be eliminated.
Move forward. Work your list and make your list work for you. Jump in and start knocking things off of the list. Don’t procrastinate!
Set time limits. What can you do in an hour? What can you do in five minutes? You might be surprised how much you can knock out when you’re focused and have a time frame to work within.
Eliminate distraction. No social media. No email. Put your cell phone on vibrate. Set your desk phone to “Do not disturb.” Go to a quiet place (I love working at the library). You get the idea.
Cross things off of the list as you work. Seeing things scratched off the list can be one of your biggest motivators!
How do you keep ‘first things first’? I’d love to hear what you do!
