Last week, I was interviewed by Tom Bump from the Kids Ministry Collective regarding topics such as being a woman in leadership, recruiting men to serve in kidmin, ministry joys and challenges and my new book releasing next month! Take a listen when you can and let me know what you think!
To listen to the podcast, click here.
A few weeks ago, I attended my very first Children’s Pastors Conference (CPC) in Orlando, Florida. I was invited to lead a few one-on-one coaching sessions (which I absolutely loved!), participate in a Women in Leadership panel and lead a breakout about free and low-cost volunteer appreciation ideas.
Here are a few highlights from that breakout session:
4 P’s of Volunteer Appreciation
Volunteer appreciation should be:
Purposeful
This is the ‘why’ – we should have a purpose or reason for appreciating our volunteers. Knowing the ‘why’ sets the course for the other 3 P’s, so it’s important to establish this first.
Questions to consider:
Personal
This is the ‘what’ – what speaks their love language? What do they like?
Questions to consider:
Plentiful
This is the ‘when’ – show them appreciation regularly!
Question to consider:
Practical
This is the ‘how’ – how will show them you appreciate them?
Question to consider:
Free Volunteer Appreciation Ideas
My breakout attendees shared their favorite free volunteer appreciation ideas (I threw in a few, too). Here are some ideas to get you started:
Low-Cost Appreciation Ideas
My breakout attendees also shared their favorite low-cost volunteer appreciation ideas (I threw in a few here , too). Here are some ideas to get you started:
Appreciating those who’ve said YES to serving doesn’t have to break the bank. A little creativity and heartfelt gratitude go a long, long way.
Find even more ideas on my Volunteer Appreciation Pinterest board. If you’re looking for last-minute Valentine’s Day ideas, check out my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board.
What are some of your favorite free or low-cost volunteer appreciation ideas? Share them with me below!
*Note: My first draft of this post was written before news broke that five Dallas police officers were killed in an ambush attack during a protest rally. My final draft reflects this tragedy.
There are no words, friends. No words. For me, there’s been more tears than words. If you have followed national news in the U.S. over the past several days, you are aware of the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and now five Dallas police officers. While I usually don’t post or discuss political or racial issues on my social media platforms (I don’t think this is the best forum for these issues to be discussed), the recent tragedies have impacted me deeply. Deeply.
As a girl in Sunday school, I grew up singing a familiar song:
Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Watching recent events have horrified me and honestly, caused me to become fearful. Fearful for my children and other children I love. I’m sad that this is being played out and will become part of their history.
I am mom to a 20-year old son, who inspired this post (an excerpt) to my personal Facebook page just 24 hours ago:
When Daniel [my son] started driving years ago, I talked to him ad nauseam about what to do if he was ever pulled over in a traffic stop. Where to keep his hands. How to speak to the officer. How to tell the officer if he needed to pull his wallet out of his back pocket or the glove box. AD NAUSEAM.
And why? Because no matter how much of “a fine young man” or “respectable young man” or “good boy” he is, to some, he COULD be perceived a threat. Simply because he’s a black male.
His life matters. It matters to me. A LOT. The lives of every black man in my family matters to me. A LOT.
As uncomfortable as I feel posting this, we need to be uncomfortable. We need to talk about what is happening, why this keeps happening….
The purpose of this post is not to garner a debate about whether or not these shootings were ‘justified’. Rather, I’d like to reflect on how these types of issues impacts our kids and how ministry leaders, parents and volunteers (Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, etc.) can respond.
As my family and I watched the shootings in Dallas unfold last night, I held my 17-year old daughter. We both watched in disbelief at what we were watching. (Sadly, we watched unrest unfold in our city of Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray last spring). It breaks my heart that these images will be forever etched in her heart. She will never forget what she was watching and how she was feeling. As her mom, my heart hurts for her.
Likewise, kids in our ministry are hurting, angry, frustrated, confused. Many of these children will walk through our church doors this weekend after, once again, being affected by the world they live in. Here’s what I know:
Conversations are happening. My social media outlets were flooded with images and outrage over what has occurred. People are angry and rightfully so. People are venting their frustrations and are again coming to terms with strained race relations in our country.
Our kids are listening and watching. They are listening to these conversations and watching the news. They are asking questions like my 8-year old niece asked my mom (her grandmother):
Ranny, why do they hate us so much?
In another instance, Lisa Harper, a well-known Christian speaker and author, is mom to a child of color. She shared her daughter’s exposure to racism recently. Here is an excerpt from her post (you can read the post in its entirety here):
…I can’t explain what it felt like recently when two young men wearing expressions contorted with meanness hurled a Coke can in our direction, then yelled the n-word at Missy before peeling away when we were simply walking out of a convenience store holding hands…
Why does a 6-year old and an 8-year old have to grapple with this? Why are young children asking these questions?
Let’s be real. Some of the children in our churches are victims of racism on a regular basis. Some of them live in communities where bloodshed is commonplace. This is not ok. Not ok. No 15-year old boy should have to publicly mourn his father during a news conference. No 4-year old baby should have to witness a killing in the front seat of a car she’s riding in. No child of a police officer should have to deal with the loss of a parent who went out to do his or her job.
As I shared in response to a comment left on my personal Facebook page, prejudice, stereotypes and intolerance are unfortunately being modeled and taught in homes, in workplaces, and in communities. While we cannot control the hatred of others, we can determine that our homes, our churches, our ministries can be a welcoming, safe place for all children. How? Here are a few suggestions:
Ministry Leaders
Teach them how their words have impact and how to ‘watch the way they talk’ (Ephesians 4:29).
Parents and Volunteers (Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, etc.)
This list is my no means exhaustive but it’s a start. It’s a step toward modeling what it means to be the Church…worshiping together, serving together, loving each other and living together in peace. A true picture of heaven on earth.
Keep the conversation going. How will you minister to the children under your care?
As a little girl, I loved to go to church. I mean loved. It was the favorite part of my week. I remember walking through the doors of my church excited to be with friends and adults that I loved. The atmosphere in that pink (yes, pink!) classroom was warm and welcoming. The adult leaders taught me songs and scripture verses that I still remember to this day (and sing aloud occasionally). I was introduced to bible stories that deeply impacted my life. These precious experiences impacted my life so deeply that I wanted other kids to love going to church just as much as I did. Little did I know at that moment that God was preparing me for the call He had on my life.
When I began serving in Children’s Ministry as an adult, that desire was my drive…I wanted other kids to love going to church just as much as I did – even more than I did! I wanted to create experiences that would help kids know how much the God who created them loved them and cherished them. I wanted children to make friendships that could become lifelong. I wanted children to treasure God’s Word and be excited to learn it, know it and do what it says. I wanted children to develop a love of Jesus, one that would sustain them a lifetime.
You see, for me, leading Children’s Ministry is remembering that each child has Kingdom potential. That means seeing each child who walks through the doors of my church as children who might one day grow up and be a dynamic Christ-follower. That means seeing them not as the church of tomorrow but as the church of today. God is working in their lives now, preparing them for the call He has on their lives.
Who but God knows the future He has for them? Maybe the next great theologian, pastor, ministry leader or church planter is sitting in one of your classrooms right now. Maybe God is preparing a boy or girl in your ministry to be the next author, politician, artist, business leader, or teacher to turn the world upside down for His honor and glory.
That’s why what we do each week is so much bigger than what we can see with our human eyes. Each week, we are privileged to welcome children through the doors of our church…children who come to us with all sort of family backgrounds, personalities, gifts, talents and potential.What we are part of is Kingdom investment right now. What an honor to be part of influencing the life of a child who might change the world and shine bright for Jesus!
If you’re a kidmin leader or volunteer, there’s something I’d like to challenge you to do. The next time you hold your mid-week or weekend programming, I want you to look around at all of the children in attendance. Look them in the eye. Look beyond the challenging behavior, family circumstances or personality issues. Look at them through a new, fresh lens…as one who could make Jesus known to a world who desperately needs Him.
If you’re a parent, there’s something I’d like to challenge you to do. Do everything you can to plug your child into a church that helps them know and follow Jesus, one that challenges them to grapple with what they believe and challenges them to put their faith in action. Attend church regularly so that your child can be connected to leaders and peers who can encourage them along their spiritual journey. Help them see the church as another voice to speak into their lives.
Keep the conversation going! How might this change in perspective affect how you minister and parent this week?