So, what do you get when you add free tickets to Orange and free lodging plus no time to take off from work?  You get a very disappointed accountant. Up until this last weekend, I was still trying to figure out how I could swing it and make it to Orange.  Alas, it did not work out for me.

I am glad to see that several of our writers are attending the big event including: (more…)

Children with special needs. We all have them in our Sunday school classes. Some make us laugh, some frustrate us and some we have a hard time understanding their behavior.  Most of us are familiar with  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and/or autism but are unaware of other behavioral or developmental disorders that affect the children in our Sunday school classes. When we have a better understanding why a child behaves in a particular we can create our lessons in a way that is meaningful for them and be better able to managing their behaviors in a constructive way.

Every year children are diagnosed with many different behavioral, developmental or mental illness each year. For some children, they will  receive a dual diagnosis. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 13.1% of children ages 8-15, had a diagnosable disorder the previous year. Below are some of the statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), NIMH, National Alliance  on Mental Illness (NAMI) and National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) for your reference. 

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Happy Easter!  Tomorrow is the day we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the grave.  I think it is important to remember as we work our way through this Bible Reading challenge, that it all leads up to that moment. 

As we read about the Israelites and their struggles with idolatry and as we read of the wickedness (and occasional righteousness) of their leaders, the human condition becomes apparent and the need for a savior becomes evident.

He is risen!

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I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Kenny Conley.  He is an invaluable voice in the world of children’s ministry, and his blog (Children’s Ministry Online) was one of the first ones I discovered when I delved into the blogging world.  It has been a valuable resource ever since.  Though I have never met him person, I have learned a lot from Kenny over the last several years.

That’s why I was so excited last year when Kenny announced that he and his team from Gateway church were putting on the first ever Illuminate conference for his volunteers and other children’s ministry volunteers in the Austin, TX area.  Kenny’s heart for, and actions towards, equipping volunteers by bringing top notched speakers and information to his church really resonated with our goal here on Kidmin1124.  My only regret was that I did not live close enough to Austin to attend myself.

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“Daddy, I love you.” *silence* “Daddy, I love you!”

” I love you too buddy.”

“I told you this many times. Two. You didn’t say yours first time. Why?”

The above was a short conversation I had with my four year old son this morning. The conversation was very short but had a very strong impact on me. Kids want to know that they are loved.

My post will be as short as this conversation, but I hope it will also have a strong impact and will spark some conversation.

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Here at Kidmin1124, we love Jenny Funderburke.  Outside of our writers here (we have to say that) and Brother Jim Wideman, I think I have learned more about volunteers from Jenny than anyone else.  It is not the sole focus of her blog, but she does tend to write about them quite a bit.  In fact, we were lucky enough here at Kidmin1124 to talk her into writing a guest post for our blog titled When You’re Short on Volunteers. Rest assured, if she were a volunteer or bi-vocational, we would have her as part of our team here on Kidmin1124 . 

Lucky for us, we can just head over to her blog, Kidmin Thoughts, to enjoy her insights and wisdom.  Over the last couple of weeks, Jenny has been publishing a series called The People in Our World in which she is listing the various types of volunteers.  I don’t know when the series will be done (I hope never), but here is what she’s published so far:

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Did you hear that?  That was the sound of someone dropping the ball.  Unfortunately, that someone was me and I completely forgot to get our Bible schedule out on Saturday.  Here it is for your reading enjoyment.

Monday (April 18, 2011)

• Psalm 17, 35, 54, 63

Tuesday (April 19, 2011)

• 1 Samuel 28-31

Wednesday (April 20, 2011)

• Psalm 121, 123-125, 128-130

Thursday (April 21, 2011)

• 2 Samuel 1-4

Friday (April 22, 2011)

• Psalm 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21

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This week (April 11-15th) is the time to pull out all those great volunteer recognition ideas and honor those who help pull your Children’s Ministry together.  What?  You’re a little short on ideas?  Well, you’ve come to right place!  Here are some great ideas to show our Volunteer Team that you care:

• Personalized Magnets: You can get magnets the size of business cards with one sticky side for about $10/25. Create a fun message with some graphics in the size of a business card (2″ X 3.5″) and adhere it to the magnet. The volunteer gets a refrigerator magnet that reminds them how much they are appreciated.   (You might even be able to get them right now at Vistaprint.com). Submitted 24 Feb 2011 by Abby R
• Appreciation Stations: For National Volunteer Recognition Week, we had “Appreciation Stations”.  At each station the volunteers could pick a treat, tea, and a seed packet. All of the gifts had volunteer sayings on them.
  Submitted on 5 February 2009 by Samantha DeRooy
• Memory Keepsake CD: Various volunteer groups celebrate the accomplishments of a volunteer or leader by using a service called LifeOnRecord Events.  The way it works is that a toll-free number is given out to fellow volunteers, and other people the volunteer has touched.  People call in with stories of their favorite moments of time spent with the volunteer, favorite memories, or well-wishes.  All the recordings are compiled onto a keepsake CD.  There is special pricing for volunteer organizations.  Submitted on 15 March 2008 by Alaa El Ghatit
• Picture Keepsake CD: Along those same lines, you can make a video at Animoto.com with pictures from your ministry.  You can post to your website, embed on Youtube or download for $3.00-$6.00.  You could also play it during church announcements to make a public recognition of your volunteers.  Check out one of the videos we’ve done on Growing Kids Ministry.
• Dollar Store: Go to the dollar store and find cute cheap things that I can write nice sayings with for my student staff.  For example, I buy Pop Rocks candy and attach a note telling them “you rock for…” Submitted on 1 April 2005 by Rachelle
• National Volunteer Week Packet: A great National Volunteer Week packet is located on the University of Nebraska – 4-H website. It has a lots of general recognition ideas! Submitted by Tina Veal, Extension Assistant, Youth Development, McLean County 4-H, Illinois
• Host a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch: Now that the weather is getting warmer, this would be fun as a backyard BBQ where volunteers brings pot luck items for lunch and the site is decorated with low-cost items from the Dollar Store. Welcome the volunteers to invite their family and friends. Take a minute to thank each volunteer.
• Coffee: (Fuel for life!) Give your volunteers coffee (bag of beans in a coffee mug) or coupons to local coffee shops.  If you’ve got more eco-friendly group, consider Nalgene or Camelbak water bottles.
• Hang it High: Put up a large thank-you banner with all of the volunteers’ names (make your you get them all!)

Make a Plan:

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Learning the names of the kids in our children’s ministry seems like an impossible task, but is an important part of what we do. For some remembering names will come easy and for others it takes more effort. Greeting a child by name is a way to communicate welcome and value to the kids and families we serve each week.

Here are just a few ideas on ways to help you learn and remember names:

• Make sure nametags are clearly visible  – the more you see something, the easier it will be to remember
• Call the kids by name as much as possible – the more you say something, the easier it will be to remember
• Do handwritten notes on a regular basis – the more you write something, the easier it will be to remember

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It happened again! You have a children’s ministry activity planned and someone else is using the room, the equipment, or whatever, hindering your planned event. You get so frustrated and want to scream!

I’m sure that has never happened to you

It happened to me last night. We entered the church to find someone painting part of the set for the Easter production in the gym where we hold game time for Awana. When asked if they could be moved, the answer was, “they’ll have to work around it.” Not only was the space being used an issue, but the fumes from the paint were permeating the building and the classrooms adjacent to the gym which are used for Awana and youth.

I now have a snap decision to make. How do I handle this situation? Awana is a planned weekly event and it is known that the gym is a key part of the night. Plus the fumes, how do I accommodate the rooms impacted by the fumes? Do I pull out the righteous indignation and demand they relocate the props and paint elsewhere? Here is how I handled the scenario:

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