Dear friends in Christ...please advise me on how to check into your archives.
--from SSTN: the archives are easy--to-use. You can: a) search for specific words or topics from past issues of SSTN, as well as information only found in the website, or b) search for a specific past issue of the newsletter by its number and date. You'll find links on the home page and a search box at: http://www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com as well as the actual archive page with instructions at: http://www.sundayschoolnetwork.com/archives.html
From the very beginning of the newsletter, back in Jan. 2000, I realized this would be a valuable resource. I can attest to the fact that many thousands of people use it every week to find information for their ministries.
Your webservant, Sarah Keith <><
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2) Changing Children's Church?
Help. I am currently the Director for Children's Ministry at our church. I am in a situation where I feel we need to change the current structure for our Jr Church. Our church does not adapt well to change.I have presented an idea as far as the curriculum, and what my vision is for the children's church program. They were all listening, but felt I would have to downsize my ideas and plans until such time they see the growth. I want to make our Children's Church exciting and a fun place to come to week after week. A place they can call there own. Space is an issue as well. I may have to share my space with another Sunday School class, this is not a problem but storage is. We would have to take down and set up every week. I really need some ideas and suggestions on where to go from here. I need your prayers and suggestions concerning this issue as I am getting very discouraged. I truly feel God is calling me to this, but there are so many roadblocks. I have used this site many times and have found really great ideas for my classes, keep up the great work Sarah
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3) Working Together Demonstration
Our church recently had a Ministries Fair. It was wonderful to see all the ministries that are taking place in our church. Every thing was represented from Children's Ministries to the Health and Fitness Ministry. During the service they did a demonstration that really drove home the idea that each ministry is important.
Supplies needed: a cynder block up on end and an 18 inch piece of sewing thread for all the leaders and each of the children (or congregation in a smaller church)
One of our deacons happens to be a big guy. He was challenged to pick up the cynder block only using the thread given him. First our two pastors gave him their two threads and of course the threads broke. Next all the elders and deacons gave him their pieces of thread to put together and lift the block. The threads broke. Lastly, all the children (about 60) brought their thread to him and he bunched them together. With those 60 threads he was able to lift the block. Of course those threads represented everyones participation in ministry and that we all have a roll to play in the spreading of God amazing grace.
Kara Ceres, CA
--from SSTN: awesome!
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4) Growing In God's Word
To All Committed Sunday School Teachers:
I have been reading all of the responses to Shawna's email, and I must say that Margaret's response has been the most loving, compassionate, caring response that I have read. Instead of responding with contempt and disdain to Shawna's request for assistance, let's try to show the loving spirit that Jesus would display in this situation. Yes; being a Sunday School teacher does require continued commitment. I've taught our teenage Sunday School class for 6 years, and some days are more difficult than others. However, I know that God will continue to sustain me if I keep my thoughts and focus on Him. I know that when I was new in my role as a teacher, I needed a lot of encouragement and understanding (not deriding and ridicule). My fellow teachers provided me with this support, and many times they provided me with lessons as I began to build my own file of lesson plans. Instead of judging and making our Sister in Christ feel unworthy of God's love and unworthy of her new role, let's embrace her and assist her as much as possible. Thank you Margaret for your loving response. God will bless you.
Traci
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Pentecost Sunday Craft
A great activity to accompany lessons on the giving of the Holy Spirit and formation of the early church. You can find it listed in the "Easy Make N' Take" downloads section at:
I am the volunteer Youth Group Coordinator for our Catholic Youth Ministry. This is something we tried last fall and will do again Fall 2006. Last fall, I approached the men & women of our parish to sponsor a teen in prayer. The Prayer Angels (as we called them) prayed daily for their teen. Once a month(that would have been Aug., Sept., Oct. Nov. & Dec), the Sponsor would mail them anonymously cards sharing their favorite Bible verse, prayers, words of encouragement,etc. Some of our Sponsors were so into it that they sent more than once a month. In Dec., I invited our Angels to the Youth Christmas Party. Where one of our other volunteers played a "guessing Game" to introduce the teens to their adult!! It was overwhelming how much everyone enjoyed themselves. We had the "guessing game", dinner(where the teen sat with their adult), and presentation of gifts. It was so fun for the teens to receive mail and they were so curious as to whom their sponsor was.
Earlier in Nov., we made gifts so that the teens didn't have to shop or spend money. That elimated trying to outdo one another or "forgetting" to shop. To take the pressure off the adults as to whether to buy a gift or not ...I ask them not to give them to them @ the party...what they chose to do own their own time was their business. We didn't want to lose the effect of the whole thing and that was PRAYER. No competition or comparing.
We had people asking to be Angels this coming fall...I already have a list. I loved being the only one who knew the identities. It was best that way because our other volunteers have teens in the group. My kids are young adults. We already have new craft and dinner ideas.
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6) Starting a Youth Group
How exciting to be starting a program for that age group! I work with the 7th and 8th graders and my church and they are a great group of kids. We meet once a week, but I think once a month would be good start out. We play games (group games like volleyball, kickball, couch game, etc. as well as board games.) and then share prayer requests and pray and they have a short bible study. They also love Movie nights. We did a series of lessons last year following the life of Moses and using Prince of Egypt movie. Each week we would watch whatever part of Moses life we were discussing, then we would read the scripture and distinguish what the Bible saves versus what he movie says. The kids loved it! Then after we finished the series we took a night and just watched the whole movie. If you need more ideas, you can email me at ckahler99@yahoo.com. I'd be happy to help! Courtney, NY
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7) Father's Day?
With Mother's Day just days away, I'm starting to think about Father's Day. I teach 4 and 5 year olds and would like some ideas for Father's Day gifts for them to make and take home to their dads. Thanks in advance!! Courtney, NY
I will assume that S.C.U.B.A. stands for Super Cool Underwater Bible Adventure. My daughter attended a DVBS that used the S.C.U.B.A. theme a few years. She was 4 years old. One of the crafts that she really liked and still has is a waterglobe made out of a small baby food jar. They filled the bottom of the jar with sand and then filled it to the top with water and a few little plastic fish/sea things. The jar lid was glued on so it can't be opened. The top of the jar lid was covered with a circle of construction paper and the theme of the Day was printed on the construction paper. I think it said Trust in God. Then they decorated the outside of the jar with sea stickers. So then she had a fish/sea water globe that was made very inexpensively. They also made placemats, big pieces of paper that the child finger painted on a water scene that was later laminated to be used as a place mat. Don't remember the exact details.
Virginia
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9) Starting a Youth Group
Mary,
My name is Summer Holbrook and I am the Youth Minister at a small UMC church in Dallas, Texas. We have about 160 in worship each Sunday and our youth group started with zero. I have grown our program to 20 regular youth and 35 youth for special events. I have been involved with youth ministry for most of my life. It is a wonderful ministry to be part of, but one of the hardest ministries of the church. My experience is that youth, no matter how long it has been since the last program, want a place to belong and church is just that place. If you have a great Sunday School program than you already have a solid base of youth to work with. As a motivation tool to get youth to come to church activities I use a “Star Chart”:
How does the star chart work and why should I care? The UMYF Star Chart is a way to win prizes and have fun sharing the good times we have at UMYF. Stars are earned for attending Sunday School, Worship, UMYF and other special events. Stars can also be earned by bringing a friend or two or three to events. You may only bring a friend two times and then the friend becomes a member of the Star Chart and then they begin to receive stars. The student with the most stars at the end of a quarter wins a prize for themselves and a friend (evangelism tool, usually they will ask a non-member to the prize event) Our prizes are things like a trip to the drive-in movies, laser tag, a trip to the lake on a church members boat, all chaperoned of course. The bigger and more fabulous the prize the better!
Our youth group meets every Sunday night from 5pm to 7pm. We begin with snack supper for 30 minutes, followed by recreation, announcements and then an hour program. The formula I use to plan activities is for a four Sunday month: Mission, Fellowship, Worship, Fund Raising. We do everything from Old fashioned Ice Cream Socials, Movie Night, Laser Tag, Catacomb Worship, Peter’s Walk, Soup Kitchen, Amigos Days, Dog Washes, Pink Flamingo Fund Raisers, Etc. If you can get them to come ever Sunday you will have repetition on your side. It’s so easy to forget to come to a once a month event, but if it every Sunday, it’s hard to forget. Definitely open the doors to everyone - not just members of the church. This can be accomplished by the star chart.
On the subject of finances, my church gave me a $500 budget for the year. Not enough! But I went out to the congregation and asked for special gifts of money to be donated to our new ministry, we now have over $2000 for the remainder of the year. People want to give, but you have to ask them and tell the specifically what it is for. The one-on-one approach is usually the best way to accomplish this task.
Keeping records is very important. I use a spreadsheet that includes everything from name, parents name, address, phone number, email, birthday, who brought them into the group, school, etc. Every Wednesday I send out a Constant Contact e-newsletter to the youth and parents to let them know what is going on for the week and month. Youth today prefer to communicate via email. But I also send postcard to the youth, for birthdays, youth that visited the group, and youth I haven’t seen in awhile. Mail makes them feel special. Phone calls in the beginning are very important, you must have direct communication with each and every youth at least once a week. This is easy for one person to do with 5 to 10 youth, but then you should delegate to youth sponsors.
Also medical release forms should become part of your program from the very beginning.
I am so sorry to go on, but these are all the very necessary things that you will need to know if you want to lead a successful youth group. Please let me know if I can do anything else for you.
Grace and Peace in the work to which you are called,
Summer
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