Don't Forget the Christmas Story!!!

Christmas is coming and to be totally honest, it's easy for us in children's ministry to get caught up in the fun aspects of Christmas. Just don't forget the reason for the season. Find creative ways to tell the Christmas story and share with the kids why Christmas is important.

In your Christmas events don't forget the story of Jesus. Christmas stories that explain symbolism without telling the story outright are fun, but don't forget to put the actual story in there somewhere. For example, the Legend of the Candy Cane or the Christmas Tree is a great supplement to the actual story, but should not be the only story you tell.

Lifeway's curriculum and the website www.missionarlington.com have wonderful Christmas curriculum that break the Christmas story into several weeks of lessons.

Speaking of the story, did you know that the wise men didn't visit Jesus in the stable? They visited while he was a toddler. Don't forget to reread the story for yourself to make sure you get your facts straight.

Christmas is a time where you get families in your church who typically don't walk through the doors any other time of the year. Take the opportunity as a time to reach out to those kids.

This is a little bit of a rabbit trail, but think about inviting kids who have visited your church events throughout the year to your Christmas events! What a great way to get your VBS visitors back before the summer!

Have a great time with all your Christmas events this season, but don't forget the Christmas Story!

Some Harvest Party Stories

First Baptist Church Sun Valley prepared for their Harvest Party. They got donations of candy and cake and prepared games and a cake walk. Imagine their delight when they had 100 people show up! Everyone had fun, and although they ran out of candy and cakes around 7:30, the church considered the event a success. They are hoping to see the kids who came to the party at church one day!

Spanish Springs Baptist Church worked hard and had 368 people attend. One volunteer worked hard on witnessing bracelets. She said that around 120 people heard the gospel and that one person accepted Christ as Savior!

South Reno Baptist Church had 800 people come to their Trunk-n-Treat! The participants had a great time playing games, jumping in the inflatables, and doing other activities.

Stay tuned for the Christmas stories that I am sure we will be getting from all over the association soon.

Reflections

October has been a crazy time for me. I am in that state of "in between." I am still here in Nevada and thrilled to see what God will do in the next 9 months. However, The realization that I only have 9 months left in Reno has started to hit me. I've had the privelege of getting to know so many amazing kids, both in the church and in the secular arena.

At the beginning of the month I visited New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I really enjoyed the time that I spent there and with friends in the days before and after the preview weekend. I got to see 4 kids from previous years ministry in Georgia. As I interacted with the kids, it was a reminder of how important childrens ministry is (and some of the heartbreaks of the ministry).

First of all, I love preschool/nursery ministry. I truely believe that God has given us the opportunity to pour into young lives as soon as they become nursery age and that we can make a difference in those lives. Just a smile and hug, and reminders that Jesus loves them can really help an infant. There is a bittersweet side of preschool ministry though. Preschoolers have limited memories. A wonderful relationship that you have with a 2 year old will most likely not be remembered if you don't stay in that child's life.

Those 2 years olds are now 4 year olds. When I visited my friends, their 4 year old son didn't remember me. He did enjoy looking at pictures on my computer from when he was little. Does this mean that all the time spent with him was worthless? Of course not! Maybe he doesn't remember "Miss Jen" but the spiritual foundation that was given to him through teachers and his parents make everything worth it.

Then, I had a major surprise. I didn't really expect a boy who was 4 to remember me. Sometimes older preschoolers do remember people, but it's better for me to not expect anything. I was thrilled when an (almost) 7 year old rode up on his bike with a huge grin on his face! He remembered me! Now, before you say anything, remember, this is a different city and a different enviornment than the one I worked with him in. Have you ever watched a kid see you in the store and go through that "wow she's a real person! moment?" I was thrilled that not only did he remember me, he told me a story from when I took care of him. I don't remember that time, but it could have happened!

Then there was the girl who was in 3rd grade when I moved. She was excited to see me, of course. I was excited to see her. I had taught her in Sunday School as well as baby-sitting her. As excited as she was to see me, the dodgeball tournament had her attention a little more than anything else. She introduced me to some of her friends and I really enjoyed seeing the smile on her face.

The last person I saw was a boy who was 11 when I left Georgia. Now he is 13 and has grown....a lot. However, as much as he changed, I can tell he is still very responsible.

So why, these musings? Just as I can see the difference in these children (and teenager) I can imagine how much God sees them growing in their walks with God (or future walk with God). I get a little sad when I think about the work I do with preschoolers here in Nevada knowing that they will probably not remember me as they get older. Yet the ministry I do with them is worth every moment. I pray if (or when) I can come back to visit Nevada I will be able to see fruit in their lives.

Don't get discouraged just because you are working with "babies." All too often we minimize preschool ministry into "babysitting." If that is all you see, you are missing a huge opportunity to make a difference in a child's life.

Halloween and Children's Ministry

Halloween and Children’s Ministry: What Is Halloween’s Place?

I know I am opening up a very controversial question with this blog, but I think it is good to look at the issues. I will not tell you to celebrate or not celebrate Halloween. That is your own personal conviction. I am curious about your opinions though. Please comment and let me know what you and your church plan to do about Halloween. Will you ignore it? Have a fall festival? Encourage it? I am interested in your responses.

Several Stories from Your Churches!

It's been awhile since I've had time to sit down and write, so I thought I'd share some of your stories.

Pastor Mark Launer from Neighbor's Christian Fellowship took an idea from the VBS book and expanded it. He took the braided bracelet idea from the curriculum and changed it to make a salvation bracelet. He used leather strips of green, white, and blue. The strips represented our sin nature (blue), Christ's perfection (white), and the new life available through Christ (green). He explained that God was perfect and could not allow sin to enter into heaven. He explained that we all have sinned and that makes us unable to get into heaven. Because Jesus came and lived a perfect life and died on the cross for our sins, we can have new life in Christ if we choose to follow him.

First Baptist Church of Sun Valley had a great back to school carnival! Kids could come and play 12 different games. At each booth they got an age appropriate school supply, so that by the end of the carnival, they were prepared for back to school! The kids had a great time and the members of the church loved seeing the joy on the kids faces.

A group of teachers and volunteers from South Reno Baptist Church gathered at Southwest Village Apartments for Back to School Blast. The kids worked hard all week to learn reading and math skills to help this school year. L, a second grader, told his math teacher, "I want to learn multiplication tables!" The next day he brought a multiplication learning tablet. In a group of kids who are mostly way below their grade levels in math, this was an exciting thing to hear. However, even more exciting than that was the "aha!" moments that kids had when they suddenly understood the math concept that they were learning.

Rural VBS

Last week I had the opportunity to visit two VBS's in rural Nevada and California.

Walker Baptist Church is a small church in rural California. Several years ago two missionaries began coming to the church to help with VBS. Today the missionaries still come to the church, and the kids are excited to see them. Each day the kids are given a paper with a memory verse on it. Their job is to memorize the verse and say it to 10 different people before the next day. The kids get into the activity and the Word is hidden in their hearts.

VBS Is A Time To Draw People to Your Church

G and L first visited Fellowship Community Church last year during VBS. They had a great time, so when they got a call this year telling them about VBS, they were excited to come back!

On Saturday after VBS Fellowship had a carnival for the kids who came to VBS and also for the community. G and L had fun playing all the games and during that time Mom was able to talk to several church members. A few weeks after VBS, G and L showed up at church. I don't know if they will come back, but that is just one example of churches using VBS to reach their community.

More VBS

What happens when unchurched kids collide with church at Vacation Bible School? A lot of fun.

The kids from Kids Club come from low income families in a local apartment complex, but they have one thing in common. Each Tuesday volunteers from South Reno Baptist Church come to their apartment complex for a great time of games, Bible study, snacks, and other activities. On another night of the week, tutoring ministry teaches these children who may not even be able to read, to discover the joy of learning.

South Reno invited the Kids Club children to their VBS. For many of the children it was an opportunity for a great time, a good meal, and many lessons about Jesus. Throughout this week their leaders have prayed that they would learn more about Jesus' gift for them.

Bringing the unchurched into a church building is not always pretty. Unchurched kids don't know our songs (come to think about it, that's what makes VBS great, no one knows the songs until VBS starts), our rules, or our church culture. Yet, we have the opportunity to change the lives of the kids who walk through our church doors.

South Reno gets the kids registered and offers a smiling face and love to the kids. The mostly white church opens their doors to children from mostly Hispanic backgrounds.

Bringing the kids to church isn't always easy. They don't have the money to buy t-shirts like the other kid's parents and church members have to drive them to church and back home. It's not a far drive, but it is a little out of the way for many members.

Why does South Reno go out of their way to reach these kids? Because they recognize the need to go outside of the church doors to bring children inside.


Granite Hills Baptist Church has a passion for VBS. Volunteers from youth to senior adults all get together to make the week a success. The churches' format allows plenty of time for reflection. The kids go to a rotation, then come to Bible Study for awhile, then leave for another rotation. After the next rotation the kids come back to Bible study. This seems to give the kids time to process what they learn before coming back to wrap up the study time.

VBS begins at 5:30, and most volunteers don't have time to hurry home and fix dinner, so the church provides dinner for volunteers. Teachers can sneak in for a quick meal after dropping kids off at rotations, and rotation leaders get a little free time during the night. The 3rd-4th grade class was amazed to learn that their teacher wasn't always a Christian and didn't meet Jesus until she was an adult. One boy in the 5th and 6th grade class decided that he was ready to ask Jesus into his life and to be his Savior.

The kids had a huge water balloon war and enjoyed getting everyone wet! A nice jump in the bounce house was a nice touch also.

The preschool class had a great time learning about Zaccheaus and were totally interested until one of the kids shoes "broketed." AFter that 15 other preschoolers had to gather around to see the shoe. The teachers did a great job of getting the kids back together and beginning a game of "hot potato."

We are three weeks into summer in Nevada and 8 VBS's have happened so far. I am thrilled to hear the stories from your churches!

Up to my elbows in....VBS

Summer has started and last week I was up to my elbows in VBS and working with a mission team.

I love introducing volunteer missionaries to Nevada. Our state has a unique beauty that teams from the South have often never seen before. Beyond the physical beauty of the state, the culture is very different from the South. Mission teams come and learn about our culture and fall in love with the people who live here.


This particular team came from southern Mississippi to help Fellowship Community Church with their VBS, a 6 hour daily adventure on Route 254. A six hour VBS in the daytime has it's challenges. Working people typically can't get the week off, so you are limited in volunteers. Six hours a day with kids can be tiring. However, the rewards are worth the challenges.

Two children, L and G came to VBS last year and were back this year. Although we hadn't seen them for almost a year, the kids had a great time and seeds were planted. They returned on Saturday for a family carnival hosted by the church and had a great time earning prizes.

Mike had never taught at VBS before, but he jumped in and had a great time with recreation. All the kids loved his games and he got to have a lot of fun.

Most of our churches have taken advantage of the western VBS theme, Saddle Ridge Ranch. This week five of our churches led the kids on Saddle Ridge Ranch. I had the priveledge of visiting four of the churches.


Calvary Baptist Church in Dayton, Nevada had a great time putting on their boots and western shirts and decorating the fellowship hall for Saddle Ridge Ranch. The backdrop was beautiful and the campsite and rock pit was a great touch. The kids had a great time dancing to the music and learning new songs. They learned to speak Xhosa in missions rotation and learned a lot about the South African Xhosa people group (great idea with World Cup going on!).

The preschoolers made horses out of pillows to ride to their next rotation. The kids had fun and it was cute to watch them "ride the horses" to music rotation. The kids are the perfect size to rock to class.


Capital Baptist Church decided to branch out this year and have VBS for preschoolers. The preschoolers had a great time learning about Joseph. The kids combined with a slightly older group for all the other rotations, which made for a great day. They had a great time popping balloons during recreation rotation. Snack time was fun and the kids seemed to love making bandannas in crafts time.

Capital's closing rally is so much fun. They mix their music rotation with adding a number of fun songs that the kids sing every year. The day I was there the "cowboys" were winning in the missions offering contest. It was fun to see the kids get into that.


"Discovery Week" is a fun week for all the kids at Discovery Fellowship Church. Discovery combines Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS with their own material to make a great outreach time for kids. They worship in an office complex and I loved seeing the complex transform into a barn with plenty of bales of hay.

They started out with YMCA and I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N (in every version imaginable). The kids were having a great time dancing and moving and enjoying the music. My favorite was watching them sing Jesus is the Rock and watching the kids roll across the floor and then jump back up.

Bible story was a great time of learning that God created the kids to be unique. They made belt buckles with pictures of what they liked to do, a great reminder that God made them different.

Music rotation was a great time for the kids to get to know the pastor of the church and the worship band as they played all sorts of fun kids songs. The kids had a great time getting wet in Recreation. The trick was getting wet without getting their belt buckles wet. Who succeeded? I really don't know. The kids had a great time decorating cookies and watching the missions video. The Cowboy church video really hit home with some of the kids.

For the closing rally the parents were encouraged to come into the sanctuary to view the closing rally. It was a great way to reach out. On the last day of VBS they brought in a petting zoo and a real cowboy to talk to the kids.


First Baptist Church Sun Valley has only been doing VBS for three years, but they improve every year. This year they took advantage of the cowboy theme to go all out in decorations. The pastor brought his equipment from his barn and the sanctuary was transformed. Leaders and kids wore color coded bandannas to keep each group together.

The music rotation was fun. They used the VBS songs, but instead of using the music video, the rotation leaders put a lot of time into learning each song and teaching it to the kids. The kids loved the time with the teachers and loved learning the music. Of course, having a leader who dances with several groups helped them to learn some of the more complicated moves! Her clogging costume also helped the kids get into the time.

To reach families First Baptist Sun Valley decided to do a Chuck Wagon complete with Beef in a Skin, Cowboy Style Frijoles, Chips, and Bronc Bustin Cowboy Tough Punch. The kids had a great time and learned a lot!


I love visiting so many VBS's because no church does VBS exactly alike. Some may reach out to the kids through fun gimicks, some use petting zoo, and some serve a home cooked meal! However the churches do VBS, what is important is that they are reaching out to families in their area.

Funny Story

If you've sat in any classes with me at any time you've probably heard me talk about how children are literal minded...

Yesterday I took 4 children (yes, in my little car!) to Second Baptist Church's VBS. Second is a great black church in our association. They really have a heart for kids and VBS is a church-wide event for all ages. As we were driving to the church, Preston, a five year old started asking questions. When we got to the church he looked at the building and said, that's not a black church!

Just a reminder that kids don't always hear what we think. I was thinking an ethnic group of people worshiping together. Preston heard a building painted black.

The rest of the night was so much fun. It was great to see kids being involved about learning about scripture. I loved seeing the kids faces glowing.

What do you get when you...

What do you get when you have an unusually cold night, an outdoor screen, Shrek the Third, bounce houses, cotton candy, sno cones, popcorn, and hotdogs? A really awesome outreach idea that reaches the whole family.

LifeChurch Reno has been having movie nights for the past few summers. They don't have a traditional VBS because they meet at a school and it is expensive to rent a building for a week. Instead they have three movie nights for this summer. They open the gate at seven and give the kids plenty of time to play in the bounce house and run off extra energy before the movie starts.

They greet everyone at the gate with a movie schedule and an invitation to Sunday morning services.

Looking for creative ways to reach families this summer? Consider fun events such as block parties and movie nights.

Prayer Walking for VBS? I think so!

I have a confession to make. First of all, although I started my time here with a strong committment to prayer-walking, over the past year, the business of life and ministry has gotten me out of the regular prayer-walking loop. However, I will let you know that if you had a VBS in Northwestern Nevada last year and I knew about it, I did at least prayer-drive your area. I hope to do as much prayer-walking as possible for activities this summer also (anybody want to help?).

We had five kids in children's church Sunday morning for the early service. I have taken two of the children in the class prayer-walking on at least two or three different occasions for other events.

Both girls expressed that they wanted to go do that "thing where we walked and then got ice cream (yes I reward the kids for good behavior, sometimes the weather conditions aren't great, but the kids have great attitudes!)

Now, before you accuse me of using bribery and tell me that the kids don't care about prayer-walking as much as they care about the ice cream, let me share a couple of stories.

When I prayer-walk with anyone I give them the freedom to pray however they like, whether that be out loud or silently. I encourage them to pray for things they observe, such as signs that kids live in the house or things that show an interest, like fishing or boating. Sometimes the kids pray for off the wall things that have nothing to do with the event we are praying for, but as a learning experience, I'm willing to deal with that.

One day I was prayer-walking with a girl and her mom. She went down the street praying for the man who worked on the sidewalk and the man who painted the fence. Amazingly, she wouldn't pray for anyone that she saw as we walked because she "didn't know them." Personally, I believe that whoever painted that fence (which looked like it may not have been painted in years) needed a special blessing that day.

Another day I was walking with another leader and 4 or 5 children. It was refreshing to hear the prayers of the kids who would pray out loud. Ranging in ages from 8 to 12, this crew knew their task and was eager to pray for everyone they saw.

Another group prayed for every house that they saw. It was a blessing to hear what they said.

With VBS coming up, will you consider using your children to pray for the event? Imagine how they will feel knowing that they had a big part in praying for VBS this year! Don't worry, you don't have to bribe them with ice cream!

VBS is Just Around the Corner

It's hard to believe, but VBS is coming faster than I'd like to admit. It's a great time to begin to reach out to the kids in our neighborhoods. We are three weeks away from our VBS clinic here in Sierra Baptist Association and the preparation is getting busy. We have all the clinic leaders together and have some great surprises in store at the clinic. What kind of surprises? Well, you'll just have to come to the clinic and see. Sorry, I had to throw that teaser in for the sake of my Nevada friends.

This year it seems that most of our churches are going to Saddle Ridge Ranch. Although my line dancing skills are sadly lacking...I'm looking forward to trying out some moves at music at Campfire Creek, seeing some cool crafts at Blazing Star Stables, having some games at Mustang Mountain, learning about missions at Firefly Cavern, and having some great snacks at the Chuckwagon.

We're going to be roundin' up questions and drivin' home answers in this exciting week of learning what God says about us. We will learn that "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him." James 1:5.

I hope that you will be able to join us with this VBS or any other themes that you may choose to use this year.

Do You Remember Me?

Sunday I visited a small church in the area hoping to see their children's musical. The musical had been canceled, but I did enjoy visiting in children's church. During welcome time in the service a girl approached me. I had noticed her earlier mostly because I realized she had grown almost six inches since I had last seen her. She asked me, "Do you remember me?" I did remember her, although her name did not come to me until after I was on my way home.

I haven't seen this girl in almost a year. I met her in 2008 at camp. Honestly, I didn't really interact with her much, besides her spraining her ankle during one of the rec games one day. Between visiting her church after camp and talking to her at the church Thanksgiving potluck I learned quite a bit about her and was able to encourage her quite a bit. She was baptized the year after camp, and although I couldn't be there, I was happy to hear about her decision to follow Christ.

What is the point of this story? Even the shortest encounters with a child can change their lives. Who can you encourage today?

Topaz Ranch Estates Kid's Club

I wanted to share this story about Topaz Ranch Estates Church Kid's Club. Topaz Ranch Estates is located in Wellington, NV.

The club began out of the realization for a need of children’s ministry in their area. At first people said that children’s ministry was pointless, that no kids lived in the area. Because two buses come to the area, church members realized that was not the case.

In 2008 Larisa Craig and a mission team began to canvas the area for VBS. The first night one child showed up. Since then Larisa has returned to work with kids club, which has expanded to meet twice a month from 5:00-7:00. They begin with games. Then they do an activity, this week everyone got to dye Easter eggs and take the eggs home. After the eggs were dyed, Larisa taught a Bible study on Issac and Abraham, and then told the story of Jesus being sacrificed.

The group serves dinner at each kids club, realizing that this may be one of the few decent meals some of the kids have. Sierra, one of the 11 year old girls was talking to a friend, telling her she needs to come to Sunday School. I asked why she liked Sunday School. She said learning about Jesus was awesome, and so were the crafts!

Please be praying for this group as they continue to reach out to their community.

Purpose in the Church

Yesterday I visited a church that was having a testimony day. Church members had been asked to pray about their purpose in the church. Several people stood up to speak, and had some great testimonies!

Two testimonies came from the youth group. These testimonies really struck me.

The first girl stood up and said that she had not been able to be in church the past few weeks, but her purpose was to learn and to be an example to others.

The next girl, not quite 13 walked up to the front bouncing nervously. She said, "My purpose is to invite friends to church." Then she bounced back to her seat.

The statements struck me for a few reason. First of all, these were teenagers who didn't see the challenge for the adults in the church only. Also, I know that the younger girl goes to a Christian school, something that would tempt many to just assume her friends know Christ.

Thank God for teenagers who are seeking to live for Christ! May they be encouraged in the same way that they have encouraged me.

Can I Be Baptized?

In a moment of bravery and technological difficulty I decided last night instead of our normal Missionary story at Kids Discipleship (we rotate between Bible stories and missionary stories) we would just have a question and answer time. We did set certain rules over what questions could be asked (Bible and missions questions only).

One child asked how many fruits of the Spirit she could have. Another girl asked how God made people. A boy asked why we have to be close to God all the time.

One girl, E, raised her hand and said, "I'm nine years old now. When can I get baptized?" I told her that baptism isn't about how old a person is, but if a person has made a decision to follow Jesus. Through the thread of questions I had several opportunities to share the gospel in different ways.

I can honestly say that I don't know if this girl is ready to be baptized. Typically I try to look at why the kids are asking to be baptized. Are their friends getting baptized? Did someone younger than them get baptized and they think that because they are older they need to take the step? Are they curious about what baptism is like? Have they truly made a decision to follow Christ and live for Him?

I shared with the girls father about her question and he promised to follow up and talk to her, something that can be difficult (but not impossible) when several kids are in a classroom. I will also try to talk to her later in the week and see where she is coming from in her question. I have seen a little bit of a change in her life, but I am concerned with her question about age related to baptism.

Please be praying that E would understand the gospel message and would make a decision to respond to this message.

Can I Use What I'm Good At To Tell People About Jesus?

I was teaching a class last week from SnackPack Missions from the North American Mission Board. SnackPack has 20 minute mission stories designed to drop into any curriculum for Missions education.

Our specific story was about a missionary who was lead to Christ as a result of a church softball league in his hometown. The kids and I talked about different interests they have and about how they could use these interests to tell people about Jesus.

One boy was very emphatic about letting us know that there is no way to use skateboarding or sports to tell people about Jesus. After trying several avenues with him, including asking if he talked while he skateboarded or waited to skateboard, I was very close to giving up when a thought came to my mind. "What about the famous athletes?" We have so many athletes on so many levels who are Christians and get the word out. Bobbie Bowden, Kurt Warner, Reggie White, Tim Tebow, and many other football players use their fame to share their faith.

I asked if anyone watches football. One girls face lit up and she raised her hand. "That player on that team," she said, "the one with the Bible verses on his face! He tells about Jesus during games!"

I don't know if any of the other kids figured out that they could use their talents to tell other about Jesus, but at least one little girl realized that she could tell her friends about Jesus that night. She is an artist, and I believe that God will use this talent, even if she never becomes a professional artist.
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Please pray that the other children in the group would learn ways to share with other people about Jesus, and that two of the children in the group who have not yet accepted Jesus as Savior would accept him one day soon.

"You Are Special"

A rarely pays attention in class. A few weeks ago he would not focus at all during the Bible Study, but after the study we read Max Lucado's book, "You Are Special." Suddenly A was much more attentive than ever before. As the story continued A got much more interested in the story, even asking a few questions.

After the story I spoke to A and asked if it was hard when everyone expected him not to pay attention and to get into fights. A said yes! We sat down and talked about how we don't have to focus on people and what they think of us. Instead we need to look at what God expects from us and know that God really does think we are special, because He made us.

I pray that A would realize that Jesus does love him and would learn to trust in Him.