Category Archives: Church Growth

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Humility – Kidzone April Theme

This coming month in KidZone is all about humility.  Each week our kids will be learning about putting others first, and giving them what they think they deserve.

God created new born babies to demand attention, to insure that they get everything they need.  Ideally as kids grow, mature, and become less dependent, they also learn to be less demanding and more giving.  Reality is though this transition doesn’t always take place, and so, many kids continue to be as selfish at age 8, 38, and 68, as the day they they were born.  This month is about addressing this issue.

Our theme verse for the month is “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or van conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”  Philippians 2:3, NIV.  If your a parent and you are interested in following along with what we are talking about in KidZone, our lessons this month are….

April 3rd – Served (Jesus washes the disciples feet) – John 13:1-17 – Treat other people like they are more important than you.

April 10th – Arrested (Jesus prays and is arrested) – Luke 22:39-44, John 18:2-11 – To put others first, you need to put God first.

April 17th – Crucified (Jesus is tried and crucified) – March 14:53-65 & 15:1-39 – Jesus put us first when he died on the cross.

April 24th – Resurrected (Jesus is buried and resurrected) – Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20 – We should put others first because Jesus is alive.

Whether you feel your kid has learned this lesson, or needs to hear it desperately, be sure to bring them out this coming Sunday. KidZone services start at 8:30, 10:30, and 12:30.

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How to Save $100 Off the Cost of Summer Camp

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This year Calvary is hoping to send more kids and youth to summer camp than ever before. In order to do this we are offering a $100 scholarship for every single camper. Hopefully this will make camp affordable for every family. To qualify all you have to do is be a family who attends Calvary, fill out the camp registration form for your child (which can be found in the church lobby), and turn in the completed form. It’s that easy.

This deal is for every camper, so if you are a family of 2, 3, 4 or more kids, they all can save $100 if they register through the church.  In fact, if you send 2 kids from the same household you get $105 off, and 3 or more kids and you get $110 off per kid.

The dates for camps this year are as follows:

Kid’s Camp (3rd through 6th grade in fall of 2011) – July 4th – 8th
Senior High Camp (9th – 12th grade in the fall of 2011) – July 11th – 15th
Junior High Camp (6th -8th grade in the fall of 2011) – July 18th – 22nd

No, that is not a typo.  Both Kids and Jr. High Camp is for 6th graders. They have a choice. If you are unsure of what camp to send them to feel free to contact me or Pastor Clark.

Hurry up and register.  To meet the early registration deadline we need to have your completed application, which includes a physical dated within 2 years of the start of camp, by April 24th.  The early registration cost is only $155, for one kid with the discount, after that it goes up to $180.

Parents, you do not want your kids to miss camp.  There will be swimming, canoeing, paddle boats, archery, tubing, hiking, bonfires, a game room, tons of fun and competition, but most importantly an opportunity for your kid to connect with God. You don’t want them to miss out!

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Kidzturn Supersonic

Strap on your helmets, and get ready for another awesome week with Kidzturn! It will have been 2 years since we had then them here at Calvary last. I have missed all the Lussiers, Elmer, games and especially the foam machine. So, I am super excited to have them back with us this year from May 1st to 4th.

Each night beginning at 6:30 everyone will be meeting in the sanctuary for a time of worship, games, a sermon and altar time. Everything is designed for kids, but for the whole family (kids, moms, dads, guardians, grandparents, great aunts twice removed, everyone). Here is a little glimpse at what each night is all about…

If you can’t see the video click here.

For those of you who have been out to this event before I know that you are already writing the dates on your families calendar. For those of you who haven’t been out to this before, trust me you do not want your kids to miss any of these services. Again, the dates are May 1st – 4th beginning at 6:30 each night.

Also, be sure to invite every kid you know. There will be some wicked nice prizes for the kid that brings the most visitors.

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New Service Times

For all of you who attend Calvary please note that we will be tweaking our Sunday service times beginning March 6th.  The new times will be 8:30, 10:30, 12:30 and 6:30.

Photo courtesy of © flickr.com/photos/29254399@N08/3187186308

We are extending the time between our services from 30 minutes, to 45 minutes, in hopes of cutting down on some of the congestion in the parking lot, and to make it easier for people in the 2nd service to find a place to park.

So glad to be facing great problems like too much congestion and too few parking spots.  These are great problems to have!  Again, the service time changes take effect March 6th, so be sure to take note and be on time!

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Helping Kids Succeed

Kids are pretty stinkin’ amazing.  It blows my mind what they are capable of.  In fact, if you asked me what the biggest mistake I have made in children’s ministry is, I would tell you it is underestimating kids potential.  Whether it is memorizing scripture, raising money for missions, serving in ministry or whatever else, I don’t think kids are pressed to their full potential.  Too often they are simply minimized and marginalized.

That being said I also realize that kids also need help, and lots of it.  They need people speaking into their lives.  People coaching them.  People teaching them.  People mentoring them.  Sometimes, like the kid in the video below, they need someone to give them a little help…

If you can’t see the video click here.

Again, sometimes kids need that extra push, the extra encouragement to do their homework, or read their Bible.  They need involved moms and dads, and children’s pastors who care about them.  They need Sunday School teachers, and Royal Ranger commanders.  They need people who will help them reach their full potential and to figure out their problems.

The trouble is most people don’t take the time to speak into children’s lives.  Maybe it is because they don’t feel like they are good with kids, or maybe it is because they think they are too old to relate to kids.  Whatever the reason, it’s wrong.  The reality is kids need introverted non-wild people speaking into their lives just as much as they need the super kid friendly people.  They need more than just their friends and their parents generation speaking into their lives, they need to hear about the experiences of people from every age in the church.

In Deuteronomy 6 Moses states, “Hear O Israel, The Lord Our God The Lord is One….These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.”  Did you notice how this passage starts?  Moses begins by saying “Hear or Israel.”  Yes, this would have included parents, but it would have included everyone else in the community as well.  Raising a kid, although primarily the parents responsibility, was designed to be community event. But, again, too often often it doesn’t happen.  The trouble is most people in the church don’t take the time to speak into children’s lives.

What about you, when was the last time you spoke into a child’s life?  When was the last time you gave a kid a little help and guidance?

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Why I Love Royal Rangers and Girls Ministries

A few Sunday nights ago we had a special awards ceremony for our Royal Rangers and Girls ministries.  Literally hundreds of awards were handed out that night, and we even took a little extra time to honor a few girls and boys in the main service who had earned some special awards.

Julia

There are lots of things I love about Rangers and Girls Ministries, but one thing I love the most is the mentoring that takes place in these ministries.  Studies show that kids who have multiple voices speaking into their lives are much more likely to have their faith stick with them than kids who do not.  Seems like common sense, but having a mentor, someone that they can trust and talk to beyond their parents, is not something that very many kids have.  If you’re looking for a good role model for your child I would recommend coming out on Sunday nights.  Built into Rangers and Girls Ministries is a small group environment where each kid has multiple leaders working with them and speaking into their lives.

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Another reason I love Rangers and Girl’s Ministries is that they both give kids a great footing in life.  Each ministry teaches leadership and relational skills, both allow kids to make great friends who will be a positive influence in their life, and both give kids tremendous opportunities to grow in their faith by keeping them accountable to reading the Bible, praying, memorizing scripture, and more.

Again, if your child isn’t involved in Rangers or Girls Ministries let me encourage you to bring them out this Sunday night @ 6:30 pm.  The fun all begins down in room 031, which is the KidZone room downstairs.

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Big Issues

Kids may be little in size, but they face some big issues.  These are just a few of the prayer requests submitted by kids at Calvary this past Sunday….

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Okay, so maybe the cat staying safe outside isn’t the biggest issue in the world.  It is a big concern to that kid though.  But, cancer, family fighting, bullying, unspoken?  Our kids face some big problems.  Why don’t you take some time to pray for some of our kids this week?  Or better yet, why don’t you pray for them and consider being a part of a child’s life?

Again, these kids are facing some big challenges in their lives, and they need someone who is going to be a voice into their life.  Someone who can tell them that they are there for them, more importantly that God is there for them, and that they never have to face these things alone.  They need someone to offer guidance and direction.   They need someone to teach them about faith, following God and all about life.

Will you pray for our kids?  Will you get involved in one of their lives?  They need you to.

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Beyond the Classroom

Kid’s church is a great place for a child to learn about God, Christ & faith.  Obviously, as a children’s pastor, I wish that every kid had the opportunity to come to church to hear about God.  In the end though, I know that a church service is only one of the many experiences that a child needs in order to grow in their relationship with Christ, and ultimately to have their faith stick with them for a lifetime.

What else do kids need to grow up following Christ into adulthood?  Well, for one thing, opportunities to serve.  Diana Garland in Inside Out Families writes,

Community service was significantly more closely related to the faith development of teens than attending worship services.  Service appears to be more powerful than Sunday School, Bible study, or participation in worship in the faith development of teenagers.

Giving kids and youth the opportunity to live out their faith in practical service increases the likely hood that the child’s faith will stick with them for a lifetime.  This is why I get so excited when parents get their kids involved in serving, and even more excited when parents serve with their kids.

At Calvary, we have a dad who has taken, or is going to take, all of his kids on their first missions trip with the church.  We have a mom and daughter that volunteer in our wheelchair van ministry, faithfully serving together to go pick up our shut-ins for church on Sunday.  We have had families that serve at the local soup kitchen, My Brother’s Table, together.  Every year we have parents participate in our Christmas and Easter productions with their kids.  All of these parents, and the dozens like them, are giving their kids a chance to grow in their faith outside the regular Sunday morning classroom.

I wonder if the statistics showing how many teens walk away from their faith after high school would diminish if every child were given opportunities to serve and put their faith into action?  What would happen if parents invested the time and energy to get their kids plugged into church beyond the classroom?

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Why 1 to 7 Teacher/Student Ratios Are Killing the Church

My church has one, and odds are yours does too.  Most churches have a set ratio of the number of teachers/leaders/volunteers they require in a classroom for every certain number of kids.  In my church the ratio is 1 teacher for every 7 kids (except in the nursery where it is 1 nursery worker for every 4 infants).

Churches recruit for their ministries based on ratio’s like these.  “Parents, we could really use some help in kid’s church.  We have 30 kids coming, but just two people helping out…so we are reeeeaaaaally short staffed.  We need at 2 or 3 more people.  Can you help out?”  The trouble is using a 1-to-7 ratio is far too low, at least if you want the kids in the church to be lifelong followers of Christ.  According to Lifeway Research:

Teens who had at least one adult from church make a significant time investment in their lives….were more likely to keep attending church.  More of those who stayed in church – by a margin of 46 percent to 28 percent – said five or more adults at church had invested time with them personally and spiritually.

Did you catch that?  The more people who invest in a kid from church, the more likely that kid is to stick with their faith.  We live in a day and age where countless teens are walking away from their faith after high school.  Could one reason be because we (the church & parents) have left our kids spiritual formation entirely to one person in a classroom, who is already distracted by 6 other kids, and only given them 75 minutes a week to speak into our children’s lives?

What would happen if we changed the ratio?  What if rather than trying to get one teacher in every room for every 7 kids, we made it a point to try to help parents find 5 mentors for every one of their kids?  What if every kid got more than a teacher for a single Sunday morning service, but beyond that had multiple people who were investing in “them personally and spiritually” throughout the week, the month and their life?

Don’t get me wrong, I think 1 to 7 ratios are important and needed.  They provide structure and safety for classes and ministries.  I also think that every single Sunday school teacher, kid’s worker, youth staff member plays a pivotal part in a kids’ spiritual growth.  I also think they by themselves they are insufficient.  I think that a childrens or youth worker can, and should, be an important voice in the life a kid, but it should only be one of the voices that that child hears.  The reality is though, many kids are only hearing one voice, and so many are walking away from the faith.  To put it another way, 1-to-7 ratios are killing the next generation of the church.

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Month of Personal Commitment

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Just a quick reminder that our Month of Personal Commitment continues at Calvary tomorrow at 8:30, 10:15 and 12:00.  Tomorrow we take a look at making a commitment to the Bible.  You do not want miss this service.  If you missed out on last week’s message on a commitment to prayer you can download it from the church’s website.