A comment made to a children's minister by a church member, "Why are the kids coming but not their parents? We hired you to grow the church."

Have you heard a similar comment from a pastor or church member? It does happen from time to time from people not being aware of all the information. What do you say in this situation? When you feel like the picture above, you are carrying so much and trying your best. The comment may also be made when you are tired and not at your best. So take a deep breath or reply with a kind gesture of, "Wait, just a minute, and I will get back to you." Walk out of the room, collect your thoughts and return with this kind response.

"I wanted to thank you for noticing how vital the ministry to children and their families is here at our church. The Children's Ministry team and I work very hard to create a spiritual formation, worship, service, and fellowship opportunities. As you know, we are all called to minister to the body of the church because it takes all kinds to connect as we make disciples. I would love for you to join us even if as an observer to see where you can help to connect with families."
Click on the book cover. 10 copies @ $25
Ann Stocks at Trinty UMC in Little Rock brought this book to my attention last month. She uses it for her Lenten Sacred Circle Time and takes out selected passages to talk about the Lord's Prayer with her preschool children.

I could see you also using this as a Milestone Class with a group of Kindergarteners and their parents. Share the book, talk about the parts of prayer, make large floor puzzles of the words to the prayer that families could put together, and have prayer stations around the room offering different styles of praying. After one hour, you will have equipped the parents to pray with their child, and each family will leave with a copy of the book.
So often, our Sanctuary becomes commonplace for adults, but we forget that children don't know there is a reason behind everything in a traditional worship space. Pick a grade, probably 3rd grade and up, for this lesson. Tell them you all are taking a trip to the Sanctuary. (Before going, the teacher should watch the Chuck Knows Church video for some quick Methodist facts on our stained glass windows. Walk to each window, giving them time to look at how they are made and designed. Once they have looked and talked about the window's story, head back to class. (Based on your time, this will probably be a two-class project due to the glue needing to dry. )
  1. Print out the Communion Stained Glass PDF on white cardstock.
  2. Get all those half-empty glue bottles and squirt in some black tempera paint. (mix it earlier with a stick)
  3. Tell the students to start in the middle of the picture and move outward, tracing the lines with the black glue. When it dries, it gives a raised frame like real stained glass.
  4. Once the glue is dry, get out the watercolors and brushes. If you haven't already talked about the Holy Communion image they are coloring, you should do that now. What story does it tell?
  5. If you are doing this with an older group, or you have some kids who want a challenge, they can free-hand their Bible story image in pencil and then trace with the black glue. You will see a free-hand image of The Walk to Emmaus in pencil and then painted in the pictures to the right.
When I teach on Wednesday nights at church, and we have to get into partners for a game or project, everyone always wants to scuddle to be with their friend. It always leaves someone out. I saw public school teachers using partner cards which got me thinking about using them in church. Once I did a quick search on Teachers Pay Teachers, I found exactly what I was looking for to help mix up partners and learn a little at the same time.

These Bible-themed print-and-go partner pairing cards help simplify pairing up your students for different assignments and projects in your classroom. Simply shuffle, hand out, and partner!
Directions for Use:

1. Print and cut apart the pairing cards. (Laminate for durability.)

2. When you need to randomly assign partners for a project, pass out the cards and have the students walk around the classroom to find their “match.”

Note: There are 15 matches – enough for 30 students!
Partners include:
  • Abraham and Sarah
  • Adam and Eve
  • David and Goliath
  • Mary and Martha
  • Naomi and Ruth
  • Noah and the Ark
  • Moses and the Ten Commandments
  • Mary and Joseph
  • Esther and Mordecai
  • Joseph and the Colorful Coat
  • Gideon and Deborah
  • Daniel and the Lions
  • Jonah and the Big Fish
  • Day and Night
  • Saul and Paul
District Mini-Beyond

Here are the dates and contact information for each mini-Beyond offered in the spring and summer within each district. If your district date does not work for you, you are more than welcome to sign-up to go to another district's scheduled date.
District mini-Beyonds are a free event! If you didn't sign up for Beyond, it does not matter! At each one, we will have a miniature version of Messy Church, watch the keynote speaker recording, have a meal, and receive all the educational books.

Central District: May 11, 2022 9am-2pm
Location: Highland Valley UMC

Southwest District: May 20&21
Location: Tanako Retreat

Northwest District: Aug. 6, 9 am-3 pm
Location: Ft. Smith First UMC

Southeast District: May 20&21
Location: Tanako Retreat

Northeast District: April 29 10am-3pm
Location: Batesville FUMC
Tanako staff will be helping again this year with childcare for Annual Conference. If you or your pastor is planning on coming, make sure you know that there is free care for five and under in the nursery at First Church Hot Springs, and children from Kindergarten to 6th grade get picked up by the Tanako vans at 8 am and returned to First Church at 6 pm.

This year for the first time, Tanako is offering an overnight option for those that come for Annual Conference care. You can pay an extra $120 per elementary child and have them spend the night. Overnight camp is entirely optional, and each parent is responsible for signing up their child on the Tanako website under PK Camp using the coupon code: ARUMC22 for the discount price. Annual Conference sign-up begins today, April 1!
Dates to remember:
  • Annual Conference June 1-4, 2022