Bentonville FUMC Team has created its own 4 days of @home VBS that can be used with no tech or virtual video links.
Feel free to contact
sadie@fumcbentonville.org if you are interested.
"Where in the World is God? A Virtual Journey Together!" is a free gift to any church who would like it! Rev. Dr. Leanne Hadley worked with A Time for Children members, the North TX AC, and top Christian educators across the US to create this. Please feel free to use it and pass it along! 
It is free and videos will be on the website starting June 15, 2020. You may want to look at this for fall faith formation if we are still unable to meet with children in person.



Intergenerational worship is important when we get to worship in-person and I would say even more important as we venture into online worship. What is intergenerational worship you may be asking yourself? Sarah Flannery writes in her new book Children and Family Ministry Handbook
( cokesbury.com ) “Intergenerational ministry is not synonymous with church or congregation. Intergenerational ministry is church  plus  intentional mixing of generations in the areas of worship, discipleship, and service. While an intergenerational church will offer some events exclusively for families and some exclusively for non-families, its primary worship service will include everyone.”
 
When many ages take part in leading worship each Sunday, it increases active engagement in worship. Congregation members tend to fall into a rote routine of Pastor and musicians. Intergenerational worship allows each new voice and perspective to enrich worship for all. Worship online is no different. We can ask all ages of members to record themselves as they read scripture from home, pray, give a children’s sermon, play a prelude, offer a blessing, or sing a benediction. Please don’t feel you have to be a technology expert. You should utilize all-age members in your church who do have the gift and resources of technology to help you integrate those videos into your worship. If you do want to give it a try yourself, you may want to try the app InShot on your phone for an easy first video edit. 
 
Michelle Wilkins at Hot Springs First United Methodist Church asked parents to record their child saying a part of the Lord’s Prayer. Each parent gladly recorded and sent the video clip to her by the end of the day. She then dropped the recording into a video editing application on her phone. Michelle is a Children’s Minister who often organizes intergenerational worship and because it was a video recording four of the children who would not normally have agreed to pray in front during worship said yes to the video. Pastor Bill Sardin played the video during online worship. It was a beautiful way to include a new group of children who have never prayed during worship for the whole church. 
 
The Lord’s Prayer video clip is a creative way to take intergenerational worship to the online platform. We are ministering in a time where if you wanted to try something you have never done before, now is your chance. You may just draw even more people to your church since people can share what they have taken part in on social media. In summary of Sarah Flannery’s quote, your intergenerational online video integration would be checking all the boxes for worship, discipleship, and service
Playworks may come in useful for a Children's Minister during an online or in-person ministry lesson. It is designed to get kids moving and they have adapted their current movement videos for moving at home while staying safe in quarantine.

They are sponsored by New Balance shoes so you do hear some promotion for them, but that makes it free for you! I love the way the teachers speak to the children and invite kids to get up and move with the screen.

I know there are times in any class that you may need to stop the lesson and get up and move with the kids. Playworks has quick videos that you could watch to remind you of those games and movements. Use them as a resource for yourself or send a link of one of the games to a volunteer to help them know how to explain the game to the kids they are will be working within their class.
Helpful Tips to Remember
 when you Zoom with Kids!
Most times when you zoom the children's parents are in earshot of those leading the zoom, in order to keep safe sanctuary guidelines. However if you or volunteers are working with older children and feel like they are are the only adult present encourage them to record the zoom. If are doing one large zoom VBS and sending adults into breakout rooms with kids, have those adults follow the steps above to record their breakout session and send to you after. Keep all videos in a file for at least 5 years.
Depending on your church size this may be helpful for family worship and lessons at home.
Camp Tanako’s Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision to suspend all overnight and day camps for the 2020 summer season. The safety and well being of our campers and their families are our top priority. These unprecedented times call for difficult decisions. We encourage all to follow our social media platforms to stay connected. Keep an eye out for Tanako Tales, a new program reminiscing on the memories of camp. We love you all and look forward to seeing you at Camp Tanako again!
For your planning purposes get these dates on the church calendar:
Dates to remember :
  • Annual Conference will be on Zoom. Check arumc.org for details.
  • Quest September 26, 2020