Your CCCM team has met and due to the unknown conditions for gathering in January 2021 and the need to plan for that event many months in advance, we voted to try our first ever online Beyond Conference. We are hoping to reach even more participants for their first time attendance. We already know we will have attendee from outside of our conference which will enrich all of our contacts and conversations. Watch next months newsletter for registration and keynote.
Kris Mickna from Rogers Central UMC
The above screenshot is the email letter that went out to all the directors we have in our database. If your director did not get this email, please contact Kris or Melinda and we will make sure they get added to the database.

To all those who have an Early Childhood Education center in your church, please help us in promoting this social network. You are most likely friends on Facebook with your ECE director. Please invite them to like this page so that they will have inspiration and resources that pertain directly to Early Childhood Education.
Kris Mickna will be on our Conference Children's Council to be a voice of all the ECE programs housed in UMC buildings. Please encourage your ECE team to check out the things that we as a conference council can offer.
Many churches acknowledge third graders getting a study Bible during worship as well as holding a Bible boot camp retreat for their 3rd graders in the early fall. However, with the current spread of COVID19, we can do very few things as we once did them.

Milestones are important for marking growth and coming of age. Moving from a picture Bible to a study Bible is a big deal for most 3rd graders. We normally have some kind of class or retreat to build some skills around navigating and reading a study Bible. I have created a Quick User Guide Bible Bookmark to help parents and students until you can meet together.

  • Media blast that you will still be handing out 3rd Grade Bibles, but it will look a little different.
  • Write out the name of every child on a card and lay it on the Bible in the sanctuary. Ask fellow staff members to come and say a prayer for each child's name they see on the card. Take a picture of the Bibles with the names on them and send them it to the families letting them know their child has been prayed for as they use their new Bible. (I saw Hannah Carter at Rogers Central do this last year and it is just lovely tradition to start no matter the current conditions.)
  • Pick two Sundays with a set time period to ask families to swing by and pick up their Bible. While everyone is wearing their mask, ask the parent to get out of car with their child. Ask the parent to present the Bible to their child as the parent reads the blessing on the card. "May the word of God always show you the Love of God!" (It is important to have the parent give the child the Bible, as it builds family faith formation.)
  • Take a picture of each parent handing the Bible to their child. Send it to the parent as well as use it in your online worship for the rest of the congregation to bear witness.
Need some easy yet simple intergenerational faith formation to put in the hands of your families! I have more samples if you are interested and it is an instant download of 200 useful pdf to text out to encourage faithful conversation at the table. In the video link below we talk more about how and to use it in your church and why it is so adaptable to the Covid19 restrictions.
Once before I have shared a link for Teacher Pay Teachers, because it a quick way get a quick lesson. They have a religion section, but you just have to make sure what you are downloading has Methodist theology. Well, now you have a source. Emily had written two books as well as writing curriculum for Cokesbury. She has now decided to open her own TPT online store. She just created a book for seven and under that can be printed out called, My Church Never Closed! A printable flip book for kids to understand that church still happens during Covid19. She said she will be posting everything from worship bag goodies to bundles of lessons. Keep checking back when you may need to a quick lesson for something.

Also did you know that you can download adorable graphics that you can use to make signs, drop into an imovie for your children's message, make a facebook graphic or use in your bitmoji room. See what I made uploading the graphics I purchased and downloaded from TPT then uploaded the individual graphic to Canva! Feel free to copy and paste the image for your use if you like. You don't have to put the artist logo on the graphics if you are using them in your church, but if you put them on social media the artist ask that you put their logo at the bottom. Most downloads are unlimited use for $5-$8!
I have asked Christi Crawford, Katie McLean, Jessica Butler, and Karen Swales to brainstorm with me about some Advent and Christmas choices to share if you are feeling stuck. We have met once and have chatted about options we could create without technology and with technology options for you. If you would like to contribute, please email me. We hope to have at least three ideas to share with you. Here is one of the super cute ideas Christie share with us during the meeting. Last year she had kids draw out all the characters and they used them on the screen as the pastors read. The next day she had one of the children read and then used the drawings to create this quick imovie to share on social media.
Dates to remember:

  • Postponed Quest September 25,2021