Connect


OCTOBER 2007 Welcome to Connect, the monthly e-newsletter for those who minister to children in small Sunday schools, midweek programs, and new church plants. *To invite your ministry staff members and volunteers to receive Connect,* click here. In our neck of the woods, September and October are synonymous with golden leaves, crisp air, and a return to routine. At Faith Alive we hope you’re enjoying all three! And while golden leaves and crisp air are out of our control, we do have a few tips to pass along to help you establish a Kid Connection routine! Be Prepared. Being prepared allows you to make eye contact with your kids and enables you to focus on the kids instead of what comes next. The result? You’ll enjoy leading, and your kids will enjoy learning! If you’re a large group leader this means reading and re-reading what you’ll be teaching—and then reading it again! playing the songs while you’re checking your e-mail and singing them in the shower. Tip: Practicing aloud and in front of a mirror is an excellent way to prepare and to see what the kids are seeing! having all your props laid out and ready so you can move seamlessly from one thing to another. A little lull during large group is all it takes for you to lose some kids’ attention—so you’ll want to keep things moving. visiting the Kid Connection website each week to hear lesson specific teaching tips from KC editor Karen DeBoer. EVERY session has its own tips—we’re really excited about these, and we know you will be too! *If you’re a small group leader this means* reading and re-reading your lesson until you know the material well enough to have a conversation with your kids without consulting the guide. having supplies laid out and ready to go so that you can make smooth transitions from one activity to another. Tip: Always have an extra activity in your back pocket for those days when you have some unexpected extra time. The “What Else?” ideas included in each session are a great source for those. visiting Kid Connection website each week to hear lesson specific teaching tips from KC editor Karen DeBoer. EVERY session has its own tips—we’re really excited about these, and we know you will be too! Here’s one more benefit to being prepared—when you know the material well you’re able to mold it at a moment’s notice to meet the needs of your group. Which brings us to the next step… Be Flexible. There will be days when you have less time then planned, or when kids arrive with more energy than you bargained for! It’s OK to make last-minute adjustments when something isn’t working! If you’re a large group leader this means making room for extra kids in a way that makes them feel welcome. Tip: Having kids sit on the floor during large group means there’s always room for one more! moving on to another song if the one you picked isn’t clicking with your kids. Tip: If a song isn’t working, just slowly turn down the volume on the CD and go to the next song instead of making kids finish the first one not taking things personally. Just because a preteen doesn’t participate in everything you do doesn’t mean he isn’t listening. He may simply be trying to maintain a new level of cool. Keep smiling, be patient, and let your preteen know you are happy to see him. pausing for prayer when someone has news to share. When 5-year-old Lydia arrived at her large group with halo of bandages around her head and shared how a tumble off her “blue couch” meant a trip to the doctor for stitches, we paused for prayer and talked about how God took care of Lydia—just like Psalm 46 says he does in our Memory Connection verse! Veering from the lesson for a moment led to a practical example of what we were trying to teach! *If you’re a small group leader this means* making extra kids feel welcome, and greeting newcomers with a wide smile instead of an exasperated sigh! Tip: Be sure you’ve got enough supplies and extra chairs in your room for unexpected guests! being willing to set aside time to talk and to pray with your kids, and not being stressed out if you didn’t get to every activity you’d planned. Building community within your small group is more important than sending kids home with a completed craft! Be Enthusiastic. Kids need to know that look forward to spending time with them and that you’re happy to see them. Your excitement about what God is doing will be contagious! *If you’re a large group leader this means* being willing to be silly! Belt out the lyrics and dance to the beat—even if you can’t carry a tune or you’ve got two left feet! Kids will follow your lead. taking risks. Put on a hat and adopt an accent when you read a character’s lines. Go overboard when you’re acting out a report on Jonah’s sea adventures. Surprise kids by doing things they don’t think you’ll do! Remember, it’s not about you—it’s about God! leading so that kids leave with a sense of “WOW” about what God has done and is doing. If you’re a small group leader this means letting kids know how much you look forward to diving into the lesson with them. showing interest in the things that interest your kids. My own kids aren’t really into Game Boy, but Aaron, a boy in my small group, is. So one week before church he and I met in the lobby so he could show me how it works. Aaron knows that what matters to him, matters to me. Which makes it a whole lot easier to share the things that matter to me (God, prayer, the Bible) with him! conveying to your kids a sense of “WOW” about God during the course of your conversations together. Above all, be there for your kids mentally as well as physically. It should be obvious to your kids that you value your time together as you connect with each other and connect with God. As always, please feel free to let us know how things are going in your children’s ministry program! We’d love to hear what God is doing in your program, and we want to assist you where ever possible. Drop us a line at Editors@FaithAliveResources.org.
THIS IS NOT SPAM! You are subscribed to Connect as %%emailaddr%%. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to %%email.unsub%% or click here to edit your member profile. If you have questions or comments about this list, e-mail us or call 1-800-333-8300.

OCTOBER 2007

Welcome to Connect, the monthly e-newsletter for those who minister to children in small Sunday schools, midweek programs, and new church plants. To invite your ministry staff members and volunteers to receive Connect, click here.

In our neck of the woods, September and October are synonymous with golden leaves, crisp air, and a return to routine. At Faith Alive we hope you’re enjoying all three! And while golden leaves and crisp air are out of our control, we do have a few tips to pass along to help you establish a Kid Connection routine!

Be Prepared.

Being prepared allows you to make eye contact with your kids and enables you to focus on the kids instead of what comes next. The result? You’ll enjoy leading, and your kids will enjoy learning!

If you’re a large group leader this means

reading and re-reading what you’ll be teaching—and then reading it again!
playing the songs while you’re checking your e-mail and singing them in the shower. Tip: Practicing aloud and in front of a mirror is an excellent way to prepare and to see what the kids are seeing!
having all your props laid out and ready so you can move seamlessly from one thing to another. A little lull during large group is all it takes for you to lose some kids’ attention—so you’ll want to keep things moving.
visiting the Kid Connection website each week to hear lesson specific teaching tips from KC editor Karen DeBoer. EVERY session has its own tips—we’re really excited about these, and we know you will be too!

If you’re a small group leader this means

reading and re-reading your lesson until you know the material well enough to have a conversation with your kids without consulting the guide.

having supplies laid out and ready to go so that you can make smooth transitions from one activity to another. Tip: Always have an extra activity in your back pocket for those days when you have some unexpected extra time. The “What Else?” ideas included in each session are a great source for those.

visiting Kid Connection website each week to hear lesson specific teaching tips from KC editor Karen DeBoer. EVERY session has its own tips—we’re really excited about these, and we know you will be too!

Here’s one more benefit to being prepared—when you know the material well you’re able to mold it at a moment’s notice to meet the needs of your group. Which brings us to the next step…

Be Flexible.

There will be days when you have less time then planned, or when kids arrive with more energy than you bargained for! It’s OK to make last-minute adjustments when something isn’t working!

If you’re a large group leader this means

making room for extra kids in a way that makes them feel welcome. Tip: Having kids sit on the floor during large group means there’s always room for one more!

moving on to another song if the one you picked isn’t clicking with your kids. Tip: If a song isn’t working, just slowly turn down the volume on the CD and go to the next song instead of making kids finish the first one

not taking things personally. Just because a preteen doesn’t participate in everything you do doesn’t mean he isn’t listening. He may simply be trying to maintain a new level of cool. Keep smiling, be patient, and let your preteen know you are happy to see him.

pausing for prayer when someone has news to share. When 5-year-old Lydia arrived at her large group with halo of bandages around her head and shared how a tumble off her “blue couch” meant a trip to the doctor for stitches, we paused for prayer and talked about how God took care of Lydia—just like Psalm 46 says he does in our Memory Connection verse! Veering from the lesson for a moment led to a practical example of what we were trying to teach!

If you’re a small group leader this means

making extra kids feel welcome, and greeting newcomers with a wide smile instead of an exasperated sigh! Tip: Be sure you’ve got enough supplies and extra chairs in your room for unexpected guests!

being willing to set aside time to talk and to pray with your kids, and not being stressed out if you didn’t get to every activity you’d planned. Building community within your small group is more important than sending kids home with a completed craft!

Be Enthusiastic.

Kids need to know that look forward to spending time with them and that you’re happy to see them. Your excitement about what God is doing will be contagious!

If you’re a large group leader this means

being willing to be silly! Belt out the lyrics and dance to the beat—even if you can’t carry a tune or you’ve got two left feet! Kids will follow your lead.

taking risks. Put on a hat and adopt an accent when you read a character’s lines. Go overboard when you’re acting out a report on Jonah’s sea adventures. Surprise kids by doing things they don’t think you’ll do! Remember, it’s not about you—it’s about God!

leading so that kids leave with a sense of “WOW” about what God has done and is doing.

If you’re a small group leader this means

letting kids know how much you look forward to diving into the lesson with them.

showing interest in the things that interest your kids. My own kids aren’t really into Game Boy, but Aaron, a boy in my small group, is. So one week before church he and I met in the lobby so he could show me how it works. Aaron knows that what matters to him, matters to me. Which makes it a whole lot easier to share the things that matter to me (God, prayer, the Bible) with him!

conveying to your kids a sense of “WOW” about God during the course of your conversations together.

Above all, be there for your kids mentally as well as physically. It should be obvious to your kids that you value your time together as you connect with each other and connect with God.

As always, please feel free to let us know how things are going in your children’s ministry program! We’d love to hear what God is doing in your program, and we want to assist you where ever possible. Drop us a line at Editors@FaithAliveResources.org.

THIS IS NOT SPAM! You are subscribed to Connect as %%emailaddr%%. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to %%email.unsub%% or click here to edit your member profile.

If you have questions or comments about this list, e-mail us or call 1-800-333-8300.