One way I try to keep current in children’s ministry is by reading all the major websites and blogs that cover the field. I often run across some great articles that I want to pass along to my readers. So, here is the first edition of “Children’s Ministry News & Notes.” Please leave a comment or email me (TonyKummer@gmail.com) if you find this new feature helpful.
1 in 16 US Children Attended a Southern Baptist VBS
According to an article by Baptist Press, Vacation Bible School is alive and well in Southern Baptist churches. This is encouraging news. The article goes on to say:
“We enrolled more than 2.9 million people in VBS [in 2006] and about 2 million of those were ages 5-12,” Marler said. “When you realize that there are 32 million children in America who are between ages 5-12, it’s staggering to think about 1 in 16 children in that age group was enrolled in a LifeWay VBS in a Southern Baptist church.”
Child’s Play and Imagination Help Kids Learn Self Control
This story from NPR was very interesting to me. One of my pet projects is to bring back an emphasis on self control in Christian education. Most people don’t realize that the Bible has at least 20 verses about being self controlled.
My super smart friend Owen Strachan wrote an post on his blog about this news. I really like his conclusion:
To this day, one of my favorite things to do is to engage in creative exercise through basketball games. I may not invent tales of knightly heroism or dashing rescue anymore, but I do still allow my fun side to run wild, quite literally, on the court. That’s a gift that my parents gave me–and that I hope many Christian parents will continue to give in days to come. What’s at stake, after all, is not simply well-rounded children, but children who understand and delight in the gift of imagination and then go on to live self-controlled lives while glorying in the message of the Bible, the story that in its incredible genesis, action-packed body, and fantastic resolution crests all other tales in majesty and truth.
Should We Teach Unbelieving Children To Pray?
Pastor John Piper tackled this question on his website last month. I love it when world-famous megachurch pastors demonstrate passion for children’s ministry – and Piper always does.
He says, “YES.” We absolutely must teach them to pray, since prayer is so important to coming to faith. He makes some really good points in his answer. It might be a helpful article to print off for parents in your church.
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Your question, “What do you think about Easter egg hunts at church?”, is exactly the same question a young mother asked me at our church. I want everything to be a teachable moment for the Lord and this is no exception. I like the resurrection egg idea but as far as the huge hunt idea, I also see that as a waste of time. This young mother was also concerned about Santa Claus. Bunny or Santa, if we consistently teach and proclaim Jesus all year long, we can easily explain these worldly fables. I’ve found most children quickly relegate the fables to their rightful place on their story book shelf, and easily embrace Christ as real and vital to their lives. Please consider always showing Jesus as a real human image rather than in a cartoon form…now that is where it gets confusing! Is Christ an animated figure or not? Not! Invest in showing Jesus in the beautiful prints available whenever possible. Emphasize His human side. Make Him real as possible in your speech, how you relate to Him, and how you know Him to be alive and well even today. That way your faith is a wonderful example to any curious child.