Summer Ministry

Announcing “Bible Beach Club,” an Exciting Summer Children’s Ministry Curriculum

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Introducing Bible Beach Club: A Summer Blessing for Your Children’s Ministry Hello everyone, Tony Kummer here from The Sunday School Store! I’m thrilled to share some exciting news with all of you who are dedicated to the spiritual growth and engagement of children in your ministry. We’ve just launched a brand new curriculum for the summer that I believe is going to be a wonderful addition to your children’s programs. It’s called “Bible Beach Club,” and it’s

Announcing “Summer Games,” a Fun New Olympic-Themed Children’s Ministry Curriculum for 2024

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I’ve just finished editing our new Summer Games 3-lesson curriculum series inspired by the Olympic Games. Wow – this one will be a lot of fun for churches, especially at the end of July when attendance is a struggle in Sunday School. Here are the details for anyone interested. Why Choose “Summer Games” for Your Summer Series? As the world gets ready for the Olympic Games, you can add some excitement to your children’s ministry with the

Summer Bible Reading Plan for Children (and Parents)

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Children’s Worship Bulletins has shared some super helpful PDF summer reading plans for kids and their parents. This would be a powerful way to encourage family discipleship in our church or kids ministry this summer.  So, your church may want to consider hosting a Summer Bible Reading Challenge this summer, just as many community libraries do! Setting up a challenge is a terrific way to engage with adults, youth and children during the summer months while also

6 Road Trip Bible Games for Family Vacation Car Time

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Summer is the season for travel. Countless hours are spent by families in cars traveling to visit families or to see the sights.  Here are some ideas you can share with the families in your church to help them put Deuteronomy 6:6-7 into practice on road trips. “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along

Beach Bible Object Lessons for Kids Church

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As warm weather settles in, more families will be making trips to the beach and their favorite water parks. What a perfect time to break out these beach object lessons for kids church! These visual aids are inexpensive and easy to find, perfect for teaching kids important lessons from the Bible. Ready to use some lessons that are just “beachy?” Beach Sand Object Lesson For this object lesson, you need a few cups of sand and two

Sandcastle Children’s Ministry Object Lesson

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What’s more “summery” than a sandcastle? Besides being a recognizable symbol of fun in the sun, sandcastles make a great object lesson. This powerful object lesson takes a little prep work but I’m confident that you will find it worth it. I recommend that you use Matthew 7:26-27 as the text: “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

7 Summer Outreach Ideas

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It’s that time of year! Time to get into the community and meet new people. This summer, try one of these seven outreaches or use them all and you may experience a surprising increase in attendance. Meet new families or build stronger ties with current ones with these fun summer outreaches. Host a puppet class. This outreach only takes a few hours! For the first hour, help amateur puppeteers make sock puppets. During the second hour, show

"Summer Sunday Camp" Theme Idea

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Looking for an inexpensive summer theme for a VBS, kids’ event or Sunday School? You can easily put together a summer Sunday camp with items from around your home. Kids love this playful theme and it works for day and night! If you can get your hands on one, a star projector works great at a “camp in.” Flip off the lights and let the stars shine. A good verse to use is Psalm 33:6, “By the

Summertime Shift: Managing Your Ministry During Summer

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The last day of school means freedom and fun for kids; for the children’s minister it marks the beginning of a season of low attendance and waning participation. For some ministers, it is a season for planning and personal revival. (The rest of us spend time worrying that our sheep aren’t coming back! Thank goodness most of them do!) As you know, Christian ministry has had to change over the past few years. The kids’ pastor must

Preventing Heat Related Illnesses in Children

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It is vital to be aware of heat related illnesses in children, especially if they are entrusted to our care for summer programming.  The entire staff should be briefed on prevention, identification, and treatment. Most likely, a child experiencing an illness of this nature has a hard time knowing what is going on.  They could be engaged in a lively game, they might feel confused as to how they are feeling, or they may feel uncomfortable talking

"Serving Others" Summer Program Ideas for Kids

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Planning a Serving Others Summer (SOS) can be a fun way to connect to the community, serve others, and bring the church family together. These are very  simple ideas you can carry out quickly. Print water bottle labels with a bible verse and your church information and pass out at a local parade or little league game. Serve a free hot dog lunch in the parking lot at high school registration. Offer a morning story hour for moms

How to Plan a Kids Ministry Camp

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Every summer my church holds a Kids Camp for our elementary aged children.  This is one of the most fun events we have and I always look forward to those 3 days every year.  Here are a few suggestions in getting your own kids camp up and running. Decide length of time and ages: Our camp leaves on Sunday afternoon and returns on Tuesday afternoon.  We have found that two nights is about the extent of kids

"Reading Around the World" Program Idea

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I have created this Summer Reading Program so that my son would read more during the summer months. We keep talking about how reading is an adventure so I came up with the Reading Around the World theme. He will be working towards goals which then gets him rewards. Here is a run-down of the program: He will have a “passport” to “travel” around the world in order to keep track of the books that he reads.

5 On-The-Go Family Devotions for Summertime

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The flip flops are flopping.  The sunscreen is lathered.  The baseball hats and sunglasses are on.  Juice boxes are packed for the tykes, candy for the husband with a sweet tooth, and coffee is in hand for me.  Summertime is my favorite time of year!  I’m pretty sure I love it all, bugs and humidity included.  Topping the list, without exception though, is time spent together as a family. Relaxed summer schedules afford us the opportunity of

Summertime Ideas for Children's Ministry

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Summertime ministry to children is touch and go. Outside of big events like VBS, regular weekly attendance can wane during the summer months in the children’s ministry. Kids go on family vacations, head to summer camps and focus on play rather than worship. Meanwhile, nervous children’s ministry leaders anxiously await the return of their children knowing that a few will not make it back. Kids make new friends and sometimes visit other churches. Sometimes get out the

Family Discipleship In The Summertime

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Summertime is a more relaxed season of the year for many families (although with vacations, baseball, and family reunions our schedules can still be hectic!) But summer is a good time to remind ourselves as parents that growth in the grace and knowledge of God doesn’t take summer breaks. The summer months present a great opportunity for Christian moms and dads to faithfully model disciplines of Bible study, prayer and fellowship to their children. Here are a

How To Stay Positive – When Summer Attendance Is Down

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If your church is like mine, the dog days of Summer can be the dog days of attendance too – especially for young families who use the Summer break to go on vacation. 6 Ways To Avoid Discouragement This is an aspect of ministry that I still struggle with. It almost always affects my mood when our kids church attendance is way down. But I’m learning some strategies to overcome this. 1. Give thanks to God for those who