Every year we run through our expectations with our middle school students @ Hayward Wesleyan Church. We call it frontloading. We share with them what our expectations are upfront, instead of chasing their behavior after the fact. We revisit them from time to time as new students show up or as the overall group behavior […]
That’s a long title, isn’t it? But I wanted to catch your attention by asking you that question: Have You Ever Thought About Scheduling Your Ministry Program for Every Other Week? When I came to Hayward Wesleyan, there was (and still is) a mid-week children’s ministry program called Followers, and it occurred every other Monday […]
I grew up in church. My parents brought me to church every single Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night. It was part of the culture of our family. It’s what we did. So I was one of those kids that was in Sunday school class every single week. I heard almost every single Bible […]
This past summer, I ended up as the lone adult on a bus full of teenagers headed to Bible Camp. I was sitting in the front seat of the bus turned around so I could “monitor” the activity. Sitting next to me was a girl who was going to be Junior in high school. After […]
These are our promotional materials for Followers (our after school program) this year (2012-2013): We also consolidated our web properties into one site, so the Followers landing page and info is located at: http://www.haywardwesleyan.org/followers
An NBC “Minute to Win It” Game Materials 2 breath mint boxes ruler Instructions Secure breath mint boxes to the ends of the ruler so they stand lengthwise. Remove piece of the lid so that opening is unobstructed. When the clock starts, player picks up the ruler with their mouth and begins to move their […]
How to Play Shuffle Your Buns One big circle w/ chairs close together. Pull one volunteer out and have them try and sit back in their vacant chair. Although the person next to that empty chair is going to shuffle their buns into that chair and the game is on. For variations you can yell […]
I’ve always appreciated this little saying!
I’m thinking through curriculum evaluation and selection right now, particularly what kids on the formal level need to be taught (i.e. story, principles, topics, theology, themes, etc.). At church, due to the very nature of the environment, I would call it formal. While a home environment is more informal. Church brings forth systems, programs, structures, […]
How to Make “Jonah in a Fish” Craft: a balloon paper plate cut and colored as fins a teddy graham (prior to inflating the balloon) tape to secure the paper a sharpie to make the balloon fish come to life
Michelle Anthony, in her new book, Dreaming of More for the Next Generation: Lifetime Faith Ignited by Family Ministry,expresses a certain regret and a resolve: Partly out of ignorance, much of my past ministry had eliminated parents from experiencing their God-given role of nurturing faith. There were even times when, out of compassion, I felt […]
Basic Dodgeball Rules Divide the room into two halves with a center dividing line Place the dodgeballs on the center line and start the players on the back line of each side A player is OUT when hit by a ball from an opposing player that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling, wall, or anyone […]
Basic Dodgeball Rules Divide the room into two halves with a center dividing line Place the dodgeballs on the center line and start the players on the back line of each side A player is OUT when hit by a ball from an opposing player that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling, wall, or anyone […]
Basic Dodgeball Rules Divide the room into two halves with a center dividing line Place the dodgeballs on the center line and start the players on the back line of each side A player is OUT when hit by a ball from an opposing player that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling, wall, or anyone […]
Basic Dodgeball Rules Divide the room into two halves with a center dividing line Place the dodgeballs on the center line and start the players on the back line of each side A player is OUT when hit by a ball from an opposing player that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling, wall, or anyone […]
Basic Dodgeball Rules Divide the room into two halves with a center dividing line Place the dodgeballs on the center line and start the players on the back line of each side A player is OUT when hit by a ball from an opposing player that does NOT hit the ground, ceiling, wall, or anyone […]
In Main Street last summer (2011) we ended up playing games every week for about 15 minutes at beginning if the children’s ministry hour. It was fun. The students had a blast being silly and it brought some great playful energy to the large group time. And, it woke the sleepy students up and got […]
Always Have the Courage and Humility to Make the Second Decision When I was in college, I was an RA (Resident Assistant) in the older men’s dormitory. I had made a decision that one of my fellow RA’s thought was incorrect and he asked to meet in order to clarify and, possibly, to change my […]
Good Leaders Serve Twice Lock-Ins are not my favorite thing to do in the first place, so the fact that the students had trashed the sanctuary with candy wrappers and half-empty pop cans really made me mad. We had already “served” these teenagers by staying up all night with them, and now we needed to […]
You’re going to enjoy reading this book! Really, you are! I know, I know, I’m reviewing the book so I supposed to say things like that, right?! Well, I typically have to trudge through books, particularly on leadership, because they are boring. Some people enjoy lists of principles and can easily see how to apply […]