Ten Things I Learned In The Past 7 Years

I began working at ECUMC on June 1, 2005. To my amazement, they hired me to be their Director of Children's Ministry. I was clueless. Really clueless from the moment that I said yes to this job what it would require or what it would bring. I have learned many more things but you would not want to hear everything I've learned. So here are 10 things I learned in 7 years:

1) Relationships are the most important thing. Allowing people to see you as a human with vulnerable, squishy spots is as important as letting them know you are a leader, strong and capable. Knowing every kid's name is very important because they will know you cared enough to find out.

2) Remembering the baptismal covenant that we make with the families when their children are baptized is crucial when you have to correct a child's behavior and even more important when you have to tell the parent what happened. We have an agreement between us, the parents, and God to help them bring their children to a life of faith. Sometimes we have to give bad news but we can give it in love.

3) Being prepared is for more than Scouts. Children's workers have to be prepared. Either be prepared with lots of activities or be prepared to the fallout when you aren't.

4) God's Word is digestible, and I am not just talking about Bible board books.. Infants can learn "God is love" from the smile and coos of a parent or a nursery worker. Toddlers can sing along to Jesus Loves Me and learn Bible stories if we "feed" them a regular diet of God's Word. The stuff they learn as babies stays with them the longest.

5) Little kids' prayers can make me laugh or cry. Little kids' will pray about anything and everything. They need to know that they can pray about anything and everything. They have stuff to tell God. Let them tell God their hearts desire and teach them to say thank you. Kids' prayers reveal a lot of about them and their families.

6) I will never sing a solo in church but I can sing with little kids. They don't care if I am off tune or off beat. They just love to sing and make a joyful noise. I can't sing with big kids. They know me.

7) Big kids surprise me by the what they think about. They begin looking at the Bible differently when they are in 4th and 5th grades. They ask hard questions. They make me look up stuff more. They see the world differently too. They see our incongruousness and they shake their heads at us.

8) Big kids want to know that God will forgive if their brother or sister won't. They want to know how to calm their bodies so that they can pray. They want to use their words to pray, not our stuffy churchy words. It's ok. God is big enough to hear messy prayers.

9) Big kids are helpers. They want to participate and they are waiting for someone to tell them how. Can they be missionaries in their community - YES! Can they pass the offering plate - YES!  Can they read scripture - YES! Can they pray aloud - YES!

10) Parents who live out their Christian faith in front of their kids - the good, the bad, the ugly, the return - are the best kind of parents. If they allow their humanness show and then let their faith in God shine through all of the circumstances, they can be great role models. The life of faith is like a path through a bed of roses. There are thorns if you get off the path. Parents: I've got your back. Thank you for having mine.

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Shall We Gather at the River?

I spent my Sunday worship time in three places: in our traditional service for the congregational singing until I gathered the children for children's worship, then I led the prayer time for children's church, and then joined the Marietta Campmeeting for the sermon. This activity on Sunday gave me opportunity to consider the foundations of my spiritual life.

The old hymns we sang in the traditional service spoke to the deepest part of soul as they were songs from childhood. Foundational faith stirrings came to the surface as I sang with the congregation, "Shall We Gather at the River?" The words resonate with my soul.

"Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river;
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God."

Thinking of the saints that I have encountered through the years, I am moved to strive on a little better, holding my head up high - proud of my spiritual heritage. As I moved to children's church with my little charge, I engage in a conversation of a different nature. The childish joy of the little boy over his recent accomplishment: tying his shoes, also brings me back to a foundational time in my life. I remember a sweet Sunday school teacher who shared those accomplishments with me long ago.

"Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven"

The children move their chairs to the center of the room to begin our time of sharing highs and lows (Joys and concerns). I begin selecting children to share their prayers. Young boy with a fresh hair cut is exuberant that his father is home from his military post, a little girl has received a new purse, several of our regular families are traveling on vacation. Summer time boo boos consume our prayer time. But I remember how the death of young child in our community has deeply impacted two of our families and some of our troubled youth are facing more tough decisions. I remember children in a neighborhood are about to be dispersed to new neighborhoods where they will be strangers, not friends.


God is with us.


As I enter the arbor, I moved by the sense of history that I see and feel. The breeze is delightful playing between the rustic pews and blooming crepe myrtles stand in for stained glass windows. The little hymnals and funeral home fans harken me back to a past day. I imagine the Conestoga wagons that may have been pulled by mules and horses from 20-30 miles away a hundred years ago. The "tents" which surround the arbor complete the historic picture. The preacher up front reminds us of our Jesus invited all to His table. That we are all included. And later, he lives up to Jesus' promise as he opens the Holy Communion table to us.

Our faith is ancient and transcends man's division of time. Our faith is our heritage, passed on to us. We get to pass it on to those who are coming along. The Kingdom of God is here with us. The river flows by the Kingdom of God.