Monday, November 24, 2008

New Survey

At the risk of getting too controversial, what is your opinion on having and/or taking your kids to the adult service? I've been involved in a discussion at another blog and am curious what prompts parents to make the decision they do.

Take the survey and post a comment about what you do as parents.

Dean

Happy Thanksgiving!




Happy Thanksgiving!


Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Check this Out!

You don't want to miss this!
Click on the poster to see it in a large format.

Tap Someone's Shoulder

I love working with children and the volunteers who are working with children! I think there is no other place where you can have greater potential impact into the lives of people than if you interact with children. One of the greatest messages of the Bible is the passing down of our faith to our children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Psalm 78:1-8).

So here's the thing - I ASSUME YOU DO TOO! I assume you are involved in children's ministry because YOU too want to make a difference in the lives of kids. I assume you are involved in children's ministry because God has laid a burden on your heart for kids and their families. I assume you are involved in children's ministry because you find it valuable to bring about changed lives in kids.

So, here is what I would like to propose: That sometime in the next two months, you pray about and seek out one of your friends to get involved in Children's Ministry with you, and then tap their shoulder simply saying "Hey, you should come and observe our children's ministry! The kids are so much fun and we could use you to make a difference in the lives of kids."

Why am I asking you do to this? Many reasons:

  • The Bible encourages EVERYONE to get involved in service somewhere.
  • The more volunteers we have, the smaller and more succinct we can make the tasks which means less stress for everyone.
  • This is the most effective means of increasing the number of volunteers, far more than bulletin annoucncments or pulpit announcments from the pastoral staff.
  • If you volunteer with a bunch of your friends, imagine how close you can become with them to help in times of crisis and change.
  • I am only one person and can therefore only know and invite so many people, combined we know and have influence over a WHOLE LOT MORE!

So, what do you say? Willing to give it a shot? If you DO invite someone, let them simply observe your classroom, and see if they enjoy it. If not, perhaps there is a differnet ministry setting or age group they would prefer. Let's try it and see what happens.

Dean

Camp Christmas

~~~It's the most wonderful time of the year!~~~

Come on you know you want to sing with me! I love this time of year: Giving-Thanks, food, Christmas, food, snow, christmas light, food....foood... :)

Every year around CW we do a special program designed for all of the busy families that have children or grandchildren. Camp Christmas, held on the first 2 Tuesdays in December, is a time for parents to bring their kids to a safe and fun place while they go out and have a date night, do Christmas shopping, just relax...whatever they want. One of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is a healthy, vibrant relationship with your spouse.

The kids meanwhile will have a blast playing games, jumping inflatables, doing crafts, eating, and attending an amazing worship program. This year we are privledged to have Paul & Jessica Dietzel with us from Servant Hands World Outreach. They are AMAZING!

The cost is minimal - $7 per child with a max of $20 per family. You can register your kids on Sunday mornings in the lobby or call the church office: 810-984-5571.

We of course have lots of volunteers to have the privledge of being part of this unique opportunity, and I would like to invite you to be a part of it. Grandparents, youth, DINKS, this is your chance to start making an intentional difference in the life of kids. Consider it!

See you there,

Dean

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A View of Two Worlds

I am sitting in a hotel room in Granger, IN of a new hotel and am just awed at the decadance. Granit countertop, 50" LCD HD TV, brand new couch, new beds, 2 laptops (mine and my "roommat's"), etc. All this while the economy goes down the tubes.

Also today, I had the privledge of blessing someone with a simple and very small gift of someone who needed it far more than me. Honestly, it was VERY small, especially in relationship to how much money I spent today (most of which were things for the church). It put a few things in perpsective for me.

Just some food for thought.

Dean