Friday, March 23, 2007

Whatdoya Think?

So....what do you think of the new layout? I woke up this morning, started checking some websites (including my own) and.....in my best Emeril LaGasse impression....BAMM!

A HUGE thank you to Matt from MatterDesign, LLC. Matt, your "tweeks" are incredible.

So, are there things you would like to talk or learn about? Leave a comment or send an email with your ideas or questions and we'll get started in addressing them.

Til then, God Bless.

Dean

Monday, March 19, 2007

Some Brief Helpful Hints

Greetings everyone! For those of you who were able to attend Equip last night, I hope you enjoyed coming. For those of you who missed: You really missed out. Next one will be April 15th, the week AFTER Easter.

The issue of special needs children has consistently come up over the brief time I have been attending CW. There seems to be a number of kids in our ministries that have some type of disability. It may be Autism, Cystic Fibrosis, or ADHD. Whatever it may be, there are a few things you guys can do in your classroom to help these kids adjust and enjoy the class. Here are a few brief tips:
  • Make your classroom as consistent and predictable as possible. Children need to feel secure and have a feeling of some control with their environment.

  • Present information visually as well as orally. This way you open up doors to understanding by using two of the most important avenues.

  • Help parents know what you’re teaching their child so they can reinforce the important biblical principles at home

  • Adapt your classroom environment. Are there simple things you can do to help the child? An example might be to have the child sit closer to you or pair the child with another child.

  • Watch children for cues as to how you can help.

  • Remember that this child that God has placed in your classroom is more like the other children in your classroom than different. Also, the child can teach the other children important life lessons of compassion, acceptance, and service.
These tips come from a article found at ChildrensMinistry.com that you can access if you Click Here! These will help you get started anyway!


Also, we may be getting to the point of developing some type of special needs program. There are, however, a lot of different directions one can go with this. The book Special Needs, Special Ministry is a great tool for starting up such a program. I have a copy of it if you would like to read it, or you can click on the picture to purchase the book at Amazon.com. Also, if you are interested in leading up a special needs program, let me know.

'Til next time, Dean

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Spread the Word!

In case you have not heard: Sunday, March 25th is our next Take-Home Event. Parents of 1 Year Olds will meet in the gym during the 1st Service, while 2nd Graders AND their parents will meet during the 2nd.

During this event parents will be given a couple of resources to help improve their intentional shepherding of their children. The focus for the 1 Year Olds is on teaching them about the love and blessing of Jesus on their lives. The 2nd Graders lesson will focus on Missions, while their parents work through a lesson on their own (at least in part).

Hope to see everyone there. *Shalom*

Saturday, March 10, 2007

The Amazing Creation of the Human Body

Have you ever heard of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome? I had not until yesterday! I went to Children's Hospital in Detroit, MI with a family from our church whose 10-year old daughter went their to determine what may be happening with her heart. Check this out...

Did you know that there are conduction pathways formed while a baby is in the uterus that only exist for a few months SOLELY to allow the heart to form properly? If these pathways stick around past their time, it case cause "misfires" in the heart thus giving someone
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

How cool is it that God has authored the human body to a point where he creates and then de-creates things "just in the nick of time." Another example is when Vitamin K starts producing in a newborn. V-K is used to help with blood coagulation and is currently given to a baby within the first few minutes of their life. This is mainly so that they can perform, on males, the circumcision (Sorry, NOT for the faint of heart!) sometime within the next day or so; BECAUSE the body does not start producing this until around day 7. Quess when God designated the body to recieve it first cut? Day 8 -
Genesis 21:4 and Leviticus 12:3 - one day after the body is able to stop bleeding on its own!

God appearently knew what he was AND IS doing. Blessings!

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Welcome to FJIF

This website is dedicated to the parents of C-Dub (better known as Colonial Woods Missionary Church in Port Huron, MI). This will be a place to stop in and check out what is going on with various aspects of the ministry with kids and parents of CWMC. We will also be highlighting the ministry of Family Journey in Faith at the church which exists to come along side parents as they strive to "Raise Spiritual Champions."

If you happen to volunteer in Children's Ministry (@ C-Dub or anywhere else) also check out my blog for teachers and volunteers:
Click Here. Sit back, relax and feel free to post a comment or question. Enjoy the Journey.

Dean

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Let's Start This Journey

Greetings Friends! So starts the launch of the Anchor Children's Ministry Blog of C-Dub (a.k.a. Colonial Woods Missionary Church). This will be a place for teachers, volunteers, friends, family and general passers-by to catch a glimpse into the exciting world of Children's Ministry (CM).

As we begin this journey together, my hope is that this site and emails sent through it will help in you in your classroom, ministry, relationships and personal life. So if you have any comments or feedback, drop me a comment and we will see what we can come up with. Get comfortable and enjoy the journey!

You can also check out my other blog for parents of Colonial Woods by Clicking Here!

Dean